Jen's Chinese Pot Roast

Chinese Pot Roast

5-7 lbs. pork shoulder, cut in three pieces (can be boneless but bone-in gives a better flavor – a butcher will cut a bone-in roast for you)
Oil (can use Olive or Vegetable oil)
3-4 scallions, chopped
5-6 slices of fresh ginger root
5-7 Tbs. Kikkoman soy sauce (Kikkoman is less salty and more flavorful than La Choy and is better for cooking)
½ C. or more of water
2 tsp. balsamic or rice wine vinegar
Pinch of salt
2 Tbs of honey, maple syrup, or molasses
3 Tbs of brown sugar
A couple shakes of Chinese Five Spice (anis can be substituted for five spice)
About 1 Tbs (a couple of splashes) Sweet Vermouth

Brown the pork pieces in a deep skillet with the oil, scallions, and ginger for 5-10 minutes or until all sides are browned. Remove the oil. Add about 2 Tbs of soy sauce and cook for a few more minutes.

Move all contents to a large kettle or crock pot. Add about ½ C. water (or whatever your pot recommends for a roast). Add a little bit of vinegar, sugar, and salt to taste. The remaining vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar will be added over time as needed. Turn the roast pieces to promote even cooking.

Cook the roast for a total of 8-10 hours on low (a combination of high and low can be used. One hour on high in the crock pot = 2hrs. on low). Let the roast cook for 1 hour before adding more ingredients. In the last hour of cooking, add the Chinese Five Spice and sweet vermouth to taste. Be sure to remove ginger slices before serving.