Crystal Meat

Crystal Meat

　　Crystal Meat

　　　Ingredients: 1 pig’s front trotter (750g).

　　Seasonings: fine salt, cooking wine, scallions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, saltpeter.

　　Preparation: Remove the bone from the trotter, place it skin-side down on the cutting board, pierce several small holes in the lean meat with a bamboo skewer, evenly sprinkle 25g of saltpeter water, rub in 75g of coarse salt thoroughly, then flatten and place in a bowl to marinate. Marinate for about 6 hours in summer or 2 days in winter. Remove, soak in clean water for about 4 hours to eliminate the saltpeter taste, saltiness, and astringency. Rinse again with warm water. Place the trotter in a pot, skin-side up, add scallion bundles, ginger slices, cooking wine, fennel, Sichuan peppercorns, and a small amount of star anise (fennel, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise should be wrapped in a small cloth bag), 1000g of water, cover, bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 2.5 hours until the meat is 90% tender. Remove. Place the cooked trotter skin-side down in a deep bowl, cover with an empty bowl and add weight to press the meat flat, then remove the weight. Bring the pot liquid to a boil, skim off

　　the floating fat, add some fresh pork skin jelly and simmer together, then ladle into the trotter bowl to cover the meat surface. Place in a cool place to cool and set (in hot weather, refrigerate to set), resulting in Crystal Meat Trotters.

　　Features: Bright color, bright red lean meat, crystal-clear white fat that is not greasy, fragrant and tender meat with a rich flavor, delicious taste.