Braised Ti Pang (红烧蹄膀)

Step 1

Start by gathering all the aromatics for the spice pouch. Wrap everything in cheesecloth and tie securely with kitchen string. Set aside.

Step 2

Rinse the pork. Don’t worry if there are any bristles remaining in the skin––we’ll take care of them after the blanching step.

Step 3

Place the pork in a medium to large pot along with 5 slices of ginger and 2 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine. Fill the pot with enough water to just cover the pork. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook for 1 final minute and turn off the heat.

Step 4

Carefully drain the pork and ginger slices, and wash both the pot and the pork clean. If there are still visible bristles on the skin, now is a good time to remove them with tweezers. After the ti pang is clean, pat it very dry with a paper towel.

Step 5

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok over medium heat. Brown the ti pang on all sides until the skin is lightly crisp and brown. This process takes 10-15 minutes. Use your spatula to scoop hot oil over any area that can’t touch the wok’s surface. Turn off the heat, remove the ti pang, and set aside.

Step 6

Reduce the heat to low, and add the rock sugar to the remaining oil in the wok. Once the sugar has melted, add the 5 reserved slices of ginger, garlic, and scallion whites. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and water. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat.

Step 7

Place the ti pang in a deep pot with just enough room to hold it and eventually flip it over. Transfer the sauce from the wok to this pot. There should be enough liquid to submerge the ti pang about 75%. If not, add a little more water. Lastly, add the spice pouch.

Step 8

Cover the pot, turn up the heat, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium low and cook the ti pang for 3 hours with the lid on (the liquid in the pot should have small bubbles). Flip the ti pang every half hour to ensure it’s cooked evenly.

Step 9

Once the ti pang is so tender that it can barely hold its shape and you can easily pull out the center bone, transfer to a serving bowl. Skim the fat from the sauce. Turn up the heat to reduce the sauce until it becomes a thin gravy (you can also thicken it with some cornstarch slurry). Add salt to taste and ¼ teaspoon sesame oil right before serving.

Step 10

Pour the sauce over the ti pang in the serving bowl. Serve!