Great video! The recipe for 红烧肉 was good but it missed one of the most important ingredients: five spices. You can use the powder, but I recommend putting a cinnamon stick, one or two star anise, and two or three cloves when you braise the pork belly. Also, you should remove the spring onion, ginger, and spices after approx 40 mins because they start turning bitter after that. Lastly, instead of only adding sugar, the most traditional way would be turning the sugar into caramel first and then adding the water, which adds a lot of depth to the flavour. The colour of the caramel is why the best 红烧肉 are more reddish (hence called “red braised”) compared to the more standard brown ones.
Great video. For the blanching part, many Chinese chefs start the pork belly in cold water, and heat till water boils. this way the exterior doesn't cook immediately after submerged in boiling water and seal the impurities inside. After water boils they leave it in water for about 5-10 min so it's cooked all the way through, they use a "chopstick test" which is to poke it with a chopstick, if it pokes through with ease it's finished blanching and no raw meat is left. Also they don't submerge the meat in cold water after blanching to "stop overcooking" as cold water will make the meat contract and unable to absorb spice flavors. They don't worry about overcooking as the slow simmer will tenderize the meat
Hong Shao Rou is phenomenal. Had it when visiting my best mate in Shanghai in about it 2010. Have made it at home several times since. It’s so easy and so damned good. Can not recommend highly enough.
I had it at some restaurants and it lives up to the hype amazing with some good noodles, but when i tried making it at home it burnt on the bottom and made my entire house smell like urine. I do not think ill be trying to make it again for some time!
I guess, idk what Asiatic country the recipe comes from exactly I just know the dish is called Chashu pork. the recipe I use says to use pork belly but I don't like the skin so I use a fatty tenderloin or boston butt@@fatdoi003
A bit of culinary history: Chinese merchants from southern China (mainly Fujian and Guangdong) brought these same cooking techniques to my home country in the 1200s-1700s, where we developed our own version of it: *pork adobo.* Spanish name, Chinese dish. We were already pretty good at cooking pork but that Chinese influence really helped take our cuisine to the next level.
Oh no, we've had adobo long before the Chinese cames, only it was not called adobo. The soy sauce is a recent thing. Our ancients cooked with vinegar, Chinese came with the soy sauce later. Please stop with the belief that before China, or the Spaniards or any foreigner came to the Philippines, that our ancestors ate everything without seasoning or cooking technique at all.
Chinese food is utterly incredible. Just the sheer level of thought that goes into some of the dishes is baffling compared to the Americanized creations. Also Philippino food is crazy good. Such interesting flavours everytime I have it… some of the least boring food
When making hong shao rou, I've always made the sauce separately before adding it into the pork. This process involves carmalizing the rock sugar which adds more depth to the flavour and adds natural caramel colouring to the pork.
Always lovely to encounter a fellow laowai who understands the supremacy of 红烧肉! For whatever reason it seems to be surprisingly difficult to find even in major cities in the US, even places with vibrant Chinese communities like LA, NY, and SF-doubly so for my favorite variant, 毛氏红烧肉, which is the version I always make. Thankfully, the Taiwanese 滷肉饭 is much easier to find in LA and is at least similar enough to _sometimes_ sate my cravings. It's never quite the same, though.
红烧 is very much a shandong regional technique( Lu Cuisine ) it is widly found in northern chinese cuisines which draw influence from Lu Cuisine but in the US the majority of chinese immigrants mainly come from southern china that uses guandong cuisine mainly and the most north province they get is maybe fujian cuisine which I doubt it will change anytime sooner for us to see lu cuisine finally shine. Interestingly 滷肉饭 has it's origins tracing back to shandong but is infused with fujian and taiwanese elements to make it their own.
Hey Max. I love that you covered this dish because it is an absolute favorite of mine too. That said, I just need to point out that you missed a few key things. First, dong po rou and hong shao rou are slightly different, where the former keeps the meat in large blocks and the latter cubes it up (there are other differences, of course, but this is the most noticeable). When blanching, you should’ve added the scallion, ginger and cooking wine to the water. Since you chose to do go down the dong po path, you should tie it with butcher’s twine into sort of like packages; really helps it keep shape. Then, to keep it as authentic as possible, you should’ve browned the sugar into a caramel; this is what gives the meat that red color, thus why it is called hong shao. Some even choose to forgo the soy because it can make the final result too dark, making it closer to black then it is to red. For the choice of liquor, shaoxing is traditional, but beer is also acceptable. But what you lacked is star anise, bay leaf and cinnamon. You could’ve also opted to use five spice powder instead. Also, rather then removing part of the braising liquid, you should’ve cooked this in high heat since you need to reduce that liquid. Also, remove the ginger and spring onion halfway through the cooking because those start giving a sour taste when cooked further. Lastly, since you went the dong po route, you should have steamed this in the serving container. The result is a chunk of meat that would fall apart at the slightest squeeze and fat that is ridiculously tender, it melts in your mouth. Hong shao rou holds a bit better since you sort of fry the meat in the caramel before braising it. For more info on this dish, I really hope you check out how Chef Wang Gang does it. Amazing chef with incredible skills. I consider him the god of UA-cam Chinese cuisine. Fun fact for everyone who has gotten this far reading this. Dong po is intended to be as fatty as possible, because you’re meant to eat the fat more than the meat. So if you’re afraid of grease, steer clear. If not, then try this out and get ready to have your taste buds assaulted with an explosion of flavor.
Thank you so much I was getting frustrated reading the comments when I saw it was missing stuff and went on google and saw how different all these recipes were and none of them included the spices and I always like making things as authentic as possible! Will definitely check chef wang gang
five spice powder is not optional, you absolutely need it along with the star anise. Also, when making 东坡肉, you can not skim the fat off the top. that layer of fat on top acts almost like a glaze and adds so much richness to the pork.
When we do Hong Shao Rou, we cut it into really small pieces that we put into a bowl with lots of sauce which is just amazing to have with rice and other Chinese sides, since a massive hunk of pork belly has a massively overpowering taste when made into Hong Shao Rou, so I NEED rice to null it a bit because it is too damn rich
紅燒肉 (Braised Red Pork Belly) is absolutely a must have in Chinese cuisine. The gelatinous texture with the deep aromatic flavors are some of the reasons why I would encourage people to try this dish (if the diet can accommodate pork, because strict religious practices or adherence to a particular diet will affect the ability for people to enjoy this wonderful dish.) As for the things I definitely know are missing are the five spices that typically go into the dish, as well as the hand-crafted Chinese caramel. As for the crispy pork, I would also consider a homemade version of 燒肉 (Roast pork) that you can get at any Cantonese quick-eats location to have arguably some of the best crispy pork belly skin out there, although several different cultures that skin-on roast pork over a spit or open flame have just as much of a claim on evenly cooked pork belly with crispy skin. Italian porchetta, Filipino Lechon Kawali, and several other cultures have their play on this technique.
你好Max！Local Chinese-American here, a nice introduction to 红烧肉 for a Western audience. However, a few notes that as someone who is from the province that 红烧肉 is famous in to mention. One, definitely can't forget five spice. Star anise, cloves, cinnammon are all super important to the fragance of the dish. Two, the traditional method of giving the "red" color would be to make a 搪塞, or what is basically a sugar and oil caramel that you then braise the pork in with water. Making a caramel this way gives you that nice red hue. Also, a non traditional trick but one I actually really like is replacing the Shaoxing with a bit of red wine. Very tasty.
Hey Max! Just wanted to say I recently bought a box of your jerky with all four flavors and I really like it! The chili crisp isn’t for me, but the Texas BBQ and Maple Bacon ones are DELICIOUS, and the Buffalo one is my fav because wings are my favorite food. It’s really impressive how you got it tasting like Buffalo while also adding a slight funky tang that reminds me of bleu cheese dressing. Cheers on getting your business up and running! Looking forward to buying more 😊
So I've actually had this before With my wife's family and in my personal opinion I don't know if it is better than crispy pork belly But it is absolutely incredible. The only reason I say I don't know if it's better is because they are so different from each other that it is hard to compare them.
First I have to mention that Dong Po Rou and Hong Shao Rou are two different dishes with different cooking technique. The dish made in this video is Dong Po Rou. Props to you. You did everystep right. The only critisism I have is the blanching step. You were suppose to blanch the meat thoroughly (almost cooked entirely). Since this is a big piece of meat, I assume it would take at least 5 minutes. To avoid overcook the outside of the meat, you can add in a little cold water when the water is boiling. You can stick a chopstick (fork work as well) into the meat to check, if no blood come out you are ready to go. I have to say that I am surprised a non chinese person could replicate this dish so well. Well done!
Cantonese style crispy pork belly is definitely supreme when it comes to crispy pork belly dishes. The crunch is softer because of those tiny air bubbles. You simply cannot beat it.
Definitely feel like both are the best in their own way because they're so different. So, depending on which one you're in the mood for, they're both perfect. Looks phenomenal. 👍 Also, seeing that amazing pork belly, all I can think of is a pork belly bánh mì, one of my favorite all time sandwiches. Though I know it's Vietnamese and not Chinese, I think you'd still enjoy it a lot, and I would love to see your take on it especially with that crispy pork belly you made. 👍
Vietnam has a dish just like this called thịt kho so if you like fish sauce then find a recipe and make it! It's one of my fav comfort foods that my mom makes.
duuuuuuude im Singaporean and my grandparents are from china and know how to cook thattt and its sooo nice! i just love it that you dont only test out western recipes and also do asian ones :)
The Chinese braised pork belly dish is absolutely delicious and of the best things you can taste. I recommend asking if your Chinese restaurant has this dish
Uh Max, you were supposed to brush the pork belly skin with vinegar before you threw it in the oven, that’s how you get it to puff up and make the true Chicharron crispy skin. So this comparison was 100% incomplete
Bought all 4 flavors of your Jerky, man. I love the Sichuan Chili Crisp and the Montreal Maple Bacon so much, couldn't stop eating them. Keep up the great work!
I bought em all too. I was most surprised by the buffalo chicken. I had low expectations because I'm not crazy about buffalo chicken, so it was obviously the best I could ever imagine buffalo jerky to taste. Sichuan chili is still the best though. And the maple bacon doesn't lean too heavily on sugar, as it has that perfect smokey flavor that is hard to get right. Sry for long reply. Just puttin the info out there in case anyone wants to buy it.
I'd love to see you work with someone like Max Miller to make another historical meat dish like this! He's got plenty of ancient recipes and with your skill in meat, I'd wager that you guys could make something absolutely divine! Also, that chinese pork belly looked SOOOOOOOOOOO good, I'd down all of that in seconds. Like, hot damn that looks good.
In Austria or southern Germany(bavaria) we’d call the super crispy belly simply: Bratl or Schweinsbraten. Minus one step plus another step for easier cutting and serving
@@sleepyboi6245 will get it from my book this weekend and comment it here. Need to ask my gfs Granddad for his as well and maybe do some changes, his is 100x better than mine
Stelze is amazing haha I live in Vienna since 2019 and that dish is soooo good. It’s crispy skin, but it’s not the belly but it’s just as crispy as any chicharrón I had in Venezuela and Dominican Republic.
Nice job on the dish! It looks amazing! One slight nitpick though. Us Chinese people say Dong Po Rou when it’s a larger piece, and Hong Shao Rou when it’s a smaller piece. Your recipe made Dong Po Rou. …though, biting into a bigger piece of meat is arguably more satisfying
Max try Hong Ba, on it's restaurant grade form it combines a crispy pork belly with that wonderfull hoisin sauce and mei cai, the skin literally explodes in your mouth, the fat melts in your mouth and the meat is very tender; to make crispy skin you only need to boil the skin for 30 mins, air fry it for 1 hour and flash fry it until the skin pops like popcorn
I think it just depends on the texture u like in ur pork belly some people don't like biting into non crispy pork fat cause of the texture it gives. So I think thats the main reason u hear so many people say that crispy pork belly is best.
My mom loves to pressure cook that cut of pork with her own flavorings and then pan fry a bit at the end to get that browning and make a sauce out of some of the rendered fat. Her side of the family is from Brazil and she isn't big on spices but something about that bouncy and melty pork belly hits different
After seeing your alligator sandwich video, I’m interested to see you try iguana meat. It is eaten in my country (Guyana) and I have had it in a curry before. It is very tasty and rather similar to alligator. I’d be interested to see you dry age an iguana or something.
Heard your story, watched your vids, you have made such a great impact on not only your family, but as far as i can tell, the world as a whole. You are doing a great job and i am so happy to see you doing so well and being so happy. I bought some of that jerky because i know its your passion and I want to support you. Good luck in the future and thank you for the content and jerky that I consume!
I'm impressed that your pronunciation of 'Hong' Shao Rou is correct. But then again, like me you lived in China for a while. Thanks for a great video & recipe. BTW the crispy skin is called 'Crackling" in Australia the same as England.
I remember, I tried the Japanese variant "Kakuni" once. It was pretty good. Though, personally I like the crispiness.. But having a change here and there in what we eat, makes the variation we should have in our diet.
A bit different than how I was taught. Take the pork belly and season it but then you poke the skin full of tiny holes, cover with salt and leave it in the fridge for overnight. (If you roll it up into panchetta you can leave it in the fridge for as long as 10 days!) Do the slow cook then blast it with very high heat for the finishing crisp up. The skin will bubble as it crisps which gives you a visual of it finally being done. You can still make a chinese sauce to top it with. Anyway your video is now in my recipe folder for the chinese version with the caramelized sugar. :)
In my country we have both deep friend, super crispy pork belly dishes AND super slow-cooked, spoon-tender braised pork belly dishes so seeing you make both was a pleasure. And while I am more of the crispy pork belly fan, yeah on some days that slow braised extra jiggly pork over rice...it just hits different.
Actually that pork skin is very similar to a Philippino way to roasting a entire big causing it to be crunching just like thst but the meat is more soft and white and not crispy but the skin is crispy tho
The Maple Burnt End Bacon Jerky that this man sells. . . Is nothing short of GODLY... I have about 25-30 packs left and I'm already looking to re-up. Funny thing I made this comment before he even brought it up in the video 😂 I just had to tell someone
yes it doesn't have crispy skin but in restaurant version of this dish, the pork is usually deep fried before brasing to add some texture to it, so in a way some sort of crispyness is still there
As a guy originally from China, I've got to say that Hong Shao Rou is truly one of the most delicious piece of meat/fat I have ever eaten in my whole life.
Yeah as a Chinese we javecthis pork belly on a Vietnamese curry, since my grandads region is close to Vietnam, they do a lot of Vietnamese food, and this pork belly is actually so GOOD
In Norway, pork belly is a very traditional christmas food for a large portion of the country and the baseline recipe for whats considered good does actually have some similarities. The traditional one is made bone in and roasted with a rack, a tray and a saucer along with aromatics. It has alot of steps where it goes on the tray skin side up with water and aromatics in it then braises there for a while, then goes on the rack above to slowly render fat into the liquid below, then it goes into a phase where its cooked at different temperatures for a few hours, then it goes back into the tray skin side down this time, then another round of different temperatures, then it sits on top of an upside down saucer to control the shape so it cooks evenly and so on then eventually its finished off under a salamander or whatever cremation setting your oven has. Anyway the part where it needs to go skin down into the liquid is really important to get the skin to properly crips up during the salamander step, kinda same method as peking duck. Crispy skin is expected on the actual christmas dinner, but leftover thats sat in the fridge very quickly goes from crispy to chewy, and thats used to basically make rolls with a version of a potato tortilla where this texture is desirable. I dont think its really thought of as one being better than the other, they just are for different things. Sorry that was long and unecessary
Oh and the skin is scored during the cooking before it turns into "glass" as you called it. Just makes it alot easier to deal with as well as ensuring everyone can get some :D
quick tip, max take some cooking oil, put it on a pot, and let it boil till there's smoke coming out of it. then, with a ladle, pour the oil on the crispy pork belly skin. thank me later. here in brazil we call it "pururucar" as a verb or "pururuca" as a noun
Not overhyping your jerky by allowing other stuff to win is absolutely the way to go. It keeps you from looking stuck-up and keeps expectations in check so that it can really blow people's minds when they bite into it. If I wasn't such a fussy eater who can't even have the food in this video, I'd be buying a pack ASAP. Still works as a gift, though!
I literally bought the 8 pack when I saw this video. I tried the maple bacon ones just now. It's amazing! I can't wait to try the other flavors with friends!
for the sause of the hong shao rou, u can also try starch water. like a teaspoon of starch and a few tablespoons of water (any type). nice recipe, but the sause no need reduce. later the flavour too much im from singapore and had commented on ur latest vid around 14 hours ago. also, u shud visit singapore yay
There are also plenty of filipino pork dishes that don't have crispy skin, and I'm sure other not so well known foreign cuisines do too. Pork skin is quite versatile.
trick with pork belly skins...cut a 1/2" or so wide grid in the skin across the whole surface (just cut the through the skin)...makes it crisp evenly across the whole surface and WAY easier to cut when done
In Indonesia, high end Chinese restaurants usually have Hong Shao Rou, or we call it Babi Hong in Indonesian. I had one not long ago and it was goated.
Where I live, the crunchy skin on the Pork is called Crackling, its because the sound (CRUNCH) and and also it cracks easily and we only have to cook/Smoke for like an hour and its pefect. We add some apple sauce and its perfect! We also have a thing called Whitebait (you have to try it so damn good) and you'll probably have a new favorite thing to eat!
Max, you should try a collab with Tasting History with Max Miller if you're going to try any other older meat recipes. You two could create quite an interesting partnership for an episode or two~
great cooking! As a Chinese, two more advice: 1. cook the rock sugar until it's a brown liquid (use oil or water), and pour that in your pot to give the meat a nice colour 2. five spices needed
I’m Chinese and funny enough, I have the exact same clay pot and hong shao rou is one of my favourite comfort foods You should also try to make bao zai fan, it’s a Chinese clay pot rice
Crispy is good, but braised has a much more complex flavor. As a stand alone dish I like crispy more, but with rice braised is better. Braised pork belly is much more rich, you need the rice to cut down the richness.
I think blanching the pork is very common in chinese cooking bcs on the market there was no cooling meat and usually u get germs on outside of the meat so this quick blanch is to wash and kill germs.
Great video! The recipe for 红烧肉 was good but it missed one of the most important ingredients: five spices. You can use the powder, but I recommend putting a cinnamon stick, one or two star anise, and two or three cloves when you braise the pork belly. Also, you should remove the spring onion, ginger, and spices after approx 40 mins because they start turning bitter after that. Lastly, instead of only adding sugar, the most traditional way would be turning the sugar into caramel first and then adding the water, which adds a lot of depth to the flavour. The colour of the caramel is why the best 红烧肉 are more reddish (hence called “red braised”) compared to the more standard brown ones.
Yeah, the lack of spices and caramelization turns this into another dish entirely
沒錯沒錯
sounds great
Yes that sounds like a vital ingredient.
I’ve seen Dianxi Xiaoge using brown coloured sugar blocks. What are they? Can they substitute white sugar crystals?
Great video. For the blanching part, many Chinese chefs start the pork belly in cold water, and heat till water boils. this way the exterior doesn't cook immediately after submerged in boiling water and seal the impurities inside. After water boils they leave it in water for about 5-10 min so it's cooked all the way through, they use a "chopstick test" which is to poke it with a chopstick, if it pokes through with ease it's finished blanching and no raw meat is left. Also they don't submerge the meat in cold water after blanching to "stop overcooking" as cold water will make the meat contract and unable to absorb spice flavors. They don't worry about overcooking as the slow simmer will tenderize the meat
max is like the myth buster but instead of busting myths he cooks ancient recipes to see if they are actually the best
That’s basically Tasting History with Max Miller lol
It's not ancient at all. This is Chinese classics dude😅
@@arthurdamberg9854 The origin is old?
MatPat should collab with him for a food theory
@@userunknown9307 I don't think so. It's the modern version of old recipe.
I like how he waited 1k years for the pork belly
haha! he had to wait for the people to come up with the recipe
For real! He can probably taste the generations, of concentrated flavour that must be heavenly😍😍😍
Me too (I was 0 hrs old when he stated waiting)👁️👄👁️
I was actually 9999999999999999999999999999999
You ain’t funny
Hong Shao Rou is phenomenal. Had it when visiting my best mate in Shanghai in about it 2010. Have made it at home several times since. It’s so easy and so damned good. Can not recommend highly enough.
I had it at some restaurants and it lives up to the hype amazing with some good noodles, but when i tried making it at home it burnt on the bottom and made my entire house smell like urine. I do not think ill be trying to make it again for some time!
As oversea Chinese I liked it too, but I like Chicken rice more LoL 😂
the ingredients/cooking process looks very similar to chashu pork and I know I love that so I'm looking forward to trying this recipe
@@groyperfuhr4871 similar to chashu??? you mean the japanese version?
I guess, idk what Asiatic country the recipe comes from exactly I just know the dish is called Chashu pork. the recipe I use says to use pork belly but I don't like the skin so I use a fatty tenderloin or boston butt@@fatdoi003
A bit of culinary history:
Chinese merchants from southern China (mainly Fujian and Guangdong) brought these same cooking techniques to my home country in the 1200s-1700s, where we developed our own version of it: *pork adobo.*
Spanish name, Chinese dish. We were already pretty good at cooking pork but that Chinese influence really helped take our cuisine to the next level.
ew feelipenis
@@peelsbanana1626ew brainless racist
@@peelsbanana1626there’s no way bro thought racism would be funny 💀💀💀
Oh no, we've had adobo long before the Chinese cames, only it was not called adobo. The soy sauce is a recent thing. Our ancients cooked with vinegar, Chinese came with the soy sauce later. Please stop with the belief that before China, or the Spaniards or any foreigner came to the Philippines, that our ancestors ate everything without seasoning or cooking technique at all.
Chinese food is utterly incredible. Just the sheer level of thought that goes into some of the dishes is baffling compared to the Americanized creations.
Also Philippino food is crazy good. Such interesting flavours everytime I have it… some of the least boring food
When making hong shao rou, I've always made the sauce separately before adding it into the pork. This process involves carmalizing the rock sugar which adds more depth to the flavour and adds natural caramel colouring to the pork.
I will try. Thank you Alxmastr
@RepentandbelieveinJesusChrist5wy so random
Yes ! U know the right recipe
That Anakin's line "liar" was so sudden and out of pocket it cracked me up 😂😂😂😂😂
Whenever I see that part of the movie I can’t stop thinking about the ai cover of him saying n**** instead of liar….. I’ve been on yt shorts too much
“Pork belly is an insanely fatty cut of beef” nice one 😂 love you Max ❤
Lol
lmao
hes too used to cooking beef xd
This😂
BRU LAMO LOL
Always lovely to encounter a fellow laowai who understands the supremacy of 红烧肉! For whatever reason it seems to be surprisingly difficult to find even in major cities in the US, even places with vibrant Chinese communities like LA, NY, and SF-doubly so for my favorite variant, 毛氏红烧肉, which is the version I always make. Thankfully, the Taiwanese 滷肉饭 is much easier to find in LA and is at least similar enough to _sometimes_ sate my cravings. It's never quite the same, though.
红烧 is very much a shandong regional technique( Lu Cuisine ) it is widly found in northern chinese cuisines which draw influence from Lu Cuisine but in the US the majority of chinese immigrants mainly come from southern china that uses guandong cuisine mainly and the most north province they get is maybe fujian cuisine which I doubt it will change anytime sooner for us to see lu cuisine finally shine. Interestingly 滷肉饭 has it's origins tracing back to shandong but is infused with fujian and taiwanese elements to make it their own.
@@comradetiedanski6038 this is super fascinating to know, thank you!
Hey Max. I love that you covered this dish because it is an absolute favorite of mine too. That said, I just need to point out that you missed a few key things.
First, dong po rou and hong shao rou are slightly different, where the former keeps the meat in large blocks and the latter cubes it up (there are other differences, of course, but this is the most noticeable).
When blanching, you should’ve added the scallion, ginger and cooking wine to the water. Since you chose to do go down the dong po path, you should tie it with butcher’s twine into sort of like packages; really helps it keep shape.
Then, to keep it as authentic as possible, you should’ve browned the sugar into a caramel; this is what gives the meat that red color, thus why it is called hong shao. Some even choose to forgo the soy because it can make the final result too dark, making it closer to black then it is to red.
For the choice of liquor, shaoxing is traditional, but beer is also acceptable. But what you lacked is star anise, bay leaf and cinnamon. You could’ve also opted to use five spice powder instead. Also, rather then removing part of the braising liquid, you should’ve cooked this in high heat since you need to reduce that liquid. Also, remove the ginger and spring onion halfway through the cooking because those start giving a sour taste when cooked further.
Lastly, since you went the dong po route, you should have steamed this in the serving container. The result is a chunk of meat that would fall apart at the slightest squeeze and fat that is ridiculously tender, it melts in your mouth. Hong shao rou holds a bit better since you sort of fry the meat in the caramel before braising it.
For more info on this dish, I really hope you check out how Chef Wang Gang does it. Amazing chef with incredible skills. I consider him the god of UA-cam Chinese cuisine.
Fun fact for everyone who has gotten this far reading this. Dong po is intended to be as fatty as possible, because you’re meant to eat the fat more than the meat. So if you’re afraid of grease, steer clear. If not, then try this out and get ready to have your taste buds assaulted with an explosion of flavor.
Thanks ;)
Ayooo. The pork police 👮♂️
Thank you so much I was getting frustrated reading the comments when I saw it was missing stuff and went on google and saw how different all these recipes were and none of them included the spices and I always like making things as authentic as possible! Will definitely check chef wang gang
Thank you. My son wants this for 13th birthday. Must be authentic!
five spice powder is not optional, you absolutely need it along with the star anise. Also, when making 东坡肉, you can not skim the fat off the top. that layer of fat on top acts almost like a glaze and adds so much richness to the pork.
When we do Hong Shao Rou, we cut it into really small pieces that we put into a bowl with lots of sauce which is just amazing to have with rice and other Chinese sides, since a massive hunk of pork belly has a massively overpowering taste when made into Hong Shao Rou, so I NEED rice to null it a bit because it is too damn rich
Yes! i love my pork but it isnt the same without rice
紅燒肉 (Braised Red Pork Belly) is absolutely a must have in Chinese cuisine. The gelatinous texture with the deep aromatic flavors are some of the reasons why I would encourage people to try this dish (if the diet can accommodate pork, because strict religious practices or adherence to a particular diet will affect the ability for people to enjoy this wonderful dish.)
As for the things I definitely know are missing are the five spices that typically go into the dish, as well as the hand-crafted Chinese caramel. As for the crispy pork, I would also consider a homemade version of 燒肉 (Roast pork) that you can get at any Cantonese quick-eats location to have arguably some of the best crispy pork belly skin out there, although several different cultures that skin-on roast pork over a spit or open flame have just as much of a claim on evenly cooked pork belly with crispy skin. Italian porchetta, Filipino Lechon Kawali, and several other cultures have their play on this technique.
seems more like three cup 三杯 method
W
+1000B respect
beautiful choice of using proper chinese writing and not the broken version
你好Max！Local Chinese-American here, a nice introduction to 红烧肉 for a Western audience. However, a few notes that as someone who is from the province that 红烧肉 is famous in to mention. One, definitely can't forget five spice. Star anise, cloves, cinnammon are all super important to the fragance of the dish. Two, the traditional method of giving the "red" color would be to make a 搪塞, or what is basically a sugar and oil caramel that you then braise the pork in with water. Making a caramel this way gives you that nice red hue. Also, a non traditional trick but one I actually really like is replacing the Shaoxing with a bit of red wine. Very tasty.
Thank you!
Hey Max! Just wanted to say I recently bought a box of your jerky with all four flavors and I really like it!
The chili crisp isn’t for me, but the Texas BBQ and Maple Bacon ones are DELICIOUS, and the Buffalo one is my fav because wings are my favorite food. It’s really impressive how you got it tasting like Buffalo while also adding a slight funky tang that reminds me of bleu cheese dressing.
Cheers on getting your business up and running! Looking forward to buying more 😊
Thank you!! I appreciate the feedback and means the world to me that you gave it a shot 🙏
I’m hoping to try it! I’ve never really found jerky that works for me.
at 8:40 when max says pork chip, over in england we call it crackling
So I've actually had this before With my wife's family and in my personal opinion I don't know if it is better than crispy pork belly But it is absolutely incredible. The only reason I say I don't know if it's better is because they are so different from each other that it is hard to compare them.
First I have to mention that Dong Po Rou and Hong Shao Rou are two different dishes with different cooking technique. The dish made in this video is Dong Po Rou.
Props to you. You did everystep right. The only critisism I have is the blanching step. You were suppose to blanch the meat thoroughly (almost cooked entirely). Since this is a big piece of meat, I assume it would take at least 5 minutes. To avoid overcook the outside of the meat, you can add in a little cold water when the water is boiling. You can stick a chopstick (fork work as well) into the meat to check, if no blood come out you are ready to go.
I have to say that I am surprised a non chinese person could replicate this dish so well. Well done!
you should try making Cantonese style crispy pork belly and compare
He should try bak kut teh
Cantonese style crispy pork belly is definitely supreme when it comes to crispy pork belly dishes. The crunch is softer because of those tiny air bubbles. You simply cannot beat it.
Definitely feel like both are the best in their own way because they're so different. So, depending on which one you're in the mood for, they're both perfect. Looks phenomenal. 👍
Also, seeing that amazing pork belly, all I can think of is a pork belly bánh mì, one of my favorite all time sandwiches. Though I know it's Vietnamese and not Chinese, I think you'd still enjoy it a lot, and I would love to see your take on it especially with that crispy pork belly you made. 👍
Vietnam has a dish just like this called thịt kho so if you like fish sauce then find a recipe and make it! It's one of my fav comfort foods that my mom makes.
@@phenomynous9045 nice, thanks for letting me know about this. I'll definitely have to give it a try. 😊
duuuuuuude im Singaporean and my grandparents are from china and know how to cook thattt and its sooo nice! i just love it that you dont only test out western recipes and also do asian ones :)
The Chinese braised pork belly dish is absolutely delicious and of the best things you can taste. I recommend asking if your Chinese restaurant has this dish
Uh Max, you were supposed to brush the pork belly skin with vinegar before you threw it in the oven, that’s how you get it to puff up and make the true Chicharron crispy skin. So this comparison was 100% incomplete
my grandma cooks red braised pork all the time and it's a fan favourite, it's just so packed with flavour.
0:25 Instructions unclear, I used Beef Belly instead of Pork Belly.
Bought all 4 flavors of your Jerky, man. I love the Sichuan Chili Crisp and the Montreal Maple Bacon so much, couldn't stop eating them.
Keep up the great work!
I bought em all too. I was most surprised by the buffalo chicken. I had low expectations because I'm not crazy about buffalo chicken, so it was obviously the best I could ever imagine buffalo jerky to taste. Sichuan chili is still the best though. And the maple bacon doesn't lean too heavily on sugar, as it has that perfect smokey flavor that is hard to get right. Sry for long reply. Just puttin the info out there in case anyone wants to buy it.
Thank you so much!!
I'd love to see you work with someone like Max Miller to make another historical meat dish like this! He's got plenty of ancient recipes and with your skill in meat, I'd wager that you guys could make something absolutely divine! Also, that chinese pork belly looked SOOOOOOOOOOO good, I'd down all of that in seconds. Like, hot damn that looks good.
In Austria or southern Germany(bavaria) we’d call the super crispy belly simply: Bratl or Schweinsbraten. Minus one step plus another step for easier cutting and serving
Homie, please tell me your Bratl recipe, because I don't know no Bratl here that's crispy like that.
Don't you just mean schnitzel
@@NiteAtTheFort definitely not. 😂😂😂 that’s the most off suggestion ever.
Schnitzel is Veal not Pork! It’s center cut not belly.
@@sleepyboi6245 will get it from my book this weekend and comment it here. Need to ask my gfs Granddad for his as well and maybe do some changes, his is 100x better than mine
Stelze is amazing haha I live in Vienna since 2019 and that dish is soooo good. It’s crispy skin, but it’s not the belly but it’s just as crispy as any chicharrón I had in Venezuela and Dominican Republic.
I've been making this for over a decade now and it's so delicious. Thank you!
Nice job on the dish! It looks amazing!
One slight nitpick though. Us Chinese people say Dong Po Rou when it’s a larger piece, and Hong Shao Rou when it’s a smaller piece. Your recipe made Dong Po Rou.
…though, biting into a bigger piece of meat is arguably more satisfying
Max try Hong Ba, on it's restaurant grade form it combines a crispy pork belly with that wonderfull hoisin sauce and mei cai, the skin literally explodes in your mouth, the fat melts in your mouth and the meat is very tender; to make crispy skin you only need to boil the skin for 30 mins, air fry it for 1 hour and flash fry it until the skin pops like popcorn
I think it just depends on the texture u like in ur pork belly some people don't like biting into non crispy pork fat cause of the texture it gives. So I think thats the main reason u hear so many people say that crispy pork belly is best.
My mom loves to pressure cook that cut of pork with her own flavorings and then pan fry a bit at the end to get that browning and make a sauce out of some of the rendered fat. Her side of the family is from Brazil and she isn't big on spices but something about that bouncy and melty pork belly hits different
After seeing your alligator sandwich video, I’m interested to see you try iguana meat. It is eaten in my country (Guyana) and I have had it in a curry before. It is very tasty and rather similar to alligator. I’d be interested to see you dry age an iguana or something.
Braised Pork Belly with Skin on is just heaven on earth. My favorite dish ever.
Finally! This is one of my favourite dishes and I am so happy that you made it.
"just an insanely fatty cut of beef" :D
Im drooling
You should make Lu Rou Fan its similar to Hong Shao Rou (Love the fact that you are revisiting your time in China with food)
Heard your story, watched your vids, you have made such a great impact on not only your family, but as far as i can tell, the world as a whole. You are doing a great job and i am so happy to see you doing so well and being so happy. I bought some of that jerky because i know its your passion and I want to support you. Good luck in the future and thank you for the content and jerky that I consume!
I'd have to have it with some firm rice because I don't like overly soft textures, but that soft pork belly looks absolutely amazing!
I'm impressed that your pronunciation of 'Hong' Shao Rou is correct. But then again, like me you lived in China for a while.
Thanks for a great video & recipe.
BTW the crispy skin is called 'Crackling" in Australia the same as England.
I remember, I tried the Japanese variant "Kakuni" once. It was pretty good. Though, personally I like the crispiness.. But having a change here and there in what we eat, makes the variation we should have in our diet.
japanese version tastes different to chinese one...
@@fatdoi003how different I want to know
@@heistingcrusader_ad3223 some recipes adds chinese black vinegar and some also add star anis.... that depends on the region
A bit different than how I was taught. Take the pork belly and season it but then you poke the skin full of tiny holes, cover with salt and leave it in the fridge for overnight. (If you roll it up into panchetta you can leave it in the fridge for as long as 10 days!) Do the slow cook then blast it with very high heat for the finishing crisp up. The skin will bubble as it crisps which gives you a visual of it finally being done. You can still make a chinese sauce to top it with. Anyway your video is now in my recipe folder for the chinese version with the caramelized sugar. :)
8:33 In the UK we call that "Pork Crackling"
Thit Kho is a slow boiled candied pork belly from Vietnam.
It's absolutely phenomenal.
In my country we have both deep friend, super crispy pork belly dishes AND super slow-cooked, spoon-tender braised pork belly dishes so seeing you make both was a pleasure. And while I am more of the crispy pork belly fan, yeah on some days that slow braised extra jiggly pork over rice...it just hits different.
I paused this video so many times.
I just HAD to go get a bite of someting.
You gotta be some cooking god
You should check out the Vietnamese braised pork too. Christine Ha made it to win season 3 of MasterChef.
Actually that pork skin is very similar to a Philippino way to roasting a entire big causing it to be crunching just like thst but the meat is more soft and white and not crispy but the skin is crispy tho
The Maple Burnt End Bacon Jerky that this man sells. . . Is nothing short of GODLY... I have about 25-30 packs left and I'm already looking to re-up.
Funny thing I made this comment before he even brought it up in the video 😂 I just had to tell someone
yes it doesn't have crispy skin but in restaurant version of this dish, the pork is usually deep fried before brasing to add some texture to it, so in a way some sort of crispyness is still there
As a guy originally from China, I've got to say that Hong Shao Rou is truly one of the most delicious piece of meat/fat I have ever eaten in my whole life.
Yeah as a Chinese we javecthis pork belly on a Vietnamese curry, since my grandads region is close to Vietnam, they do a lot of Vietnamese food, and this pork belly is actually so GOOD
10:29 smol hand 🖐
You got to check out "Chancho a la barbosa". We do this here in Ecuador and we all love that crusty skin or as we call it "Cascarita"
That crispy skin is amazing!! The maple bacon jerky is delicious, btw!!
Thank you so much!!
In Norway, pork belly is a very traditional christmas food for a large portion of the country and the baseline recipe for whats considered good does actually have some similarities. The traditional one is made bone in and roasted with a rack, a tray and a saucer along with aromatics. It has alot of steps where it goes on the tray skin side up with water and aromatics in it then braises there for a while, then goes on the rack above to slowly render fat into the liquid below, then it goes into a phase where its cooked at different temperatures for a few hours, then it goes back into the tray skin side down this time, then another round of different temperatures, then it sits on top of an upside down saucer to control the shape so it cooks evenly and so on then eventually its finished off under a salamander or whatever cremation setting your oven has.
Anyway the part where it needs to go skin down into the liquid is really important to get the skin to properly crips up during the salamander step, kinda same method as peking duck. Crispy skin is expected on the actual christmas dinner, but leftover thats sat in the fridge very quickly goes from crispy to chewy, and thats used to basically make rolls with a version of a potato tortilla where this texture is desirable. I dont think its really thought of as one being better than the other, they just are for different things.
Sorry that was long and unecessary
Oh and the skin is scored during the cooking before it turns into "glass" as you called it. Just makes it alot easier to deal with as well as ensuring everyone can get some :D
@Max the crunchy crunchy skin of the pork in the Latin community is called - Chicharrón. And is one of the reason us Puerto Ricans love pork.
Pork rinds is Chicharron
quick tip, max
take some cooking oil, put it on a pot, and let it boil till there's smoke coming out of it. then, with a ladle, pour the oil on the crispy pork belly skin. thank me later.
here in brazil we call it "pururucar" as a verb or "pururuca" as a noun
That Bacon jerkey looks insane Max! I'll be ordering as soon as it hits Europe
7:57 I need that *C R U N C H* right now.
“Right you are, Right you are” 😂😂😂 so good.
BRO INVITE ME TO YOUR KITCHEN IM HUNGRY 😭
EXACTLY 😭
Exactly Man😭😭😭
BRO UR GOING TO GET INVITED SOON
@ W
I watch these videos knowing damn well i'm never making this in my lifetime.
7:49 max the drum guy
Not overhyping your jerky by allowing other stuff to win is absolutely the way to go. It keeps you from looking stuck-up and keeps expectations in check so that it can really blow people's minds when they bite into it. If I wasn't such a fussy eater who can't even have the food in this video, I'd be buying a pack ASAP. Still works as a gift, though!
Even tho imma Muslim I still watch this and get jealous
Well that's a first for me
Never gonna eat pork in my life
Damn, you kinda missing out. Atleast you could eat beef steak
stay strong brother
same
Hong Shan is the best Chinese food for potato’s and rice. I know potato’s sound weird, but if if cook them really good, it’s delicious.
I literally bought the 8 pack when I saw this video. I tried the maple bacon ones just now. It's amazing! I can't wait to try the other flavors with friends!
yo the sound of that crackling was AMAZING i literally melted in my desk when i heard max cut into it
Please Max don't go 0-10 again n the next game....
I’ve made this many times, I was in Ningbo for 2 months, and had this at minimum 4 days a week. 🤤
As a chinese, im proud
你好👋
for the sause of the hong shao rou, u can also try starch water. like a teaspoon of starch and a few tablespoons of water (any type). nice recipe, but the sause no need reduce. later the flavour too much im from singapore and had commented on ur latest vid around 14 hours ago. also, u shud visit singapore yay
"Literally tastes like pork rinds (aka. chicharrones)" Hmmm i wonder why
There are also plenty of filipino pork dishes that don't have crispy skin, and I'm sure other not so well known foreign cuisines do too. Pork skin is quite versatile.
Chinese+Italian food dominate the world
Indian: ✌️
Chinese ❤❤❤and bit German❤❤
Thai food as well... You know what? All food good.
You should try vietnamese food and NEVEr try indians
@@NguyenNguyen-pf2pf yea no never💀
trick with pork belly skins...cut a 1/2" or so wide grid in the skin across the whole surface (just cut the through the skin)...makes it crisp evenly across the whole surface and WAY easier to cut when done
5:29 “this is NOT meth.”
In Indonesia, high end Chinese restaurants usually have Hong Shao Rou, or we call it Babi Hong in Indonesian. I had one not long ago and it was goated.
Bruh. I don't want to spend $15 plus for maybe 15 pieces of jerky.
I think lil bro is hating 💀
then dont 😄
@@kannaharuka is big brain.
I love how he said "i might be bais" and casually chose his as a joke 😂
Max had a Biden moment at 3:14
5:50 vague/cryptic instructions are your worst enemy in a cooking recipe
I'm Chinese
Where I live, the crunchy skin on the Pork is called Crackling, its because the sound (CRUNCH) and and also it cracks easily and we only have to cook/Smoke for like an hour and its pefect. We add some apple sauce and its perfect! We also have a thing called Whitebait (you have to try it so damn good) and you'll probably have a new favorite thing to eat!
8:10 sounds like your cracking your own spine
Max, you should try a collab with Tasting History with Max Miller if you're going to try any other older meat recipes. You two could create quite an interesting partnership for an episode or two~
great cooking! As a Chinese, two more advice:
1. cook the rock sugar until it's a brown liquid (use oil or water), and pour that in your pot to give the meat a nice colour
2. five spices needed
Man it was just your nostalgia that made that braised pork belly...😮
I’m Chinese and funny enough, I have the exact same clay pot and hong shao rou is one of my favourite comfort foods
You should also try to make bao zai fan, it’s a Chinese clay pot rice
Dong po rou has been one of my favorite pork dishes of all time. Nice to see that you featured it.
Crispy is good, but braised has a much more complex flavor. As a stand alone dish I like crispy more, but with rice braised is better. Braised pork belly is much more rich, you need the rice to cut down the richness.
I think blanching the pork is very common in chinese cooking bcs on the market there was no cooling meat and usually u get germs on outside of the meat so this quick blanch is to wash and kill germs.
i miss my grandma, she cook this dish for me every time i go visit her, she knows it is my favourite dish
Next time try cantonese crispy Pork belly. It is SOOO crispy and also is very rich in flavor.
I am 100% gonna make the non-crispy one when i have hours to spare 😂
Great video with amazing content!!
I just can'g get over the fact that he said "Berksheer" when it's pronounced bark-shire
I am Chinese and I can confirm Hong shao rou is the best dish in Chinese cooking.
my dad made this for me again for the first time after I returned home this year and it was so good I literally shed tears