Braised Pork Head Meat Recipe and Production Process
Ingredients and method for preparing braised pork head meat.
Ingredients
pork head
100 kg
salt
3000 g
soy sauce
4000 g
ginger
1500 g
fresh ginger
200 g
cooking wine
200 g
aromatic spice mix
1580 g
Sichuan peppercorn
200 g
long pepper
160 g
sand ginger
160 g
clove
60 g
angelica root
60 g
cinnamon
300 g
tsaoko
240 g
star anise
400 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Raw Material Selection and Processing: Select fresh pork heads that meet hygiene inspection standards as processing raw materials. Thoroughly scrape off hair, dirt, and mud from the surface of the pork head, facial grooves, ear roots and other parts, pluck out all remaining hair and hair roots. Place the pig's face down on a cutting board, split it open from the middle of the back of the head, remove the pig's brain, trim off the skull, cut off both ears, remove the eye sockets and nose; take out the tongue, soak in clean water for 1 hour, take out, wash, and drain excess water.
2
Step 2
Braising: Put the washed pork head meat, tongue and ears into a pot of boiling water, blanch for 15 minutes, take out, drain dry, put into an old braising stock pot, add other seasonings and spices, add water to submerge the pork head, bring to a boil over high heat then simmer on low heat for about 2 hours, take out. The braised pork head, remove the bones while hot, shape it, and it is the finished product.
3
Step 3
Preparation of Sauce and Braising Stock: The preparation of sauce and braising stock used in processing braised meat products is a key link affecting product quality. It is required to use scientific formulas and high-quality ingredients to form the unique flavor and color of the product. When producing braised products, old stock is very important; the longer the old stock is used, the better the flavor of braised products. When braising products for the first time, if there is no old stock, the ingredients should be adjusted accordingly. After repeated use, old stock will have a large amount of sediment, which will affect product consistency, so it must be filtered regularly to keep the old stock clean. Filtration or purification machinery can be used to complete the purification process. In addition, skim off all foam before each use, clean the stock after use and bring it to a boil. Usually, old stock is used every day; old stock that is not used for a long time should be frozen or boiled regularly to prevent spoilage.
4
Step 4
Old Stock Processing and Storage Issues: Old stock is an important raw material for processing braised meat products, and good old stock is an important condition for giving braised meat products their unique flavor. Old stock contains a large amount of degradation products of protein and fat, and accumulates rich flavor substances, which are important reasons for the unique flavor of braised meat products. However, during the storage of old stock, these substances are easily utilized by microorganisms, causing the old stock to spoil; old stock that is used repeatedly contains a large amount of residue and meat scraps, which also easily causes the old stock to spoil and its flavor to deteriorate. When braising meat with old stock containing impurities, the impurities will adhere to the surface of the meat, affecting the quality and consistency of the product. Therefore, old stock must be boiled before use; if it is not used for a long time, it must be boiled regularly and stored at low temperatures. Generally, old stock that needs to be stored is filtered through a 50-mesh screen, skimmed to remove foam and remaining residue, and then stored. Store at 0--4℃ for future use. To maintain product consistency, mechanical filtration and other measures are usually used to uniformly filter old stock, ensuring that all raw materials use old stock of the same standard.
5
Step 5
Braising Stock Preparation Issues: Braising stock preparation is a key link in the production of braised meat products. Braising stock is made by boiling old stock with water and seasonings. The quality of braising stock is affected by factors such as the ratio of old stock to water, the amount of salt and seasonings, boiling method, and the amount of water evaporation during boiling. In particular, the ratio of old stock to water and the amount of water evaporation during boiling directly affect the concentration and salinity of the braising stock, which has a great impact on product quality, and must be strictly controlled and adjusted. If too much water evaporates during the preparation of braising stock for braised meat products, an appropriate amount of water can be added, and an appropriate amount of ginger slices, coloring and other spices can be added, while taking into account the amount of old stock and supplementing the amount of salt used.
6
Step 6
Heat Control Technical Issues: Heat control is an important link in processing braised meat products. Cooking over high heat causes the outer muscle to contract rapidly and strongly, making it difficult for seasonings to gradually penetrate the inside of the product, unable to make the meat tender and moist. The product will be dry, hard and tasteless, with uneven salinity inside and out, and the soup will be light and have no meat flavor; cooking over low heat makes it easy for substances and energy to exchange inside and outside the muscle, the product will be tender and flavorful inside and out, the meat soup will be turbid white with a strong aroma, but it often requires a longer cooking time, and the product is difficult to shape, with a low yield. Therefore, heat control should determine the heating time and heat intensity according to the variety and volume of the product, and adjust it at any time according to the situation. Heat control includes the control of heat intensity and heating time. Except for a few varieties, the heat intensity for heating various products is generally high heat first, then low heat. Usually, the cooking time over high heat is relatively short, and the cooking time over low heat is relatively long. The purpose of using high heat is to make the surface of the muscle contract appropriately, to maintain the shape of the product to avoid the product being out of shape or unable to be taken out of the pot due to long-term low-heat cooking later; low-heat cooking is to make seasonings gradually penetrate the inside of the product, achieve the purpose of uniform salinity inside and out, and make the meat tender and flavorful. Heating time and method vary with varieties. Products with large volume and large pieces generally have longer heating times. On the contrary, it can be shorter, but the premise is that the product must be cooked through.
7
Step 7
Soy Sauce Selection Issues: Dark soy sauce is mostly used in braised meat products for coloring. Both light soy sauce and dark soy sauce are brewed and fermented soy sauces. Light soy sauce has a lighter color, lighter soy sauce flavor, heavier saltiness, and is fresher, and is mostly used for seasoning; dark soy sauce has a darker color, brownish, rich soy sauce flavor, and lower freshness, so there are products such as mushroom dark soy sauce which is added with straw mushrooms to improve its freshness, which is generally used to color food, such as for making braised dishes, etc.
8
Step 8
Control of Sticking to the Pot or Floating to the Surface During Braising: During the braising process of braised meat products, due to the boiling action of the braising stock, some products will float to the surface and cannot be cooked, resulting in these meats not absorbing flavor or not being cooked through. Therefore, at the beginning of cooking, stainless steel mesh or a rack is usually used to press down the products, with weights placed on top to keep them below the water surface, so that all products can absorb flavor and ensure product quality consistency. In addition, products that are in contact with the pot for a long time during braising may stick to the pot, so sometimes a rack or stainless steel mesh is placed under the meat to separate the meat from the pot, thereby avoiding the product sticking to the pot.
9
Step 9
Braising Stock Clarification Issues: In addition to most of the water, the braising juice also contains a variety of spice extracts, aromatic substances, and most of the pigments. These substances will undergo more complex physicochemical changes in a hot environment, forming a unique braised flavor. However, at the same time, these substances will also cause the braising stock to become turbid, affecting the processing quality of the product. Clarifiers and adsorbents specially used for food processing can remove some impurities and pigments from the braising juice, but will weaken the taste of the braising stock to a certain extent. In the production process, control can be achieved by adjusting heat intensity and ingredients, such as using low heat and increasing the amount of angelica root in the spice mix to reduce turbidity. Filtering the braising stock immediately after use can maintain its clear state.
10
Step 10
Sugar Color Preparation and Temperature Control Issues: Sugar color is often used in the production of braised meat products, and the quality of sugar color preparation has a great impact on the appearance of the product. Sugar color is formed by caramelizing sugar solution under suitable temperature conditions, and the key is temperature control. If the temperature is too low, caramelization reaction will not occur or will be insufficient, and the prepared sugar color will be light in color; if the temperature is too high, the caramel will carbonize, the prepared sugar color will be dark in color, black, and have a bitter taste. Therefore, neither too high nor too low temperature can produce good sugar color. When the temperature is insufficient: add a small amount of cooking oil to the pot first. After the oil is heated, the temperature is higher, which can ensure the caramelization of the sugar solution and avoid the phenomenon of sticking to the pot. During the preparation process, strictly control high temperatures to avoid bitter sugar color caused by excessive heat.
