With a nod to the sweet, savory flavor of char siu (Cantonese-style barbecue pork), this set-it-and-forget-it-style slow cooker recipe yields wonderfully tender pork shoulder that pairs perfectly with Chinese egg noodles.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 6 hr 25 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Inactive: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 6 hr |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 6 hr 25 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Inactive: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 6 hr |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 pounds trimmed pork shoulder
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup dark soy sauce
- 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 4 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 garlic head, halved
- 1 (2-inch) knob unpeeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 8 dried shiitake mushrooms, optional
- Hot cooked Chinese egg noodles, for serving
Instructions
- Rub the pork all over with the five-spice powder and salt. Add the chicken broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and red pepper to the slow cooker. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the scallions, garlic, ginger, the mushrooms, if using, and the meat, turning it a few times to coat. Cover the cooker, set it on HIGH, and cook for 4 hours. Set the cooker on LOW and cook until the meat is very tender, at least another 2 hours (6 hours total).
- Transfer the pork to a platter, cover lightly, and let rest 15 minutes. Meanwhile, pour the cooking liquid into a measuring cup and skim off and discard the vegetables and fat that rise to the surface. Slice the meat and serve warm or at room temperature with noodles and the sauce on the side.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1255 |
| Total Fat | 73 g |
| Saturated Fat | 23 g |
| Carbohydrates | 70 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 18 g |
| Protein | 77 g |
| Cholesterol | 289 mg |
| Sodium | 4001 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1255 |
| Total Fat | 73 g |
| Saturated Fat | 23 g |
| Carbohydrates | 70 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 18 g |
| Protein | 77 g |
| Cholesterol | 289 mg |
| Sodium | 4001 mg |
Reviews
I used regular soy sauce vs dark and made in Dutch oven on the stove. I had to add quite a bit of water to tame the saltiness, but the final product is intensely flavored and delicious. I used 5 large peeled garlic cloves instead of halved head, and shredded the meat in the sauce, pulling out fatty bits. Didn’t strain a thing and added vermicelli noodles to the pot, added more water and left in to soak up the juice.
So easy to make and so tasty!!
I love it! This was my first time using Five Spice and the aroma got me hooked immediately. When the cooking was complete I used a fork to large chunk/shred the pork then added it back into the sauce after straining. Paired it with steamed carrots, celery, green beans and broccoli on top of quinoa. Used the sauce over the veggies and quinoa. Hubby had a triple portion of the pork. I can not wait for leftovers tomorrow. The left over pork is marinating in the sauce.
I had one modification: Low Sodium Regular Soy Sauce. I used what I had on hand. I did not add additional salt because of the low sodium. I did not miss it and hubby did not add any to the dish.
I thought it would have been better with WAY less dark soy. It was extremely salty…so much so that it overpowered everything else. I made the recipe as written and shredded the pork then let it cook for another 30 minutes and adding some asian rice vermicelli after I had poured off all the fat. I then tried to counter act the saltiness with adding some honey. that helped but not much. I love pork shoulder and make it often but I won’t be making this recipe again.
This turned out totally different than I expected. All the reviews are correct, the recipe yields lots of juice or sauce, I cooked on high for 6 hours, took out Pork (it was falling apart); shredded and extracted bone and the fat that did not dissolve. I put shredded pork back in crock pot on low for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, I added a bag of fine premium egg noodles, cooked on low 30 minutes. It was magic, all the juices got sucked up. The noodles looked like Ramen!!!!!! Okay my only critical recipe comment is, I used half the Ginger the recipe called for, I could still taste it, my wife thought it was phenomenal. I am just not a Ginger person, the overall flavor was ultra complex and we have never had ANYTHING like it. Give it a try!!!!!!!! We have leftovers and I think I will dilute my bowl with water to cut the flavor…………Good luck, enjoy.
My husband is into Asian food.
The pork turned out awesome, super tender. I served the broth over brown rice. It was a delicious dinner on a cold and rainy day.
The pork turned out awesome, super tender. I served the broth over brown rice. It was a delicious dinner on a cold and rainy day.
My husband did not like this recipe because there was not a good saturation of flavor into the pork. The sauce was great!
This turned out to be an excellent recipe. I doubled the amount of pork shank (6 pound shank, and multiplied by 1.5 x the chicken stock and soy sauce.
I very much read that many people thought there was too much sauce. What I did was to use vermicelli (glass noodles–I used 12 ounces of dried vermicelli, and they absorbed most of the sauce, and of course, the noodles tasted delicious.
I also used a bit less than 1/4 cup of brown sugar, as I didn’t want the flavor to be so obviously sweetened, as the dark soy sauce already has molasses in it.
Left out the 5 spice powder (the stuff from my pantry was too old, and it was just fine.
Next time, I might add some star anise just to give it a little bit more complexity and flavor.
I cooked on high for 8 hours, with the last hour, I put in the vermicelli and bok choy.
Overall, a definite keeper, and ridiculously easy (15 to 20 minutes of prep.
Nothing short of fantastic…
This was fantastic just as is. Loved it with the Chinese noodles. As prior reviews say, there is a lot of sauce/broth left over. I made dipping sandwich’s with fresh french sub bread (from my local Thai store left over meat and some of the left over broth (as in a french dip and was absolutely delicious this way also. Highly recommend this recipe. Will definitely make again.