Pig's head meat

Pig's head meat

　　Pig's head meat

　　Ingredients

　　One male pig’s head (approximately 4000g), with common seasonings as needed.

　　Cooking method

　　1. Clean the pig’s head thoroughly, then split it open. Remove the ear flaps, eye corners, lymph nodes, nasal cartilage, and any other impurities. Set aside the pig’s brain for other uses. Cut the boneless pig’s head meat into five pieces, place them in clean water, and repeatedly scrape and wash to remove all impurities and blood. Then put them in a pot of boiling water and blanch for 20 minutes. Remove and rinse again;

　　2. Put the blanched and rinsed pig’s head meat, along with the skull, into a pot of water. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, and cook until it is half-done. Remove, let cool slightly, then cut into chess-piece-sized chunks. Reserve the broth in a basin to clarify for later use;

　　3. In another clean pan, heat sugar over a flame to caramelize into syrup. Set the syrup aside in a bowl. Then pour the clarified original broth back into the pan, add the pig’s head meat, and season with the caramelized sugar, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and cooking wine to adjust the color and flavor. Place star anise, Sichuan peppercorn, fennel, cloves, cinnamon, along with chopped scallions and ginger, into a spice bag, tie it up, and put it in the pot. Simmer the pig’s head meat over low heat until it becomes tender and falls apart. Skim off the floating fat, then turn up the heat to reduce and thicken the sauce to finish the dish.

　　Characteristics of the dish

　　The meat has a rich reddish hue, is fragrant, soft, and savory with a well-balanced sweet and salty taste—tender but not greasy.