Although braised pork is an ordinary home-cooked dish, many people know how to cook it. But make sure the color is ruddy, the fat part is not greasy but tender, the lean part is neither dry nor hard, and it melts in your mouth!
Put it on the table and shake it to make your mouth water. I’m afraid it’s better for those who can do it.
There are some things you should avoid adding seasonings to, and there are also related techniques.
I work as a chef and have traveled all over the country over the years. I have seen various major cuisines and the braised pork cooked by major chefs. Although the methods are different, they all have their own characteristics.
Until one day when I went home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, I never expected that the braised pork cooked by my father, who had not received any professional training, would be so amazing to me.
Later, after combining their practices and adding their own opinions, the braised pork was also very good. The neighbors next door came and knocked on the door, asking what made it so fragrant!
I told my neighbor about the method, and two days later she came over with the tips and told me that I had tried it once. It tasted very good and melted in your mouth, greatly surpassing the red meat she had made before. One bowl Not enough rice.
Next, I will introduce the specific methods for your reference.
1. Zanthoxylum bungeanum. It is characterized by its fragrant and refreshing aroma, which does not match the flavor of braised pork. Although Sichuan peppercorns are very effective in removing fishy and greasy meat, the flavor of the pork itself is not strong, so there is no need to use Sichuan peppercorns to remove the fishy smell.
Don’t use heavy-flavored spices, such as licorice and cloves, as this will overwhelm the aroma of the pork and turn the braised pork into braised pork.
2. Beer. I’ve seen food short videos. Many bloggers like to use beer instead of water to make braised pork. I don’t know if it’s to attract attention or for some reason, but it’s just because it tastes better.
Friends who follow the video operation will find that the braised pork tastes wrong, because the beer will become bitter and astringent after being cooked for a long time, and it is only suitable for dishes cooked in a short time.
Similarly, do not add cooking wine to braised pork. Once cooked for a long time, the meat will become sour and there will be a smell of wine inside, which will greatly affect the taste!
3. Do not blanch meat pieces in hot water. Because the water opens into the meat, the blood and water inside the pork will solidify quickly, becoming blocked and unable to come out, and the fishy smell and impurities cannot escape.
1. Pick good meat.
Not all meat is suitable for braised pork. It is not recommended to use hind leg meat or front leg meat. Rib pork belly is the first choice. It has three distinct layers of fat and lean meat. The thickness is more than 5 cm, and it is easy to cut. into large pieces of meat.
Use it to make braised pork. Fatty meat will melt easily when heated, while lean meat will not burn easily after being cooked for a long time.
2. Tips for removing fishy smell and greasiness.
①. There are sweat glands in the pig skin, which is the main source of odor. You need to burn the pig skin with a flame gun first, or burn it on a gas stove. You can also heat the pot and sear the pig skin downward. pot.
Then soak it in warm water for a while and brush the blackened area to remove the smell and residual pig hair.
②. Blanch the pork strips to remove the fishy smell: Do not cut the pork strips first, put them into the pot with cold water, add ginger and green onion, after the water boils, remove the blood foam, and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
③. Add wine and simmer: You can add rice wine or Huadiao wine, according to the ratio of 50 to 100 grams of wine per pound of pork belly.
As for why you need to add wine?
This type of wine itself contains more aromatic substances, which can enhance the aroma of red meat and remove odor.
Secondly, the wine contains ethanol, which reacts with the fatty acids of the meat to form ester aromatic substances, which is equivalent to a double aroma.
In addition, wine ethanol has good solubility, which can release the fat from the fat meat and disperse it floating on the soup, greatly improving the greasy taste.
3. The secret of melting in your mouth.
Pork belly must be cut into large pieces, preferably the size of mahjong, to better lock in the gravy. If the meat is small, it will be severely dehydrated after cooking for a long time, and the lean parts will be dry and woody. .
After the meat is blanched and cut into pieces, it is best to fry it in a pan for a while. The purpose is to fry out the excess fat, and it can also play a role in shaping and adding flavor.
When adding water to braise the meat, remember to pipe enough water at one time, do not add water in the middle, do not open the lid frequently, and always keep the water vapor in the pot saturated to ensure that the meat is always moist. If you don't pay attention to this step, it will be very difficult to make braised pork that melts in your mouth.
The heat when stewing the meat should be low. As the saying goes, "thousands of tofu and thousands of fish" are also suitable for braised pork. "Rolling" here means simmering over low heat to keep it boiling without overflowing, which means slow work and careful work.
The advantage is that there is always an invisible pressure in the pot. To give an inappropriate example, it is like the "Eighteen Palms of the Dragon", which can make the appearance of the meat intact, but the inside has been " "Destroyed completely", especially the lean meat fiber is destroyed, and it is also more flavorful.
Simmer over low heat for at least an hour. The braised pork tastes not greasy, but fragrant and glutinous! Not as thin as a stick, but as tender and smooth as a steamed egg!
Below, the entire production process is introduced.
1. 2 pounds of pork belly, roast the skin and soak in warm water for a while, then refresh.
2. Blanch the whole pork belly in cold water, remove the blood foam, and cook for 5 minutes before taking it out. Do not throw away the "soup" after blanching the pork. If you use it later, you don't have to worry about the smell. The impurities and smell are all in the blood foam. What is left after discarding is the fresh and sweet broth.
3. Cut the meat strips into large pieces and fry them in a pan until the surface becomes charred, that is, until the edges of the meat skin are slightly charred.
Add star anise, cinnamon and bay leaves. These three spices must be added to the stew. There is no need to explain the principle, but the amount should be small, otherwise it will steal the flavor.
At the same time, add two bottles of high-strength white wine along the edge of the pot, stir-fry for one minute to bring out the aroma of the spices, and stir-fry to evaporate the alcohol.
4. Add sugar color and dark soy sauce, stir-fry until evenly colored.
The sugar coloring method is very simple. You can use rock sugar (crushed first) or white sugar, with a ratio of one spoonful of sugar to one spoonful of water.
After melting, simmer slowly, from large bubbles to dense small bubbles, and when the color is golden, it is recommended that novices add a little white vinegar to prolong the reaction time.
Then pour in boiling water, do not use cold water, otherwise it will fry the pan. Continue to cook until red, then turn off the heat.
If you don’t want to boil the sugar or find it troublesome, you can use dark soy sauce containing caramel and a few rock sugar instead. Because the main component of sugar color is caramel, which has no sweetness and no fragrance. The purpose of adding sugar color to red meat is to color it, and to facilitate the thickening of the juice and sizing.
4. Transfer the fried meat pieces to another pot, which can be a casserole or an ordinary stew pot. Add the previously reserved "broth" to cover the meat pieces.
After boiling, add rice wine or Huadiao wine, cover, and simmer over low heat for one and a half hours.
5. After the time is up, add salt to taste. Mainly add less, as the juice will become salty. Turn to medium heat and start to reduce the juice. When the soup is reduced by half, add a spoonful of honey to make the color of the braised pork translucent like amber. Then stir-fry gently to coat the braised pork with the soup.
If you are not sure about sticking to the pan, take out the meat first, then thicken the soup, turn off the heat and pour in the meat, stir-fry and coat evenly.
As long as you master all the key points mentioned above, you will be able to make braised pork that is as outstanding as amber, not greasy or greasy, and melts in your mouth.