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Hunan-style Chairman Mao Red Braised Pork

Name: Hunan-style Chairman Mao Red Braised Pork
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: chinese
Ingredients: pork belly; water; Cooking oil; white sugar; ginger; dried chilies; cinnamon stick; star anise; bay leaves; beer; Salt; Dried cowpea

groups4 servingsspeedMediumcountertopsPrep: 5 minsskilletCook: 50 minsscheduleTotal: 55 minsoutdoor_grillBraisedlocal_fire_departmentMild

Recipe details are AI-generated from the video and may contain errors — for reference only.

skilletInstruction

10 Steps Total

Preparation

00:01:36

warningStay safe

Hold the meat securely with your fingers when cutting into 3 cm cubes with a knife to avoid the blade slipping and cutting your fingers.

Select a piece of pork belly with skin, with fat no wider than one finger
Heat the iron pan until red and sear the skin side until golden brown
Cut the seared pork belly into 3 cm square chunks with a kitchen knife

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Watch out

The iron pan must be preheated until red, otherwise the pork skin will stick to the surface and burn or break apart.

Ingredients:pork belly

Tools:chef knifeIron wok

Active Cooking

00:02:01

Put the pork belly chunks into the pot to blanch after cutting
Boil until blood and foam float up, and the meat surface turns white and sets
Remove the meat chunks for later use, removing blood smell and impurities from searing

local_fire_departmentHigh heat

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Watch out

Blanch with cold water, otherwise the meat will shrink from heat and lock blood inside, failing to remove the gamey smell.

Ingredients:pork belly (500 g)water (1000 ml)

Tools:large potladle

Active Cooking

00:02:18

warningStay safe

Putting blanched meat into hot oil can cause oil to splatter; slide them in along the edge of the wok using a skimmer to avoid burns.

Add 100ml of cooking oil to the wok and heat to 60% hot
Pour into the oil pan to fry and shape, allowing fat inside the fatty meat to release
Fry until the meat chunks turn slightly yellow, remove and set aside

local_fire_departmentMedium heat

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Watch out

The oil must reach 60% heat before adding meat, otherwise putting it in at low temperature will cause the meat surface to absorb too much oil.

Ingredients:Cooking oil (100 ml)pork belly

Tools:SkimmerIron wok

Active Cooking

00:02:44

Pour 50g of white sugar into 50ml of water and heat gradually
Stir constantly in the wok to dissolve the sugar completely
From white to ivory yellow, and finally when it becomes red syrup, add water and reduce to form caramel color

local_fire_departmentMedium-low heat

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Watch out

When caramelizing sugar, the heat must not be too high and you must stir constantly, otherwise the white sugar will instantly burn and become bitter.

Ingredients:white sugar (50 g)water (50 ml)

Tools:spatulaIron wok

Active Cooking

00:03:13

Add 20ml of cooking oil to the wok
Toss in the smashed ginger, whole dried peppers, cinnamon, star anise, and bay leaves to sauté until fragrant

local_fire_departmentMedium-low heat

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Watch out

Use medium-low heat after adding spices, otherwise high heat will instantly burn them and make them bitter.

Ingredients:Cooking oil (20 ml)ginger (15 g)dried chilies (10 g)cinnamon stick (5 g)star anise (5 g)bay leaves (2 g)

Tools:spatulaIron wok

Active Cooking

00:03:22

Pour the fried pork belly into the wok and stir-fry together
Render the oil first, then absorb flavors, letting the pork fat seep out

local_fire_departmentMedium heat

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Watch out

Render out excess fat when stir-frying the pork belly, otherwise the final dish will be too greasy.

Ingredients:pork belly

Tools:spatulaIron wok

Active Cooking

00:03:37

Add the prepared caramel after sautéing
Chairman Mao's braised pork relies mainly on caramel for color without adding soy sauce, stir-fry gradually until the meat chunks change color

local_fire_departmentMedium heat

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Watch out

Stir quickly and evenly after adding caramel, otherwise uneven heat distribution will cause uneven coloring.

Ingredients:pork belly

Tools:spatulaIron wok

Active Cooking

00:03:50

Add 100ml of beer to enhance aroma
Bring to a boil over high heat and season with 5g of salt
Then add 500ml of clear broth

local_fire_departmentHigh heat

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Watch out

Add beer and broth all at once

adding water halfway through will cause the meat to shrink and become tough

Ingredients:beer (100 ml)Salt (5 g)water (500 ml)

Tools:Iron wokladle

Active Cooking

00:04:04

warningStay safe

Must use insulated cloth or gloves when moving a heating claypot; claypots conduct heat extremely fast and touching with bare hands will cause severe burns.

Pour the meat into a claypot and switch to medium-low heat to simmer slowly
The color will become increasingly red, simmer until tender and the sauce is thick
Ready to remove from heat after 40 minutes

local_fire_departmentMedium-low heat

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Watch out

Use medium-low heat when simmering in a claypot, otherwise high heat will dry out the water and cause it to stick and burn at the bottom.

Ingredients:pork belly

Tools:Clay pot

Active Cooking

00:04:27

Prepare 50g of dried cowpeas and lay them at the bottom of the bowl; dried cowpeas absorb oil and help cut through greasiness
Invert the cooked braised pork into the bowl
The finished dish is bright red, translucent, and melts in the mouth

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Watch out

Keep steady when inverting the meat bowl, otherwise the sauce will spill and ruin the presentation.

Ingredients:Dried cowpea (50 g)pork belly

Tools:Serving bowl