Food & Receipts

Boiled Pork: Hot or Cold Water? Add this One Ingredient for Clean and Delicious Meat

Boiled pork is an easy dish to make, but it also requires attention to how the meat is boiled to ensure there is no unpleasant smell and to guarantee the meat is tender, flavorful, and fresh.

Administrator

8 December, 2023

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How to choose fresh and delicious pork

To have a high-quality boiled pork dish, firstly, you need to choose clean, delicious, and fresh meat. The best meat parts to use for boiling are pork belly or pork leg. These parts have both lean and fatty meat, making the meat tender and delicious.

Also, observe the meat piece to see if it has a fresh pink color, firm texture with high elasticity when pressed, even fibers, and a dry cut surface. These are signs of good quality meat. On the contrary, if the meat looks pale, has a mushy texture, and a foul smell, it means the meat has gone bad due to improper preservation.

How to get rid of the pork smell

Usually, healthy pigs that are raised in a “clean” meat-production environment will have a pleasant and delicious smell. However, the current market is flooded with pigs fattened with feed, resulting in pork that often has an unpleasant smell.

If you accidentally buy meat with an odor, firstly, you need to clean it and pay attention to the following odor-eliminating methods:

– Before boiling, remove any dirt, residual chemicals, and odors from the meat by rinsing it multiple times with clean water. Additionally, you can use a little salt dissolved in water to wash the meat because diluted saltwater also helps remove dirt from the meat.

– The secret to having delicious and odor-free boiled pork is to boil it twice. The first time is to pre-boil the meat, and the second time is to fully cook it.

Proper way to boil pork

– For the first boil, add a teaspoon of vinegar, a few thin slices of ginger, and half a teaspoon of salt to the boiling water, then add the pork. Boil the meat for about 2 minutes, then remove it and rinse it again. This way, the meat will not have any odor. Adding vinegar and salt also helps the meat maintain its whiteness and cleanliness.

– For the second boil, put the meat into a pot of water right away, submerge it completely, add several smashed scallions, season the meat with some spices to enhance the flavor, and boil until it’s cooked. To check if the meat is done, use a fork to see if it goes through the meat without seeing any red juices. When that happens, you can turn off the heat and remove the meat from the pot to drain.

– Wait for the meat to cool down a bit, then use a knife to slice it into bite-sized pieces. Boiled meat should be sliced thinly and crosswise to prevent it from becoming tough. Now, just arrange the meat on a platter and prepare a delicious dipping sauce to enjoy the tender and flavorful meat.

Some mistakes that make boiled pork less delicious

Overcooking: Many people are afraid that the meat won’t be fully cooked, so they boil it for too long to make sure it’s not raw. Boiling the meat for too long can make the lean part dry, and if boiled for even longer, the entire meat piece becomes mushy, loses its sweetness, and becomes less appetizing. Over-boiling meat also affects its nutritional value. According to experts, at temperatures of 200 – 300 degrees Celsius, amino acids, creatinine, sugar, and harmless compounds in meat undergo chemical reactions to form some harmful compounds. Therefore, when boiling meat, you should only cook it until it’s properly cooked, so the meat retains its sweet, fragrant, and tender texture.
Adding cold water: Adding cold water to a pot of boiling water is a mistake that many people make when they see the pot almost empty. The sudden temperature drop will cause proteins and fats to immediately coagulate, the gaps and openings of the meat will shrink, making it less tender, and the lean part will be tougher. The fresh and delicious taste of the meat will also be affected. Therefore, you should pour enough water to submerge the meat when boiling it. If needed, add boiling water instead of cold water when the pot starts to run dry.
Poking and checking constantly: Because of digestion problems or fear of not being able to control the cooking level of the meat, many people often poke it with a fork or flip the meat while boiling. This will cause the sweet essence of the meat to leak out, making the meat drier.
Slicing the meat immediately after boiling: To ensure the hotness of the meat, many people slice it immediately after boiling. This is a mistake because at this point, it will be difficult to slice the meat beautifully and precisely since it is still soft and tender. It is best to put the meat in cool water for about a minute, then take it out and slice it. The meat will still be warm, delicious, and visually appealing.