Beijing-style braised pork

Soak the pork shoulder in clean water for 2 hours.

Tie it with a small string, not too tightly.

This is a round-bottomed pan with a flat bottom, with an inner diameter of 29 centimeters. A rack is placed at the bottom. This rack has a diameter of 28 centimeters, with a raised edge 1 centimeter high.

Place the pork shoulder on a rack, then add salt, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, aged ginger, and cinnamon. Add cold or warm water, bring to a boil over medium heat, cover with a lid, then reduce to low heat. This is for blanching the meat, which takes 80 minutes. During the process, turn it over slightly twice.

Scoop out.

Use warm water to wash out the foam in the crevices.

Scoop out the seasonings from the soup, remove the foam, and strain into another container.

This is a round-bottomed pan with a flat bottom, with an inner diameter of 29 centimeters.

Place the cleaned dough pieces on the rack. Attention! Skin side down, skin side down. This process is braising, 3 hours.

Pour the original broth into the pot, covering the dough by 2 centimeters. Then place an inner lid on top, which is a glass lid with the handle removed. Bring the pot to a boil, do not use an induction cooker, and adjust to a low heat. Cover with the outer lid.

After stewing for 3 hours, add caramel coloring and a bit of heat. Cover with two lids.

Add caramelized sugar for about 40 minutes until the sauce is reduced. Then add the sauce. After adding caramelized sugar, you need to constantly monitor and adjust the heat. The purpose of this step is to obviously reduce the sauce in about 40 minutes; if the goal is not reached, you can extend the time. Do not rush to the next step.

Take the sauce out of the freezer and cut it into pieces, placing them on the glass lid in batches. The first time you make it, there is no sauce, so you can use the rich sauce from braised pork instead.

Add the sauce for about 30 minutes, using a ladle to pour it over the braised meat, coating it evenly, sprinkle with cooking wine, and cover with a lid. After adding the sauce, pay attention and adjust the heat multiple times according to the thickness of the liquid; if unsure, it's better to use slightly lower heat to prevent burning. This process takes about 30 minutes, reaching roughly the consistency shown in the picture; if not, you can cook longer. Open the glass lid, use a ladle to scoop the sauce from the edge of the pot and pour it over the braised meat, which is called 'coating' in cooking terms. Sprinkle with cooking wine and cover with two lids. (If a very strong burned smell appears, immediately remove from heat, take out the dish, and summarize the experience.)

After sprinkling cooking wine for about 20 minutes, remove from heat and open both lids.

Place the glass lid back on properly and cover the handle, hold the glass lid with one hand, and lift the pot with the other hand to pour out the sauce at the bottom of the pot.

Take a ceramic basin and cover it with a glass lid.

Flip the whole thing.

Move away the pot and the grate, and it's done cooking.

Use one hand with a spatula, and with the other hand wearing a glove to hold it, turn the braised meat into the tray.

Use a silicone brush to clean the pork skin, then stir the sauce and brush it onto the pork skin.

Slice after it has cooled.