Braised Pork Hock with Rock Sugar
Beijing-style Rock Sugar Braised Pork Knuckle: Boneless pork foreleg is prepared and blanched, then braised with rock sugar and seasonings until fork-tender with a thick, glossy sauce.
Ingredients
boneless pork front shank (scraped clean; on the soft inner side, slice lengthwise until the knife reaches the large bone, then make a cut on each side of the bone so it opens flat, and trim the fat from all four sides into a round shape)
500 g
soy sauce
to taste
Shaoxing cooking wine
50 g
scallions (tied into a knot)
5 g
garlic
5 g
ginger slices
10 g
rock sugar
100 g
fine salt
to taste
Instructions
1
Prepare the shank
Scrape the pork shank clean. On the soft inner side, slice lengthwise with the knife until it just reaches the large bone, then make a cut on each side of the bone so the shank opens flat. Trim the fat from all four sides to shape it into a round.
2
Blanch
Place the shank into a pot of boiling water and boil for about 10 minutes, until the outer skin tightens.
3
Braise
Place a bamboo rack inside a wok and set the shank on it skin-side down. Add water to cover, then add the cooking wine, soy sauce, fine salt, rock sugar, scallion knot, and ginger slices. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Flip the shank and continue cooking until it is completely tender. Switch back to high heat and reduce the cooking liquid until it thickens to a glossy glaze. Lift out the shank, place it skin-side down in a soup bowl, discard the scallion knot and ginger slices, and pour the glaze over the shank before serving.
