Ingredients
3 pork hocks (about 5000 g / 11 lbs total).
Seasonings
250 g salt, 150 g each of cooking wine, Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, and ginger, 100 g white sugar, 5 g saltpeter, 100 g star anise, 15 g five-spice powder, and 10 g cardamom powder.
Instructions
1. Mix salt, Sichuan peppercorns, and saltpeter in a pan and dry-fry until fragrant, then let cool completely; wash the pork hock clean; rub the white sugar and the cooled salt mixture all over the pork hock in a bowl, then marinate (2 days in summer, 6-7 days in winter), kneading once daily for about 10 minutes each time. Rinse the marinated hock thoroughly under cold water, blanch it in 80°C (175°F) hot water, then rinse again with cold water.
2. Slice the lean and fatty parts of the pork hock into thin, large pieces about 0.2 cm thick (being careful not to cut through the skin); layer the sliced meat neatly on the skin, sprinkling each layer with five-spice powder and ground cardamom, then roll the skin up tightly into a 20 cm long, 7.5 cm thick cylindrical meat roll, and bind it firmly and evenly with thin hemp rope.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the pork hock along with scallions, ginger, cooking wine, and star anise, cook for 2 hours, then remove and let cool slightly, tightening the hemp rope; once completely cooled, remove the rope, slice, and serve on a plate. This dish holds together without falling apart, has a pure color, and a lingering braised aroma.