Char Siu Partridge Skewers

Name: Char Siu Partridge Skewers
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 28 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 8 Grouse breasts Could be replaced by duck or geese; 60 ml hoisin sauce; 30 ml oyster sauce; 15 ml red or white miso optional; 5 ml tomato paste for color; 30 ml soy sauce; 30 ml Shaoxing wine or dry sherry; 25 g brown sugar; 2.5 ml Chinese five-spice; 4 Garlic clove finely minced; 15 ml neutral oil for the lean meat; 45 ml honey; reserved marinade the 45 ml set aside

The sweet and savory Cantonese lacquer, on summer partridge. A char siu treatment on the grill, born between dog training sessions.

Prep20 min

Cook8 min

YieldServes 4

LevelIntermediate

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Summer is the dead season for hunting. Not for the dogs. This is training time. Cooper and Artax get back to work in the fields on pen-raised partridge, keeping their noses sharp and their points steady before opening day.

And those birds end up on the grill. Here it gets the char siu treatment, the sweet and savory Cantonese lacquer, on lean and delicate meat. Farmed partridge dries out fast, so medium heat, short cooking, glaze in the final minutes. Not sure what to do with a summer evening? Here is your answer.

Ingredients

Partridge

Grouse breasts, Could be replaced by duck or geese8

Marinade

hoisin sauce¼ cup
oyster sauce2 tbsp
red or white miso, optional1 tbsp
tomato paste, for color1 tsp
soy sauce2 tbsp
Shaoxing wine, or dry sherry2 tbsp
brown sugar25 g
Chinese five-spice½ tsp
Garlic clove, finely minced4
neutral oil, for the lean meat1 tbsp

Glaze

honey3 tbsp
reserved marinade, the 45 ml set aside

Steps

01
Trim the partridge breasts. If large, slice them across the width into strips about 1 cm thick. If small, leave them whole for the accordion.
02
Whisk the hoisin, oyster sauce, miso, tomato paste, soy sauce, Shaoxing, brown sugar, five-spice and garlic until smooth. Taste and adjust salt: the oyster sauce and soy already bring salt. Set aside 45 ml in a separate bowl before it touches raw meat, then stir the neutral oil into the rest.
03
Coat the partridge in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight. Char siu is not acidic, so longer means deeper flavor.
04
Thread the partridge accordion style, folds tight. Soak wooden skewers 20 minutes first.
05
Stir the honey into the reserved marinade. Warm gently until loose. The glaze should be hot to caramelize.
06
Medium heat, never full blast: the sugar burns fast. Grill 1 to 2 minutes per side, turning often. Brush with glaze in the final minute, twice if you can.
07
Let rest 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with steamed rice.

Serve with

Steamed rice, garlic bok choy, pickled cucumber. An Asian lager or an oolong tea to cut the lacquer.

Grouse Asian Grilled Skewers Summer Main course

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