Braised pork is a familiar and beloved dish by many. The tender meat, infused with spices, tastes delicious when paired with white rice or sticky rice. When braising pork at home, the simplest method is to marinate the meat with fish sauce, salt, sugar, and a little food coloring. Place the meat in a pot, add water, and braise until tender. However, to enhance the flavor, you can substitute the water with other liquids.
The Best Cut of Meat for Braised Pork
For braised pork, it is advisable to choose pork belly, which has a balanced mix of lean and fatty meat. This ensures that the lean meat doesn’t become dry and tough, while the fat doesn’t become overly greasy. Alternatively, you can opt for other cuts like pork hock, depending on your preference.
When purchasing the meat, look for a bright, reddish color, avoiding pale or overly dark meat. Press your thumb into the meat; it should feel dry, not slippery, and should have good elasticity.
Once you’ve bought the meat, scrape off any remaining hair. Use salt and lemon to rub onto the meat to remove impurities and eliminate any unpleasant odors. Then, rinse the meat with clean water, pat it dry, and cut it into small pieces, slightly larger than a matchbox. For braised pork, it’s best to cut the meat a little bigger to prevent it from disintegrating during the braising process.
A little-known secret from the Western region of Vietnam is to sun-dry the meat for about an hour. This step helps render the fat, making it less greasy. Additionally, marinating the meat with a little sugar beforehand also contributes to a clearer and crispier fat and skin.
Tips for Braising Meat
Instead of using plain water to braise the meat, you can utilize other liquids to create a more robust and flavorful dish.
- Braising with Beer
Feel free to choose your favorite beer for this method, but avoid overly strong-smelling beers that might overpower the dish’s flavors.
After sautéing the meat briefly to seal in the juices, add the beer and continue braising. This allows the meat to absorb the beer’s flavor, preventing it from turning mushy. Use one-third to half the amount of braising liquid as beer, and the rest as regular water.
Beer enhances the flavor of the meat and adds a delightful aroma to the dish. Additionally, braising with beer results in a more attractive color. Marinating or braising with beer also tenderizes the meat faster compared to using plain water.
Braise over low heat to slowly cook the meat, retaining its delicious flavors.
- Using Coconut Water
Braising meat with coconut water is a familiar practice, especially for people in the Western region of Vietnam. Coconut water lends a natural sweetness to the meat, enhancing its flavor. Moreover, it helps achieve a desirable color, even without the need for food coloring.
Simply follow your usual braising steps but substitute the water with coconut water. Use just enough liquid to barely cover the meat, and simmer over low heat until the water reduces and the meat takes on a beautiful color.
For an extra layer of flavor, try combining beer and coconut water.
- Using Carbonated Soft Drinks
You can also experiment with carbonated soft drinks, particularly Coca-Cola, for braising meat. Coca-Cola helps improve the color of the dish and adds a unique flavor. However, due to the high sugar content in soft drinks, reduce the amount of sugar used during the marination process to avoid an overly sweet dish.
So, the next time you braise pork, feel free to substitute water with beer, soft drinks, or coconut water to create a more flavorful and tender dish.
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