White Cloud Pork Knuckle
Crispy skin with firm, tender meat, a balanced sweet-and-sour flavor, rich yet not greasy — a celebrated historical dish from Guangdong.
Ingredients
pork front and hind knuckles
about 1250g
salt
45g
white vinegar
1500g
white sugar
500g
five willow condiment (made from melon preserves, pickled greens, red ginger, white sour ginger, sour mustard heads)
60g
Instructions
1
Boiling and Soaking
Scrape all hair off the pork knuckles with a knife, remove the hoof shells, then wash clean. Place in boiling water and boil for 30 minutes, then remove and soak in fresh water for 1.5 hours. Take out, split open and cut into pieces (each piece weighs about 25g), then wash again with fresh water. Use a new pot of boiling water, add the pork knuckle pieces and boil for 20 minutes, remove and soak in fresh water for 1.5 hours. Take out again, boil in fresh boiling water for 20 minutes until about 60% tender, then remove and cool.
2
Preparing Brine and Soaking
Place the pot on the stove, pour in the white vinegar and bring to a boil. Add white sugar and salt, stir until dissolved, then pour into a bowl and filter through a clean cloth. Let cool, then add the pork knuckle pieces and soak for about 6 hours. Remove, arrange on a plate, and sprinkle with the five willow condiment before serving.
