Changchun Braised Pork

Changchun Braised Pork

　　Changchun Braised Pork is a signature dish of Changchun, known for its tender fat that isn't greasy, lean meat that isn't dry, glossy color, and delicious taste. When stored at temperatures below 30 degrees Celsius, Changchun Braised Pork can be kept for a long time without spoiling.

　　Ingredients for Changchun Braised Pork:

　　Main ingredient: 1000g of pork belly from the pig’s forequarter

　　Other ingredients: 15g each of green onions, ginger, and garlic, 200g of soy sauce, 20g of salt, 15g of sugar, 10g of cooking wine, 2g each of angelica, sandalwood, cloves, cardamom, dried tangerine peel, cinnamon, fennel, galangal, nutmeg, cardamom seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise, 1g of cooked potassium nitrate.

　　Cooking Method for Changchun Braised Pork:

　　1. Cut the pork into two pieces, soak in water (use hot water in winter, lukewarm water in spring and autumn, and cool water in summer) for 20 minutes, then scrape off any hair or dirt on the skin with a knife. Boil water in a pot, place the pork pieces in the boiling water, remove them once it boils again, and rinse them in cold water.

　　2. Heat the pot, add water, soy sauce, and all the seasonings (excluding sugar). Once it boils, add the pork pieces along with the cooked potassium nitrate. After it boils again, simmer over low heat for 1 hour and 40 minutes until cooked.

　　3. Remove the cooked pork and place it on the rack of a smoking pot. Put sugar underneath the rack, cover, and heat the smoking pot until the sugar burns and produces thick smoke. Smoke the pork to finish cooking (do not smoke in winter).