Although pork belly does not sound as strong as pig intestines, it is also the digestive system of a pig. It also contains a lot of undigested food and has a odor that is difficult to remove, so it needs to be cooked before cooking. Only by removing the fishy odor can it taste delicious.
However, the odor of pork belly penetrates inside, as if it has grown on the meat and has become a part of the meat. It is impossible to completely remove it artificially. We can only solve it to the greatest extent possible. Finally, the taste is neutralized through different cooking methods.
1. Cleaning part
Pork tripe is not divided into grass stomach, abomasum and louver like cow tripe, but only one ordinary abomasum. After cleaning all the food from the pork belly, turn it over and rinse thoroughly the residue in the folds. At this time, you can see a layer of rot on the pig's stomach. Use a knife to scrape it off. At this time, you can use a knife to scrape it off patiently. If you want to save effort, you can also use salt and cornmeal to scratch it a few times and clean it. .
It should be noted that when grabbing the pork belly with salt, you need to remove as much water as possible from the pork belly and add more salt, otherwise the salt will melt quickly without particles or friction. , it is not easy to catch the rot. Cornmeal does not easily become sticky when exposed to water, and can always retain its graininess and friction. If possible, it can be used in combination with table salt. This process of scratching and washing should be repeated three or four times to make it cleaner.
2. Soaking in water
After cleaning the pork belly, it is not necessary to cook it directly in the pot. If you are not in a hurry to eat it, it is best to soak it in water for a few hours so that it can be cooked A large part of the internal liquid odor is taken out through the mutual conversion of water molecules. And the pork belly soaked in water will be cleaner.
While soaking in water, you can add a few drops of white vinegar or white wine into the water. White vinegar can soften the pork belly while masking a strong fishy smell. White wine can also increase the effect. But be careful not to use too much white vinegar, otherwise the gelatin of the pork belly will easily soften and break, making the pork belly taste less chewy.
3. Blanching part
For other meats, blanching is done lightly, just remove the blood foam, but pork belly needs to be blanched because first of all There is no obvious umami flavor in the tripe. What you eat is the aroma and texture. If you cook it for a long time, the umami flavor will not disappear. Secondly, after boiling, the colloid and oil will be more fragrant when combined with each other, but it should not be cooked for too long, especially for young and tender pigs.
The deodorizing spices that need to be added for blanching include: star anise, bay leaves, fennel, pepper, green onion segments, dried ginger, etc. You can also add some white wine, which is better than cooking wine. But be sure not to put beer in the pork to remove the fishy smell, because the taste will easily become bitter through the reaction.
Conclusion: The pork belly that has been processed above no longer has any strong odor. The next step is to use cooking to help remove it. If you are stewing the pork belly or making soup, it must be fully cooked. Boil the pork belly until it is completely odorless. If it is fried pork belly, you can add some spices and chilies.