Red-Glowing Pork Shank

Red-Glowing Pork Shank

　　“Heaven I don’t think of, earth I don’t think of, I only want to eat a Red-Glowing Pork Shank. Once you’ve had this dish, your burp will smell fragrant for three days.” This is a folk food ballad that has been passed down in Yuan’an County, Hubei Province.

　　The Red-Glowing Pork Shank is indeed extraordinary. It differs from roasted pork shank, braised pork shank, and is completely different from boiled pork shank. Its craftsmanship is refined and unique, integrating three key cooking techniques: boiling, frying, and steaming.

　　There are seven steps to making a Red-Glowing Pork Shank: The first step is cleaning—first, select a pig’s front shank with thin skin and tender meat, trim it neatly, and remove any irregular or unattractive parts of the skin and flesh to maintain an appealing shape. The second step is aromatic boiling—place the whole shank in warm water with star anise, cinnamon, ginger, Sichuan peppercorn, and salt, and boil it until fully cooked but not falling apart, taking care not to damage the appearance. The third step is glazing with sugar—take the boiled shank out of the pot while it’s still hot and coat it evenly with honey, but not too thickly. The fourth step is red frying—this is the most critical part of making the Red-Glowing Pork Shank. Use fresh vegetable oil to fry the shank until it turns a glossy red, then remove it immediately; do not over-fry as it may turn black. The fifth step is simmering again—put the fried shank back into a rich broth and simmer until the skin and meat become tender and rosy. The sixth step is adding ingredients—pair it with a rich broth and other ingredients also cooked in the broth, including wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, daylily buds, and red dates. There should be exactly ten red dates, symbolizing prosperity, sweetness, and perfection. All these are placed together in a large soup bowl. The seventh step is steaming thoroughly—place the seasoned Red-Glowing Pork Shank along with the soup bowl into a steamer and steam vigorously until the aroma is rich and inviting. Finally, sprinkle chopped scallions on top before serving. The final product, after these seven meticulous steps, boasts an attractive shape, glossy red color, rich fragrance, melt-in-your-mouth texture, richness without greasiness, a savory-sweet balance, smooth and savory broth, and a long-lasting aftertaste. It suits all ages. Truly, a dish as legendary as its reputation.

　　Legend has it that the Red-Glowing Pork Shank was originally a royal dish from the Chu Kingdom, known as the Prosperity Pork Shank. It was passed down to the common people by the poet Qu Yuan, the Minister of the State of Chu (Yuan’an was within the territory of the Chu Kingdom). The locals found the name “Prosperity” to be pretentious, so they renamed it the Red-Glowing Pork Shank based on the dish’s own characteristics. Even today, during the annual Dragon Boat Festival, local residents still maintain the tradition of offering the Red-Glowing Pork Shank as a tribute to Qu Yuan, just as they do with zongzi.