I have seen people mentioning this and I've heard it's available in Chinatown in NY or in Hong Kong but I can't find it listed anywhere for sale online. I think this is because I don't know the term for it so if anyone can help with a name or a link it would be much appreciated. NB: I have tried a German meat tenderiser that looks similar but it's not sharp enough. The thing I'm looking for is wooden and has lots of very sharp pins coming out the botton
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5 Answers
The answer to the question is "Chap Zai".
The name for Chinese Crispy Roast Pork is "sio bak" by the way
talon8 - I bought a tenderizer from Amazon exactly like the one you posted but the pins were not sharp enough to make the required number of tiny holes - and therefore the skin on the pork belly did not get that crystalised look where the fat has flowed out through the skin. My best result was by using a sharp knife but this took a long time.
Anyway - long story short, I got this by emailing a number of Chinese supermarkets (was never listed on their website shops) and they told me the name. Would be good if anyone can verify this name...
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2The more common anglisized spelling is "Siu Yuk" (See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siu_yuk). Out of curiosity, did they send you the spellings in the email?– talon8Mar 1, 2012 at 21:39
I'm not sure about the Chinese name for the tool, but what you might be looking for is often called a "jaccard".
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Thanks for the answer - that will help my search immensely. I think this is basically the German item I bought - but that was too blunt. I just did some searches but I just see the non-asian variety so anyone that can give a name in Cantonese or Mandarin would really help Feb 24, 2012 at 14:41
Do you have a Chinatown where you're from? Generally, when I go to buy rudimentary Chinese tools, I go to places where they don't understand the concept of "online". :-P Maybe that's just around here. Though seriously, I think going to your local stores is probably your best bet. Maybe print off a picture and bring it to show them.
Anyhow, assuming I'm thinking of the same thing you are, unfortunately, I don't think it really has much of a formal english name. It's essentially a "Roast Pork poker" or "Siu Yuk Poker". I've also seen it referred to as a "Pork Skin Pricking tool". :-) See a picture here. Also here.
That said, I don't think you necessarily need one of these. My uncle makes a really awesome roast pork and I'm pretty sure he used a knife... I'd have to contact him to find out exactly how though.
Edit: I did some more digging, found this. It seems nobody knows what it's called... But there's another picture and lots of useful discussion in the comments. Then... there's a comment that suggests Amazon. If you just search for meat tenderizer there, there are numerous styles including, the western versions as well as one that looks much like the chinese version.
I found this on Amazon. It looks like the real deal around $6 + $5 for shipping. Might be able to find it in an Asian supermarket also.
I know this thread is old but maybe someone will come accross it in the future, looking for the same.
What you're looking for can be found on AliExpress.com for under $3, shipping included. Just enter "meat tenderizer needles" in the search and you'll find it (a few versions exist but the principle is the same each time).
