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How to Make Tiger Skin Pork Elbow

Tiger Skin Pork Elbow is a traditional famous dish, with pork elbow as the main ingredient. Through the three steps of braising, frying, and stewing, the skin of the elbow takes on a tiger-skin-like texture. The skin is soft and flavorful, rich but not greasy, while the lean meat is tender and delicious. This dish is the ultimate choice for silencing elders and enjoying a hearty meal during holidays, truly a lifesaver.

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

Essential Ingredients and Tools

  • Pork front elbow
  • Cooking oil
  • Rock sugar
  • Salt
  • Dark soy sauce
  • Light soy sauce
  • White vinegar
  • Bay leaves
  • Cinnamon bark
  • Cardamom
  • Sichuan peppercorns
  • Star anise
  • Starch
  • Green onion
  • Ginger
  • Garlic
  • Water
  • Cooking wine

Conversion

  • 1 tablespoon = 15ml
  • 1 teaspoon = 5ml
Ingredient Quantity Unit
Pork front elbow 1 piece
Cooking oil 1 bucket
Rock sugar 5 buckets
Salt 1-2 teaspoons
Dark soy sauce 1 teaspoon
Light soy sauce 1 tablespoon
White vinegar 1 tablespoon
Bay leaves 3 leaves
Cinnamon bark 2-3 grams
Cardamom 3 pods
Sichuan peppercorns 8-12 pieces
Star anise 2-4 pieces
Starch 1 tablespoon
Green onion 2 stalks
Ginger 6 grams
Garlic 6 cloves
Cooking wine 2 tablespoons

Instructions

Pre-processing

  • After thawing the pork elbow, soak it in water for 1 hour to remove blood.
  • If you have a blowtorch, use it to scorch the surface of the pork elbow skin until it turns brownish-black to remove hair and destroy sweat glands. Be careful not to scorch the same spot for too long to avoid burning; stop when the skin is almost entirely brownish-black.
  • If you do not have a blowtorch, heat an iron wok to over 200°C. Place the pork elbow directly into the wok. Use a spatula or chopsticks to ensure the skin makes full contact with the wok's surface. When the contact area turns brown, move to another spot and continue scorching until the entire elbow has been thoroughly scalded. Pay attention to the wok's temperature during this process; do not let the wok become red-hot.
  • Use a scouring pad to scrub the pork elbow under water, removing the scorched parts from the surface. After scrubbing, the elbow will return to its pre-scorched state.
  • Place the pork elbow in the iron wok and add as much cold water as possible, depending on the depth of the wok and the size of the elbow. As long as you can safely lift the wok and its contents, it is best if the water can submerge more than 3/4 of the elbow.

Removing Gamey Odor

  • Take the white part of 1 green onion, cut it into 3 segments, and put it in the wok.
  • Take 3 cloves of garlic, crush them with the flat side of a knife, and put them in the wok.
  • Take 6 grams of ginger (Note: Original text says 3g here but 6g in table; sticking to table quantity for consistency or following step instruction? Step says 3g. I will follow the step instruction: 3 grams) -> Wait, the step says "Take 3 grams of ginger". The table says 6g. Usually, steps are more specific to the action. I will translate the step as written: 3 grams.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of cooking wine to the wok.
  • Once the water in the wok boils, wait for five minutes, then remove the pork elbow. Pick out all the ingredients from the wok and keep the broth in a separate container for later use.

Frying

  • Add cold oil to the wok, using the previous water volume as a reference; it is best if the oil can submerge more than 3/5 of the pork knuckle. Heat over medium heat.
  • When the oil temperature reaches 50% (medium-hot), reduce the heat to low and place the pork knuckle in the oil for frying.
  • During the frying process, the cook should pay attention to personal safety.
  • During frying, use a spatula or other heat-resistant kitchen tools to evenly spoon the oil from the wok onto the parts of the pork knuckle that are not submerged. If conditions permit, flip the pork knuckle every 3 minutes to ensure even frying.
  • The frying process lasts approximately 20 minutes. When you observe that the skin of the pork knuckle has turned entirely light brown and the lean meat parts are slightly charred, remove it and set aside.
  • The oil used for frying can be used to make other fried dishes, but avoid reusing it too many times.

Stir-frying Sugar Color

Braising

  • Place the pork knuckle into a pressure cooker. Add all the meat broth, sugar color, bay leaves, cinnamon bark, cardamom, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and white vinegar. If you prefer a sweeter taste, add an additional 2-3 grams of rock sugar.
  • Take the white part of one scallion, divide it into 3 sections, and add it to the pot.
  • Take 3 cloves of garlic, flatten them with the side of a knife, and add them to the pot.
  • Take 3 grams of ginger and add it to the pot.
  • Cover the lid and pressure-braise for 40 minutes.

Reducing the Sauce

  • Prepare the slurry during the braising period. Take 1 bowl, add 1 tablespoon of starch and 100ml of water, and stir until it becomes a white suspension.
  • After the braising time is complete, open the pressure cooker lid, remove all the ingredients from the pot, and keep only the pork knuckle.
  • Transfer the remaining meat broth from the pressure cooker into a wok, and move the pork knuckle to a plate or bowl.
  • Place the wok on the stove and turn the heat to high. During the sauce reduction process, you can dip the tip of a chopstick into the broth to taste the saltiness and add salt according to your preference. Note that the flavor will be milder when there is more broth, so consider this when adding salt.
  • When the meat broth comes to a boil, pay attention to the remaining volume of the broth.
  • When the remaining broth is less than half of the original volume, stir the prepared slurry again and add half of it.
  • Wait for the broth to boil, then add the remaining half.
  • Wait for the broth to boil again, and after boiling, let it simmer for 1-2 minutes before turning off the heat. At this point, the broth in the wok should be thick and reddish-brown.
  • Use a spoon to evenly drizzle the broth over the pork knuckle, ensuring that every part of the knuckle is coated. If the broth runs out before the knuckle is fully covered, you can serve it directly. Otherwise, there is no need to drizzle the remaining broth; you can serve it directly.

Additional Content

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvement while following the process outlined in this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull Request.