The Perfectly Cooked Pork: Transforming Tough Meat into Tender Delicacy

Spices and Herbs to Use When Boiling Meat

The following is a list of spices and herbs that you should use when boiling meat to ensure it is clean, odor-free, and as delicious as possible:

Salt

After scraping off any remaining hair on the meat’s surface, rinse it with clean water, and then rub salt all over the meat or wash it with diluted salt water. If the piece of meat is thick and large, you can cut it into two pieces to ensure even and faster cooking. Do not cut the fresh meat into small pieces before boiling, as it will shrink, dry out, and release its juices.

When placing the meat in the pot to boil, add a little salt to help eliminate bacteria and impurities.

Lemon or Vinegar

Before boiling, you can soak the meat in diluted lemon juice or vinegar for about 15-30 minutes. This helps eliminate any unpleasant odors and cleans the meat.

Ginger

Ginger has antibacterial properties and helps remove the fishy odor from meat. Add a slice of ginger to the pot of boiling water to enhance the flavor and purify the meat.

Onion and Garlic

Onions and garlic also possess antibacterial qualities, aiding in the removal of impurities and fishy odors. Incorporate these two spices when boiling meat to enhance the flavor and purify the meat.

Lemon Leaves, Bay Leaves, or Coriander

These leaves not only impart an appealing flavor but also help eliminate fishy odors and impurities. Add a few lemon leaves, bay leaves, or coriander to the pot of boiling water.

Tips for Delicious Boiled Pork

One of the tricks to boiling tasty pork is to do it in two stages. The first boil is intended to remove impurities and unpleasant odors. Place the meat in cold water and bring it to a boil, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, remove the meat, and rinse it clean.

For the second boil, use cold water to cover the meat, and add a crushed onion, some scallions, and a few slices of ginger. You can also add a little salt if you want the meat to be more flavorful. The average cooking time for pork is around 20-25 minutes, resulting in meat that is just cooked through, neither dry nor tough. Adjust the cooking time according to the thickness of the meat.

When boiling meat, keep the heat at a low to medium level so that the meat cooks evenly and remains tender. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, reduce the heat.

How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Pork

• Choose the right cut of meat: Pork belly or pork shank are usually the best choices for boiled pork dishes as they have a good amount of fat, resulting in tender and flavorful meat when boiled.
• Observe the color: Opt for pork with a natural, bright color. Fresh pork usually has a light pink or pale red hue, with white or slightly off-white fat. Avoid meat with unusual, pale, or overly dark colors. If the surface appears shiny and feels slightly slippery, it may not be of good quality.
• Examine the surface: Use a knife to cut the meat lengthwise to inspect it further. Fresh pork will have slightly contracted muscle fibers, a dry surface, and supple skin.
• Smell the meat: Good-quality pork has a distinctive, pleasant aroma. Avoid pork with an unpleasant or strange odor.

• Test for elasticity: Press your finger into the meat, and if it bounces back to its original shape without leaving an indentation, it’s a sign of fresh, high-quality pork. The meat fibers should be firm but not too hard, and there should be no sticky liquid oozing out.
• Examine the texture of the meat and fat: Choose pork cuts where the meat and fat are distinct yet firmly attached, making it difficult to separate them by hand. This is a sure sign of fresh, delicious pork.