Photography: Chris Court / Styling: Steve Pearce
Caramelised roast pork combines succulent layers of pork with the flavour of Chinese five spice and the heat of ginger. As the pork roasts, the fat renders slowly, basting the meat in its own juices while forming a caramelised crust. The five spice blend infuses each bite with hints of star anise, cloves and cinnamon, while ginger cuts through the richness, keeping the flavours balanced. Sweet ginger marmalade encourages the sugars to caramelise, delivering a sticky, savoury-sweet finish that makes this dish a true crowd-pleaser. Served with pancakes, cucumber, spring onion and sesame salt, this caramelised roast pork is perfect for a family dinner or a shared Sunday lunch. It’s a dish that requires minimal effort for maximum reward, letting the oven do the hard work while you enjoy the aromas that fill your kitchen.
For more comfort dishes, try this fish curry by a Masterchef champion, this vegie curry from Christine Mansfield or baked tofu with chilli jam and brown rice, sesame and almond salad.
Ingredients
Method
Place the soy, oyster sauce, Shaoxing, honey, Chinese five spice, garlic, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, coriander and half the brown sugar in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the pork neck pieces and toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Place the marinade, remaining sugar and ginger marmalade in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil and cook for 12–15 minutes or until reduced and sticky. Set the marinade aside, discarding the star anise and cinnamon.
Place the pork on a well-greased wire rack sitting over a large roasting dish. Pour 1cm of boiling water into the dish. Place in the oven and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes, basting every 20 minutes with the marinade, until dark golden brown and sticky.
For the salt, mix sesame seeds, Chinese five spice, salt and pepper together. Heat pancakes according to packet instructions. Serve pork sliced with the remaining marinade, pancakes, cucumber, onion and sesame salt.
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