Masterstock pork

[moikel]

OK here goes old school chinese cookery meets smoking. Masterstock is a poaching broth that you reuse & reuse after each cook.Meaning you take an amount from your master as a starter then rebuild it to taste poach your choice of meat,chicken ,squab then put that stock back into your master for the process to start again.Legend has it that some chinese restaurants have masterstocks that are years old ,reboiled each time. Pity the fool  (apprentice)that knocks that pot over

.I will set out the ingredients again they are already over in poultry section after I was admiring just passing throughs chinese chicken.I am not starting from scratch I have a 4 year old master out of freezer.Its pretty dark & concentrated so I  will split it into 2 use maybe 500ml add homemade chicken stock adjust ingredients then poach a piece of pork .It was going to be belly but I  have a piece of neck in deep freeze.I will see how far I  get.= parts light/dark soy about a wineglass each, half a glass of mushroom soy. Same of rice wine Shao Hsing Hua Tiao its called here,then a tablespoon fennel seed,a cinnamon stick,some black peppercorns,a piece of ginger about the size of your thumb,2-3 fat gloves of garlic 3 star anise,a full dried rind of an orange,blood orange in photo in season here. Dried chilli to taste 2 here,tops of spring onion.lump of yellow rock sugar or palm sugar or white sugar. I didnt have lemon grass but have a kaffir lime tree so in went 3 leaves, then top it up with chicken stock /water until your pork is covered. I threw in that blood orange as well & some cilantro stalks. Dont think I  missed anything.

 

[roller]

 

[SmokinAl]

Right there with you Roller!

                  

 

[moikel]

OK  I was going to use belly,pretty popular cut but I  had neck in freezer about 4lb.They now call it scotch fillet sells better same thing .What pigs dont have necks

 anyway thats marketing .I dont add salt plenty in the soy. 

 

[moikel]

Didnt trim it much like the fact that its got a ribbon of fat through the middle to keep it moist.

 

[moikel]

Gentlest of simmers,through in some cilantro  as well.Its a big pot,I keep it really gentle. I think the step after that will be to take it out about 30 mins short of cooked,drain it then fridge . Tomorrow I  will  smoke for an hour or so over apple.Baste it with masterstock then slice it drizzle with stock mixed with a little hoisin

 

[jak757]

Wow, this looks good!  Can't wait to see the finished product.  Inventive post!

 

[Bearcarver]

Asoooo----Veddy Intadesting!!!

I think I'll join Al & Roller & the gang!!!

Bear

 

[moikel]

Pulled it out of masterstock,pink in middle ,turned it off will put it back in to cool in stock until tomorrow. Then refrigerate,winging it here but I  figure Ive got it down

.Its a wonderfully fragrant way to cook.Low & slow,I will smoke it tomorrow,maple or apple pity I  dont have any citrus wood. Figure I  will l preheat,then load pellets for heavy smoke,close vent down to just open,turn down heat & let it sit for an hour.I will skim fat of masterstock & strain tomorrow reserve a cup for baste & refreeze for next time.Should have about 4litres.Nice & dark smells incredible ,citrus peel fennel seed cinnamon etc.I will do this again with a big cut,shoulder/butt. Stock reduced by 20% over 2hours

 

[moikel]

4 litres of masterstock to go back into deep freeze for the next brew.Its now got a bitter sweet touch thanks to the blood orange. If that doesnt fit for whatevers next. Ill just use a litre as base & adjust it back to what suits,maybe a bit more vinegar,back the sugar off,add a few dried shitake mushrooms

 

[daveomak]

Moikel, morning.......That is one incredible sauce....thanks for the recipe.............It will obviously deliver a very complex flavor profile that cannot be found anywhere else...........I'm getting hungry just readin' it..........Dave

 

[chef willie]

hmmmm, looks delish.....nice twist to keep reusing the sauce.....the ultimate re-cycle...very interesting post, thx

 

[terry colwell]

better leave a little more room in them bottle for the sauce to expand...hate to see it bust all over the freezer

 

[meateater]

Looks great Moikel, When I worked in a BBQ joint 30+ years ago the Au Jus pot in the steam table was like that, every morning we skimmed the fat off  strained it and added some water. We never started over and it was the best Au Jus I've ever had. 

 

[moikel]

I leave the bottles out overnight the fat sets then give them a squeeze ,fat pops out the top.Learnt the hard way about not leaving room. If I was going to do a slow hotpot/braise,I will just use 500ml of masterstock then add plain stock adjust seasonings to precisely what Im trying to acheive. In traditional chinese kitchens it just sat in a big pot & was ladled out as needed just like meateaters posy

 

[moikel]

You can obviously play with ingredients a bit,star anise ,garlic,ginger,sugar & soy sauces essential. I love star anise in broths & braises,theres no reason you couldnt do brisket this way for say an hour then smoke it. Some of our celebrity chefs have been smoking things using tea leaves but I dont get it. I will do a little Northern Chinese hot pot down the line,beef brisket & shitake mushrooms.might smoke brisket first then do the braise. Glad you guys liked it I  will post final product tonight when I  plate it.

 

[moikel]

Finished product,gave it a touch of smoke for 30 mins. Pretty impressive,tasty bit of masterstock warmed, fried rice with sweet pepper,shallot,ginger,garlic ,bacon,& cilantro. Wife said masterstock is masterstock smoked is smoked why did you put them together,why not

.It was pretty good,neck is a great cut regardless of what you call it.I use it when I  do Portugese pork & clams. Classic dish. Fat line in middle major ++

 

[Bearcarver]

That Plate Looks Awesome !!!

Thanks for the Views and great tutorial !

Bear

 

[chef jimmyj]

This whole thread is a BLAST!  Something new and different for me and I have extensive knowledge of Chinese and Asian cuisine in general. Thank You...JJ

 

[moikel]

So much chinese cookery became about the stir fry,Cantonese Southern Chinese ,nothing wrong with it ,nothing. But its a big country with regional food developed over thousands of years, masterstock is one of those things.The recycle aspect of it is just so clever& you get a base that just has depth of flavour that you could never get out of a bottle. And it doesnt cost much its just a bit of a top up & rebalance.5min from me is a big Northern Chinese community, noodles,pancakes,dumplings,hotpots braises & lamb.Cantonese chinese go there for something different . I love it,you can eat for $30 for 2 people,& watch old ladies make potsticker dumplings from scratch.I will post a hotpot dish sometime soon.