cooking with paperclips

Got 6 hours to kill? Want to spend it marinating pork? Interested in incorporating paper clips somehow? GREAT, here's the recipe for Chinese BBQ Pork (aka Char Siu).

2 lbs pork loin or butt
metal paperclips

marinade
1/2 tsp salt
2 T hoisin sauce
4 T soy sauce
1 T apple juice or grape juice

Cut pork into 1" x 2" x 6" strips, or use ribs if you like. Place in marinade in a Ziploc bag or sealed container and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Now move your oven racks, placing one on the very bottom rung and one on the very top. Place a cookie sheet (with a rim) or 13 x 9 x 2 pan on the bottom rack and pour 1 cup of water into it. . Now unbend the paper clips to make them into hooks. Stick one end of a paperclip through the top of each pork strip and hook it to the top rack. Here's a photo of what this looks like.

Bake at 400 for 45 minutes or until cooked through. Don't overcook. Slice across each pork strip. Eat over rice with this sauce (called "gerng" in Cantonese):

* 1 bunch green onions (or scallions)
* 1 pinky finger-sized piece of ginger, peeled
* 1 Tbs (15 ml) sea salt (yes, that much)
* 125 ml (1/2 cup) light vegetable oil (not olive oil)

Method

Green onions are usually bought in a whole bunch, but you won't need that much for this recipe, just 6 stalks, so keep the rest for another dish. Cut the roots off the onions and discard, trim away any loose of floppy tips. Slice the onions quite thinly (about the width of a house key) and place into a mixing bowl.

Grate the ginger on the finest holes of your grater and add to the green onions. Add the salt and vegetable oil, and using the back of a fork, lightly crush the onions, mixing well.

Place the sauce aside for at least half an hour, of if you want to keep it (for up to 3 days), cover and place in the refrigerator. Before serving, Bring to room temperature, crush again with a fork and stir well.

(The sauce recipe is from everything2.com)

My kids tore into this meal like wild dogs. There was actual teeth-gnashing going on.