Pork Knuckle

A whole knuckle braised three hours until the skin is sticky and the meat falls off the bone.

Pork. Not vegetarian — contains pork.

Ingredients

• 1 pork knuckle, about 1.3 kg, skin on
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 40 g rock sugar
• 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 150 ml Shaoxing wine
• 4 star anise
• 1 piece cassia bark
• a large thumb of ginger, sliced
• 4 spring onions, halved
• 1.5 litres hot water, for the braising liquid

Method

1. Blanch the knuckle from cold water for 10 minutes, skimming, then rinse it and the pot. A joint this size throws off a great deal and the liquid is going to be reduced at the end.
2. Dry it and brown it all over in the oil. Turning something this shape is awkward; use tongs and take the time.
3. Lift it out, melt the rock sugar in the pan, then return the knuckle and turn it in the syrup.
4. Add both soy sauces, the wine, spices, ginger and spring onions, then the hot water to come three-quarters up.
5. Simmer, covered, for 3 hours, turning it every 45 minutes so it colours evenly. It should be covered for all of that: exposed skin dries out and goes tough rather than sticky.
6. Lift it onto a dish. Strain the liquid, skim the fat, and boil it down hard until it coats a spoon — 15 minutes or so from that volume.
7. Pour the reduced liquid over. It should be loose enough to pool and thick enough to cling.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under China · All recipes