Suqian Braised Pig Head Meat

Name: Suqian Braised Pig Head Meat
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 3 h 30 min
Total time: 4 h 15 min
Ingredients: about 2500 g pig head; 30 g refined salt; 7.5 g fennel; 7.5 g cassia bark; 40 g soy sauce; 50 g sweet bean paste (for frying into sauce color); to taste oil (for frying); to taste water (for braising)

A traditional Jiangsu specialty. Pork head is soaked, de-haired, portioned, and braised until tender—richly flavored, fatty yet not greasy, with an intense aroma.

4h 15m

Easy

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Ingredients

pig head about 2500 g

refined salt 30 g

fennel 7.5 g

cassia bark 7.5 g

soy sauce 40 g

sweet bean paste (for frying into sauce color) 50 g

oil (for frying) to taste

water (for braising) to taste

Instructions

Preparing the Pig Head

Soak the pig head in water and wash it thoroughly. Pluck out the fine hairs with tweezers, cut off both ears, and remove the eye sockets, lips, ear rims, and nose. Split the face into two pieces and the jaw into 3 pieces. Then return everything to water to soak and drain away the blood.

First Boiling

Place into a pot of water and boil for half an hour. Remove, wash clean, and cut into blocks.

Braising

Place a pot over the heat, add oil, and stir-fry the sweet bean paste until it turns a rich sauce color. Add the braising liquid, then add the meat blocks, fennel, cassia bark, soy sauce, refined salt, and water. First bring to a vigorous boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for about 3 hours until the meat is tender and falling apart.