Tiger Skin Pork Hock

Ingredients

• 1 Pork Front Hock
• Edible Vegetable Oil (1 bucket)
• Rock Sugar (5 buckets)
• Salt (1-2 tsp)
• Dark Soy Sauce
• Light Soy Sauce
• White Vinegar
• Bay Leaf
• Cinnamon Stick
• Nutmeg
• Sichuan Peppercorns
• Star Anise
• Cornstarch
• Scallions
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Water
• Cooking Wine

Steps

1. ### Preparation After thawing the pork hock, soak it in water for 1 hour to remove blood. If you have a culinary blowtorch, use it to scorch the surface of the **pork hock skin** until it turns **dark brown** to remove hair and disrupt sweat glands. Be careful not to toast the same spot for too long to avoid scorching; stop when the skin appears almost entirely dark brown. If you do not have a blowtorch, heat a cast iron wok to over 200°C. Place the pork hock directly into the wok and use a spatula or chopsticks to ensure the hock skin makes full contact with the iron surface. When the contact spots turn brown, move the hock to a new spot to scorch the skin until it has been evenly processed. Note the temperature of the wok during this process and avoid making it red-hot. Scrub the pork hock with a scouring pad in water to remove any charred parts. After scrubbing, the hock returns to its state before scorching. Place the hock in an iron pot, add as much cold water as possible (depending on pot depth and hock size). Ideally, ensure at least 3/4 of the hock is submerged while ensuring you can safely lift the pot and its contents. ### Deodorizing Take the white part of 1 scallion, cut into 3 sections, and place in pot. Take 3 cloves of garlic, smash flat with the side of a knife, and place in pot. Take 3g ginger and place in pot. Add 2 tablespoons of cooking wine to the pot. Bring the water to a boil, wait 5 minutes, then remove the pork hock. Pick out and discard all ingredients from the pot; set the broth aside. ### Frying Add cold oil to the pot. An ideal amount is enough to submerge 3/5 of the hock (referencing previous water volume). Turn heat to medium-high. When oil temperature reaches 50% (medium), reduce to low heat and place the hock in the oil to fry. Culinary safety must be observed during the frying process. While frying, use a spatula or heat-resistant utensil to evenly ladle hot oil from the pot onto the parts of the hock not submerged. If possible, flip the hock every 3 minutes for even frying. Fry for approximately 20 minutes. When the skin turns pale brown and the lean meat part is slightly burnt, remove and set aside. The oil used for frying can be used for other fried foods, but do not reuse it too many times. ### Caramelizing Sugar Follow the linked guide to make 200ml of sugar glaze. ### Stewing Place the pork hock in a pressure cooker. Add all the saved broth, sugar glaze, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, peppercorns, star anise, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and white vinegar. If you prefer sweet, you can add 2-3g extra rock sugar. Take the white part of 1 scallion, cut into 3 sections, and place in pot. Take 3 cloves of garlic, smash flat with the side of a knife, and place in pot. Take 3g ginger and place in pot. Cover and pressure cook for 40 minutes. ### Thickening While stewing, prepare a solution of cornstarch. In a bowl, add 1 tablespoon starch and 100ml water; stir until it becomes a milky cloudy liquid. When stewing is complete, open the pressure cooker and pick out all ingredients, keeping only the pork hock. Transfer the remaining broth from the pressure cooker to an iron pot. Transfer the hock to a plate or basin. Place the iron pot on the stove and turn to high heat. You can dip a chopstick end into the broth to check saltiness and add salt according to taste. Note that broth tastes weaker when there is a lot of liquid, so consider this when salting. When the broth boils, watch the remaining amount carefully. When the broth is less than half of its original volume, mix the prepared cornstarch solution again and add half. Wait for the broth to boil, then add the remaining half. Wait for the broth to boil again, then turn off the heat after 1-2 minutes. The broth at this point should be reddish-brown and viscous. Spoon the broth and drizzle evenly over the pork hock, trying to cover as much surface area as possible. If the broth runs out before covering the hock completely, you can serve it as is; otherwise, no need to drizzle the rest, you can serve the rest in a bowl or as a side dish.