Rock Sugar Braised Pork Shoulder
Pork knuckle prepared in a microwave pressure cooker. The meat is pricked, blanched, and marinated, then pressure-cooked with rock sugar, dark soy sauce, and other seasonings.
Ingredients
Boneless pork front shoulder (poke small holes all over the skin with a steel fork, tie with string, blanch and rinse)
1 (about 900 g/2 lb)
Dark soy sauce (brush evenly over the surface and marinate for 1 hour)
1/4 cup
Shaoxing wine
1/4 cup
Rock sugar
60 g (about 2 oz)
Boiling water (enough to cover the pork shoulder)
about 1.5 cup
Ginger
2 slices
Scallion
1
Garlic (smashed)
1
Instructions
1
Preparation
Poke small holes all over the pork shoulder skin with a steel fork to help the marinade penetrate. Tie with string.
2
Preparation
Bring a pot of water to a boil over the stove, add the pork shoulder and blanch for 5 minutes, then rinse off the blood.
3
Cooking
Place the pork shoulder in the microwave pressure cooker. First brush the surface evenly with dark soy sauce and marinate for 1 hour, flipping once halfway through.
4
Cooking
Add the remaining seasonings, ginger, scallion, garlic, and about 1.5 cups of boiling water, enough to cover the pork shoulder. Cover with a 17 cm diameter round aluminum foil disc, dark side facing up.
5
Cooking
(Follow the instructions that came with the cooker.) Close the pressure cooker, attach the pressure weight, place it in the center of the turntable, and heat on high for a total of 30 minutes (about 8 minutes for the pressure to start rising, then heat for another 20 to 22 minutes until tender).
6
Cooking
Remove the cooker from the oven and let it cool until the yellow pressure pin drops before opening the lid. Flip the pork shoulder and let it soak in the sauce for 2 to 3 hours.
7
Serving
When serving, cut into pieces, drizzle with the sauce, and reheat before serving.
