This Chinese favorite is often cut into small, thin slices and served as an appetizer. This main-course variation of the dish is baked, not barbecued, and coated with a sticky honey-ginger marinade before cooking.

Chinese Barbecued Pork

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice or 1/4 teaspoon each ground cloves, anise seeds, ground cinnamon, and ground ginger

3 quarter-size slices fresh ginger, crushed

3 pounds lean boneless pork (shoulder or butt), trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch-thick slices

1. In a small pan, stir together soy sauce, honey, sugar, sherry, salt, five-spice, and ginger. Heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly, to dissolve sugar; let cool.
2. Place pork in a large heavy-duty plastic bag. Pour in cooled marinade; then seal bag and refrigerate, turning occasionally, for at least 4 hours or until next day.
3. Remove meat slices from marinade and place on a rack set over a foil-lined baking pan; reserve marinade.
4. Bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 30 minutes.
5. Turn slices over and continue to bake, brushing occasionally with marinade, until meat is no longer pink in center, about 45 more minutes; cut to test.
6. Serve hot or cold; to serve, cut across the grain into thin slices.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.