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Pork Fried Rice On A Charcoal Chimney

a person making stir fry outside in a wok on a charcoal chimney.
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The key to a good stir fry is high heat. A wok on a charcoal chimney gets you there. And this pork fried rice is one of my favorite things to make, rich with smoky pork tenderloin, eggs, scallions, hoisin sauce, and chili crisp.
Course:
Dinner
,
entree
,
Lunch
,
Side Dish
Cuisine:
Chinese
difficulty scale
Author: meathead

Makes:

Servings: 4

Takes:

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Equipment

  • Charcoal chimney with holes drilled or cut near the top
  • wok
  • spatula

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked rice aged at least 1 day in the fridge
  • 8 ounces pork tenderloin
  • 4 tablespooons honey
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili crisp or hot sauce of your choice
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 inch fresh ginger
  • 6 scallions
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine grind black pepper
  • 1/4 cup cashew pieces
  • 3 tablespoons peanut oil or neutral vegetable oil
Notes:
ABOUT THE PORK. I use tenderloin, which lives up to its name, it is the most tender cut on the animal. Keep in mind it is very different from loin, with is larger and tougher. Loin will work, but tenderloin is better.
ABOUT THE RICE. Plain old white rice is fine but I use basmati from India. It resists clumping and it smells and tastes lovely. To get rice grains that aren’t gummy and clumpy you need to rinse them thoroughly, cook them, and let them air-dry for a day or two in the fridge. Freshly cooked rice is too wet and the results will stick to the wok and be mushy. Often, when I cook a rice dish, I double the amount of rice I need and I put the leftovers in the fridge for a day or two and then use it in a stir-fry. I also make fried rice from the extra rice I get when I order takeout.
ABOUT THE OIL. Peanut oil is the standard, but there are people allergic to peanuts, so I use another high-smoke-point oil such as a blended vegetable oil.
Metric conversion:

These recipes were created in US Customary measurements and the conversion to metric is being done by calculations. They should be accurate, but it is possible there could be an error. If you find one, please let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page

Method

  • Read twice. Read this procedure twice. Once you get started, things move fast. You need to be ready. When it comes time to cook, it is vital to have everything chopped, sliced, and diced and ready to go. Clean the wok, dry it, and coat the inside with a thin layer of oil.
  • The rice. If the rice is still wet, with your hands, break up the clumps into a single layer of discrete grains on a sheet pan. Then pop it in the oven on the lowest temp for about 15 minutes.
  • The pork. Lightly salt the pork and paint one side with honey. Throw it on your smoker or set up your grill for smoking but heating only one side and throwing wood on the coals or flame, the 2-zone setup. Put the pork on the other side away from the direct heat, honey side down, and paint the other side with honey. Smoke roast it to about 120°F internal temperature, about 1 hour, and remove it. When it cools enough, cut it into bite sized chunks, about 1/2 inch on all sides.
  • Make the sauce. In a bowl, mix together the oyster sauce, soy sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, and chili crisp.
  • The rest of the prep. Peel and mince or press the garlic cloves and put them in a small bowl. Mince the ginger until you have 2 tablespoons (you don’t have to peel it) and put it in the bowl with the garlic. Clean the scallions, peel off any dead skin, chop off the roots, cut them in half separating the firm white parts from the floppy green leaves. Slice them about 1/8 inch thick on the bias keeping the greens and whites in separate bowls. Add the scallion whites to the bowl with the ginger and garlic. Break the eggs into yet another bowl and beat them lightly with a fork. Mix the salt and pepper into the eggs. Dump the cashews in a small frying pan over medium heat and shake them around until they start to brown. Take them off and put them in a bowl.
  • Fire up. Start a chimney full of charcoal and wait until the coals are covered in ash.
  • Head out. Head outside and bring with you all the bowls of ingredients, the wok, the wok spatula, a strainer, a cup of water, the vegetable oil, a roll of paper towels, a dump bucket or bowl for used rinse water, several clean bowls, and a table knife. They need to be all ready to go on a moment’s notice but you might not need them all. A large tray makes carrying everything a cinch.
  • Start frying. Put the cold wok on top of the chimney. Leave it there for 30 seconds. Add about 3 tablespoons oil and roll it around, coating the sides all the way up. Toss in the pork and fry until it gets crispy, about one minute. Add the scallion whites, ginger, and garlic and fry for no more than 30 seconds.
    Pour in the eggs and keep moving them around until you have scrambled eggs. When they are approaching firmness, chop them into bite-size chunks with your spatula. Add the rice and mix thoroughly. Let it sit a bit so the rice on the bottom will brown a bit, then shake it up and rest. Keep it up for about 4 minutes, and then add the sauce and the scallion greens, and stir in thoroughly. After about 2 minutes you are ready to serve. Scatter the cashews on top and bring the wok to the table.
  • Clean the wok. If the wok gets caked with food bits and you fear they will burn, remove the food to a platter, pour a bit of water into the wok and clean it with the paper towels. Let it dry thoroughly. Then add the food back. You can clean the wok like this whenever you need to. Serve.

Nutrition per Serving

Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 1044mg | Potassium: 444mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 362IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg