Red-Braised Pork: Three Methods

Ingredients

• 1 catty (斤) pork
• 3 钱 (qian, approx. 1/10 ounce) salt
• sweet jiang (甜醬 — fermented bean paste)
• autumn-pressed soy sauce (秋油 — soy sauce pressed in autumn)
• pure rice wine (純酒)
• water

Instructions

1. Choose one of three methods: braise with sweet jiang (fermented bean paste), braise with autumn-pressed soy sauce, or braise with neither — using only salt and pure wine.
2. For each catty of pork, measure three qian of salt. Cut the pork into even rectangular pieces. Braise slowly in your chosen liquid (wine or water). If using water, ensure it reduces completely to dryness.
3. All three methods will yield a glossy, red-lacquered (琉璃) finish. Do NOT add sugar to darken the color — this is a cardinal error.
4. Timing is everything. Remove from heat too early and the meat turns yellow; at the precise moment it turns true red; too late and the red darkens to purple while the lean meat grows hard. Never leave the lid off during braising — the oil will escape and all flavor departs with it, leaving only dregs behind.
5. The meat is finished when it has braised until so tender that no edge or corner remains visible, and both fat and lean have dissolved into silk on the palate. Fire control (火候) is paramount. As the saying goes: "High heat for congee, low heat for meat (緊火粥，慢火肉)." Profound words indeed.