Chairman Mao's Red-Cooked Pork Belly (毛氏紅燒肉)

Red-cooked pork belly is popular in many parts of China, with each region having its own version. I first mentioned this dish in this year's birthday special, but I have been working on the recipe since last year. My love for red-cooked pork belly goes back further still. I still remember eating Dongpo pork belly, the local specialty, in Hangzhou back in 2009. It's become almost a must-order at Chinese restaurants. My recipe is based on the Hunanese version, which first came to our attention at the wonderful Lao Szechuan restaurant in Sioux Falls. Maoshi hongshaorou translates to "Mao family red-cooked meat," though rou by itself typically implies pork. The name refers to this supposedly being the favorite food of Chairman Mao, who was a native of Hunan. He may have been wrong about many things, but definitely not this. In my opinion, it's one of the world's most delicious foods, and as you will see, not too difficult to make.

This recipe is my own, but I used several different sources in my research. These included Peimei (volume I, in the Western China section), The Woks of Life, The Kitchn, and Asian Dumpling Tips (based on Fuschia Dunlop). My main frustration making this and other hongshao dishes is what to do with all the liquid. Many recipes claim it will reduce during cooking, even though that cooking is covered. This makes no sense. Peimei says nothing at all about it. What I did here is uncover the pan and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, then remove the pork and boil it down. I don't go as far as some, which reduce it to just a coating for the pork as I like a little to soak into the rice when serving. The extra uncovered cooking also ensures the pork gets incredibly tender, which the initial hour does not always achieve. A lot of fat renders out of pork belly during cooking, but no source I have found mentions skimming. The fat left in the sauce is what gives the pork its characteristic sheen when coated.

The Mao-style pork belly seems to differ from other hongshaorou varieties in its inclusion of spices. The seasoning profile is quite similar to my recent post on Noble Consort Chicken. I used ginger, star anise, and Chinese cinnamon. Chinese cinnamon, also known as cassia, is distinguished by thicker bark than the more common Ceylon cinnamon. The sauce is sweetened with rock sugar, which I got at a Chinese store, but it should work fine with regular white sugar. With my supply of Shaoxing wine gone, I've gone back to Amontillado (Pastora, a cheap one from Trader Joe's). It's definitely not the same, but it does work. The pork is from Costco. We usually cut it up when we get it home, and then freeze in two batches.

The last ingredient I want to mention is pork stock. I made this myself from two pork butt bones, simmered for about 5 hours with ginger and scallion. It's super meaty tasting and I'm looking forward to trying it in other dishes. I also stripped the meat off the bones and added some light soy sauce and scallions for a delicious treat Ariel called "the most unbelievable thing you've ever made." Since I had it, I threw it in here, but you can certainly just use more water. As with all my homemade stocks, I don't add salt until I actually cook with it, and this dish is a perfect example for why that is. With the amount of soy sauce I used, hongshaorou the salt level is just about right as it is. Remember, you can always add more, but you can't take it away.

Ingredients

• 2 lb. pork belly, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 oz. Chinese rock sugar (substitute white sugar)
• 1/4 cup dark soy sauce
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine or Amontillado
• 4 scallions, roughly chopped
• 3 slices ginger
• 2 star anise pods
• 1 large piece Chinese cinnamon, broken in half
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup unsalted pork stock (substitute more water)

Instructions

In fill a wok or large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Drop in the pork belly and cook for a few minutes. The water should get cloudy as some scum escapes from the pork. Use a spider or slotted spoon to remove the pork and set aside. Drain the pan and wipe out.

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is melted. 

Add the pork and stir to coat. Some sugar will cling to the spatula. This is fine for now.

Add the dark soy, light soy, wine, scallions, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, water, and stock. There should be just enough liquid to mostly cover the pork. Bring to a boil. Immerse the spatula in the cooking liquid to loosen any stuck sugar. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 1 hour. Check occasionally to stir. A lot of fat will render from the pork, but should not be skimmed off.

Uncover and continue cooking for 30 more minutes. Pick out the pork and set aside. Turn the heat up to high and reduce as much as you want, but at least by half. As the sauce reduces, pick out and discard the the scallions, ginger, anise, and cinnamon. Return the pork to the pan, toss to coat, and serve with rice.