Braised Pork Offal Recipe and Production Process
Ingredients and Preparation Method for Braised Pork Offal
Ingredients
Pork Offal
100 kg
Salt
2500 g
Fresh Braising Liquid
4000 g
Soy Sauce
2000 g
White Sugar
2000 g
Caramel Color
600 g
Baijiu (Chinese Liquor)
2000 g
Spice Mix
1300 g
Sand Ginger (Kaempferia)
100 g
Clove
300 g
Cassia Seed
50 g
Fennel Seed
50 g
Star Anise
200 g
Licorice Root
200 g
Nutmeg
100 g
Cinnamon Bark
200 g
Dried Tangerine Peel
100 g
Instructions
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Step 1
Ingredients: Pork offal 100 kg. Formula (based on 100 kg of raw material): Salt 2500 g, soy sauce 2000 g, white sugar 2000 g, caramel color 600 g, baijiu 2000 g, spice mix 1300 g. Spice mix ratio: Sand ginger 100 g, clove 300 g, cassia seed 50 g, fennel seed 50 g, star anise 200 g, licorice root 200 g, nutmeg 100 g, cinnamon bark 200 g, dried tangerine peel 100 g. Raw material selection and preliminary processing: Pig head, pig tail, pig trotters: Remove hair and blood stains, first place in hot water at 75-80°C to scald the hair, then scrape the hair off. For hair that cannot be scraped off, use tweezers to pull it out once or twice; for the remaining fuzz, use an alcohol blowtorch to singe it, then use a knife to clean it up. Split the pig head in half and remove the bone; cut each pig trotter from the hoof fork into two sides with three cuts, then cut each half into two segments; do not cut the tail. Place into a pot of boiling water and cook for minutes, then remove and soak in clean water for washing. Pig tongue: Cut at the root of the tongue, wash off blood stains, place in warm water at 70-80°C and soak for minutes until the upper skin of the tongue can be peeled off with fingernails, then remove and use a knife to scrape off the white coating, wash clean and make one cut at the lower edge of the tongue root with a knife to allow flavor penetration during boiling, drain the water and set aside for braising. Pig stomach: Turn the stomach inside out and wash clean, sprinkle with salt or alum and rub, after washing soak in warm water at 80-90°C for 15 minutes, scald until the pig stomach becomes hard and the white inner membrane can be scraped off with a knife. Remove and place in cold water for 10 minutes, scrape and wash with a knife until there is no odor and it does not feel slippery, drain the water. Use a knife to cut the stomach from the bottom into two curved large pieces, remove the oil tendons, drain the water. Pig large intestine: Cut the pig large intestine into 40 cm long segments, turn the intestine inside out and rub the intestinal wall with salt or alum to remove all impurities. Then wash with water, place in a pot of boiling water and soak for 15 minutes, remove, immerse in cold water to cool, then remove and drain the water. Pig heart: Cut open the pig heart, wash off blood stains, use a knife to make several leaf-shaped cuts on the outer surface of the heart, spread the heart flat into a butterfly shape. After washing, place in a pot of boiling water and soak for minutes, remove and wash with clean water, drain the water and set aside for braising. Pig liver: Divide the pig liver into three lobes, make several branch-shaped cuts on the surface of the large liver lobe, wash off blood clots with cold water. The other two smaller liver lobes can be cut crosswise into blocks or slices. Place the washed liver in boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, until the liver surface becomes hard and the inside turns bright orange, then remove and place in cold water, washing off the blood stains from the cut openings. Pig kidney: The preparation method is the same as for pig liver, with the note that the ureter and oil tendons must be removed completely, otherwise there will be a urine-like smell. Spleen: The preparation method is the same as for pig liver. Pig throat bone (trachea): This is a soft and crispy bone, cut open one side of the throat tube, wash off the impurities, use a knife to make several cuts but do not cut through, place in warm water at 80-90°C and scald for 5 minutes, then wash clean. Braising method
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Step 2
First place all the spices into a cloth bag (can be reused 3-4 times), and put them together with soy sauce, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, white sugar, baijiu, salt, etc. into the pot, then add the offal, and add clean water to cover the ingredients. If using old braising liquid instead of clean water, only 1250 g of salt is needed.
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Step 3
Add different varieties of offal in batches to the braising liquid pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat to maintain a gentle simmer. First add the pig trotters, cook for 30 minutes then add the pig head, cook for another 20 minutes then add the pig tongue and pig tail, cook for 40 minutes then add the pig heart, pig stomach, liver, kidney, large intestine, spleen, throat bone, etc. Cook until the pig liver is fully cooked through, chopsticks can be inserted into the pig head meat, the pig trotter bones protrude outward, and the meat separates easily from the bone when eaten, add MSG 15 minutes before removing from the pot, then remove from the pot to yield the finished product.
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Step 4
After removing from the pot, lay each variety flat on the cooked meat cutting board, do not pile up. Immediately after the offal is removed from the pot, brush on sesame oil to add gloss and luster.
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Step 5
Preparation of sauce and braising liquid: The preparation of the sauce and braising liquid used in the processing of sauced and braised meat products is a key factor affecting product quality. It requires the application of scientific formulas, the selection of high-quality ingredients, and the formation of a unique flavor and color for the product. When producing sauced and braised products, the old braising liquid is very important; the longer the old braising liquid is aged, the better the flavor of the sauced and braised products. When making sauced and braised products for the first time, if there is no old braising liquid, corresponding adjustments must be made to the ingredients. After repeated use, the old braising liquid will contain a large amount of sediment that affects product consistency, and it must be filtered frequently to keep the old braising liquid clean. In industrial production, filtration or purification machinery can be used to complete the purification process. In addition, the foam should be skimmed off before each use, and the liquid should be cleaned and brought to a boil after use. Usually the old braising liquid is used every day, and old braising liquid that is not used for a long time should be frozen for storage or regularly boiled to prevent spoilage and deterioration.
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Step 6
Handling and preservation of old braising liquid: The old braising liquid is an important raw material in the processing of sauced and braised meat products, and a good old braising liquid is an important condition for producing the unique flavor of sauced and braised meat products. The old braising liquid contains a large amount of protein and fat degradation products, and has accumulated rich flavor substances, which are important reasons for the unique flavor of sauced and braised meat products. However, during the storage of the old braising liquid, these substances are easily used by microorganisms, causing the old braising liquid to spoil; the repeatedly used old braising liquid contains a large amount of ingredient residues and meat crumbs, which can also easily cause the old braising liquid to spoil and the flavor to deteriorate. When using an old braising liquid containing impurities to braise meat, the impurities will adhere to the surface of the meat and affect the quality and consistency of the product. Therefore, the old braising liquid must be boiled before use, and if not used for a long time, it must be regularly boiled and stored at low temperature. Generally, old braising liquid that needs to be stored is filtered through a 50-mesh silk screen, and the foam and remaining ingredient residues are skimmed off before storage. Store at 0-4°C for backup. In industrial production, in order to maintain product quality consistency, mechanical filtration and other measures are usually used to uniformly filter the old braising liquid, ensuring that the old braising liquid used for all raw materials is of a unified standard.
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Step 7
Preparation of braising liquid in the production of sauced and braised meat products: The preparation of braising liquid is a key link in the production of sauced and braised meat products. Braising liquid is made by boiling the old braising liquid with water and seasonings. The quality of the braising liquid is affected by factors such as the ratio of old braising liquid to water, the amount of salt and seasonings used, the boiling method, and the amount of water evaporation during the boiling process. In particular, the ratio of old braising liquid to water and the amount of water evaporation during the boiling process directly affect the concentration and salinity of the braising liquid, and have a great impact on product quality, so strict control and adjustment are required. If too much water evaporates when making the braising liquid for sauced and braised meat products, an appropriate amount of water can be added, and some ginger slices, coloring agents and other spices can be appropriately added, while taking into account the amount of old braising liquid, and supplementing the amount of salt used.
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Step 8
Heat control technique in the processing of sauced and braised meat products: Heat control is an important link in the processing of sauced and braised meat products. Cooking over high heat causes the outer muscle to contract rapidly and intensely, making it difficult for the ingredients to gradually penetrate into the interior of the product, and making the meat fail to become tender and moist, resulting in a dry and hard product with no flavor, uneven saltiness inside and outside, and a thin soup without meat flavor; cooking over low heat allows easy exchange of substances and energy inside and outside the muscle, resulting in a product that is tender inside and out and fully flavored, with a white, cloudy broth and rich aroma, but it usually requires a longer cooking time, and the product is difficult to form, and the yield is also low. Therefore, heat control should be determined based on the variety and the size of the product, and the heating time and intensity should be adjusted at any time according to the situation. Heat control includes the control of fire intensity and heating time. Except for a few varieties, the fire intensity for heating various products is generally high heat first, then low heat. Usually the high-heat cooking time is relatively short, and the low-heat cooking time is relatively long. The purpose of using high heat is to make the surface layer of the muscle contract appropriately to maintain the shape of the product so as to avoid the product being unable to form or being unable to be removed from the pot due to long-time low-heat cooking; low-heat cooking is to allow the ingredients to gradually penetrate into the interior of the product, to achieve the purpose of even saltiness inside and outside, and to make the meat tender and flavorful. The heating time and method vary according to the variety. Products with large volume and large pieces generally require longer heating times. Conversely, the time can be shorter, but it must be on the premise that the product is cooked through.
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Step 9
Selection of soy sauce in the processing of sauced and braised meat products: In sauced and braised meat products, dark soy sauce is mostly used for coloring. Light soy sauce and dark soy sauce are both soy sauces made through brewing and fermentation processing. Light soy sauce has a lighter color, lighter sauce flavor, heavier salty taste, and is fresher, mostly used for seasoning; dark soy sauce has a darker color, is brown, has a strong sauce flavor and low freshness, so there are products such as straw mushroom dark soy sauce with added straw mushrooms to enhance its freshness, generally used to color food, such as making red-braised products.
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Step 10
Control of sticking to the pot or floating above the liquid surface during the saucing and braising of meat products: During the saucing and braising of sauced and braised meat products, due to the boiling action of the braising liquid, some products will float above the liquid surface and not be cooked, resulting in these meats not being flavorful or cooked through, so at the beginning of cooking, a stainless steel mesh or rack is usually used to press the products down, with heavy objects placed on top to keep them below the liquid surface, so that all products can be flavored, ensuring the consistency of product quality. In addition, during the saucing and braising process, products that are in contact with the pot for a long time may stick to the pot, so sometimes a rack or stainless steel mesh is also placed under the meat to separate the meat from the pot, thereby preventing the product from sticking to the pot.
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Step 11
Clarification of braising liquid in the production of sauced and braised meat products: In addition to most of the water, the braising liquid also contains many kinds of spice extracts, aromatic substances, and most of the pigments, which undergo more complex physical and chemical changes in a hot environment, thereby forming the unique braised flavor. But at the same time, these substances can also cause the braising liquid to become turbid, affecting the processing quality of the product. The use of clarifiers and adsorbents specifically for food processing can remove some of the impurities and pigments in the braising liquid, but it will weaken the flavor of the braising liquid to a certain extent. During the production process, this can be controlled by controlling the fire intensity and adjusting the ingredients, such as using low heat and increasing the amount of angelica in the ingredients to reduce turbidity. Filtering the braising liquid immediately after use can maintain a clear state.
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Step 12
Caramel color preparation and temperature control: Caramel color is often used in the production of sauced and braised meat products, and the quality of caramel color preparation has a great impact on the appearance of the product. Caramel color is formed by caramelizing the sugar liquid under appropriate temperature conditions, and the key is temperature control. If the temperature is too low, the caramelization reaction cannot occur or caramelization is insufficient, and the prepared caramel color will be light in color; if the temperature is too high, the caramel will be carbonized, and the prepared caramel color will be dark, black and have a bitter taste. Therefore, neither too high nor too low a temperature can produce a good caramel color. When the temperature is insufficient: a small amount of edible oil can be added to the pot first, and the temperature will be higher after the oil is heated, which can ensure that the sugar liquid undergoes caramelization and avoid sticking to the pot phenomenon. During the preparation process, high temperature must be strictly controlled. Avoid excessive heat causing the caramel color to become bitter.
