Eileen Yin-Fei Lo | Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking | Chronicle Books, 2009 | Serves 4 to 6

This pork dish is equally well known, and important, in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, and is a particular specialty of the Hakka, who are Han Chinese believed to have migrated from northern China to the south centuries ago. It is called meicai kourou (or mui choi kau yuk in Cantonese) and involves a two-method cooking process that calls for long-cooking, or braising, followed by steaming in a wok. The cut used is belly pork (fresh bacon), which is called wu hua rou (or ng far yuk in Cantonese), literally “half meat, half fat.” When it is cooked, some remarkable kitchen chemistry occurs: the fat appears to still be intact, but it has actually run out of the pork into the braising liquid, and what is left is basically an illusion. When you bite into it, it dissolves in the mouth, and the flavors of the dish combine pleasantly. There is even a version of this dish called Dongpo rou, named for the celebrated Hangzhoua poet Su Dongpo, active during the Northern Song dynasty (960 to 1127). This is perhaps the only occasion on record in which having one’s name attached to pork belly is considered an honor.—Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

convert Ingredients
5 ounces preserved mustard greens
3 pounds fresh pork belly with skin intact, in one piece
6 ounces sugarcane sugar, broken into small pieces
2 quarts water
1 cup mushroom soy sauce
1/4 cup Mei Kuei Lu Chiew (an eau-de-vie-like spirit; substitute fine gin if unavailable)

Want it? Click it.

Method
1. Separate the stalks of the preserved mustard, open the leaves and rinse well 4 times to remove any sand and the preserving salt.

2. In a large pot, place the preserved mustard; the pork belly, skin side down; and the sugar. Pour in the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the mushroom soy sauce and stir well. Add the chiew, stir well, and allow the water to return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly cracked, and cook at a low simmer for 5 hours total. After the first hour, turn the pork belly over. After the second hour, turn the pork belly again. After the third hour, turn the pork belly once again, and then cook for the final 2 hours with the skin side up. At this point, the pork belly will be tender, and its fat layers will be translucent.

3. Turn off the heat and transfer the pork belly and the preserved mustard to a large plate. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to overnight. Cover and refrigerate the cooking liquid.

4. Remove the preserved mustard from the plate, and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-wide strips. Arrange the mustard pieces in a bed on a steamproof dish. Cut the pork belly crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Assemble the slices, skin side up, on top of the mustard. Spoon 1 cup of the cooking liquid over the slices to give them a dark coating (see Note).

5. Place the dish in a steamer, cover, and steam for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the dish from the steamer, and serve the pork in its cooking dish.

Note: The leftover sweet-and-salty cooking liquid can be used to add flavor to sauces or soups. It will keep, refrigerated, for 2 to 3 weeks.

Recipe © 2009 by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo. Photo © 2009 Susie Cushner. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Edward A. Barq of Biloxi, Mississippi, developed his root beer in 1898. Soft drinks (as opposed to “hard” alcoholic drinks) gained popularity during the temperance movement of the later nineteenth century and claimed to have health-giving properties. Dr Pepper (1885), Coca-Cola (1886), and Pepsi-Cola (1896) were all developed in the South and are rooted in this movement.

Root beer is an effervescent blend of infusions and extracts either slightly fermented to produce carbon dioxide or mixed with carbonated water. Sassafras roots and bark, dandelion, wild cherry, burdock, spruce, wintergreen, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and anise are flavorings found in root beers, and all make a wonderful enhancement to smoky ham.—Martha Hall Foose

convert Ingredients
For the root beer glaze
1 cup root beer
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons yellow mustard

For the ham
One 3-pound whole or butt end, bone-in, fully cooked “city” cured smoked ham
About 1/2 cup root beer
Whole cloves

Want it? Click it.

Method
Make the root beer glaze
1. Combine the root beer, ketchup, brown sugar, lemon zest and juice, and mustard in a saucepan. Simmer, stirring often, over low heat for abut 10 minutes until a thin saucy consistency.

Make the ham
1. Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C).

2. Line a large roasting pan with foil. Place the ham in the pan fat side up for shank end and whole hams, or position the meat cut side down for butt end hams. Add the root beer or enough to cover the bottom of the pan by 1/4 inch. Let sit awhile, at least 30 minutes, to come to room temperature.

3. Tent the ham loosely with foil. Bake undisturbed until a thermometer inserted in the center of the ham reads 110°F (43°C). (1 to 3 hours depending on size and cut of ham).

4. Remove the ham from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C). Pour off any accumulated pan juices and reserve for the sauce. Cut away excess fat. Score the ham in a diamond pattern, cutting 1/4 inch into the meat. Brush a thin layer of Root Beer Glaze over the scored surface of the ham. Insert whole cloves at the intersections of the cuts.

5. Bake the ham until the internal temperature reaches 120°F (49°C), approximately 1 hour. Let the ham rest on a cutting board or platter for at least 15 minutes before carving.

Recipe © 2008 by Martha Foose. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Matt Lee and Ted Lee | The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook | W.W. Norton, 2006 | Serves 6 to 8

Baked country ham is the centerpiece of a proper Thanksgiving or Christmas meal in many parts of the South and a culinary achievement comparable to the Chinese thousand-year-old egg. Its flavor is powerfully porky, deliciously robust, minerally, and deep, and is perfectly complemented by the flavor of cinnamon and cloves. Though it’s nowhere near as salty as uncooked, unsoaked country ham, it’s still a good idea to have on hand some great relishes, like watermelon rind or fig preserves, or a few pickled peaches to take the edge off. A baked country ham takes some time to prepare, but it’s not complicated and it’s well worth the effort.

Note: Before you begin, make sure you have a boiling pot big enough to accommodate the country ham. Most cooks arrange for their butcher to cut off the narrow hock end of the ham to make the ham fit better; we prefer to let the hock protrude a few inches above the surface of the water. As long as the meaty majority of the bulb-shaped ham is submerged, you’re in good shape. We’ve found small, 8-pound country hams that fit nicely, hock and all, in an 8-gallon boiling pot.—Matt Lee and Ted Lee

convert Ingredients
1 whole 8-to-11-pound country ham
10 bay leaves
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
3 cups cider vinegar
24 whole cloves
1 cup dark brown sugar

Want it? Click it.

Method
1. Under warm running water, scrape any surface mold, seasonings, cobwebs, or any other matter from the ham with a stiff brush. Place the ham in an 8-gallon stockpot and fill it with water to cover the ham. Let the ham soak for 24 hours, changing the water as often as possible, ideally once every 6 hours.

2. Change the water a final time and transfer the pot to a stovetop. Add the bay leaves, mustard seeds, and vinegar and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 2 hours, topping up, as necessary, with fresh water.

3. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

4. Remove the ham from the stockpot and turn off the heat. When the ham is cool enough to handle, shave off the skin (but not the fat) with a sharp knife. Score the fat and exposed flesh in a diagonal pattern, stud it with a single clove in the center of each scored diamond, and pat it thoroughly on all sides with the brown sugar.

5. Place the ham on a rack in a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the fat has crisped and the sugar has melted into a nice glaze. Let rest on the rack for 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and carve.

What to drink: A perfectly baked country ham, scented with clove and bracingly salty, is an ideal excuse for serving the South’s greatest wine, made from native Scuppernong grapes. Resist the urge to drink bone-dry wines on this occasion and seek out off-dry varieties made by Duplin Winery in Rose Hill, North Carolina, and lrvin-House Vineyards on Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina.

Recipe © 2006 by Matt & Ted Lee. Photo © 2006 Gentl & Hyers. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Pork loin and sweet potatoes, both of which come into season in autumn, are a classic pairing in the South, and they are naturals together. When a leg or loin was roasted before the fire, sweet potatoes were often laid in a pan underneath it, where they naturally basted in the juices that fell from the roast. They were also frequently baked together, as this recipe does them, in a Dutch oven. You can use any cut of pork: The shoulder (Boston butt), or even a fresh leg, but the loin is especially nice and possibly the best cut to choose.

Our modern obsession with fat has led to the breeding of leaner pigs, and most butchers compound the felony by trimming off the skin and most of the fat; this adds to the danger of drying out the meat by overcooking. Be sure that the meat you buy has not been trimmed too much, but has a healthy layer of fat all round to keep it moist. You can usually get rid of the excess fat at the end.—Damon Lee Fowler

convert Ingredients
For the pork loin
1 pork loin roast weighing 4 to 5 pounds, preferably not boneless
6 to 8 crumbled, dried sage leaves
Salt and whole black pepper in a peppermill
Extra virgin olive oil
6 medium sweet potatoes (or use quartered winter squash for a nice change)
1/4 cup medium-dry (Sercial) Madeira (optional)

For the pan gravy
Roasting pan juices, degreased
1-1/4 cups water, meat broth or chicken broth
2 tablespoons fat, skimmed from the roast drippings
2 teaspoons flour or 4 teaspoons Southern Browning (see Note)
Salt and whole black pepper in a peppermill
1/4 cup medium-dry (Sercial) Madeira (optional)

Want it? Click it.

Method
Make the pork loin
1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 450°F (230°C). Trim some of the excess fat from the pork loin but leave a thin layer to keep the meat moist. Rub it with sage, a healthy pinch of salt, and a few grindings of black pepper. Choose a covered roaster that will hold the pork and sweet potatoes at once. Fit it with a metal rack or trivet that will leave room for the sweet potatoes around it. Rub the rack or trivet with olive oil and put the pork loin on it, fat side up. Drizzle it with a tablespoon or so of olive oil.

2. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F, baste again with olive oil, and add a cup of water to the pan. Bake for about 1 hour, basting occasionally with the pan juices.

3. Meanwhile, scrub the sweet potatoes under cold, running water and dry thoroughly. After the first hour of baking, place the potatoes around the pork and baste well with pan juices. Bake until the potatoes and pork are cooked through and tender, basting frequently, about 1-1/2 hours more. The meat juices should run clear and the potatoes should yield easily when gently squeezed.

4. Take up the pork and potatoes onto a warm platter and put the roasting pan on top of the stove. Skim off the excess fat and make gravy as directed for Pan Gravy I using the fat and roasting juices. If you are using Madeira, add it to the gravy and simmer until thickened, about 4 minutes more. Taste and adjust the seasonings and pour into a heated sauceboat.

Make the gravy
1. Have the pan juices in a large fat separator or measuring cup with a good pouring spout. Put the roasting pan over direct medium heat. Add the water or broth and, stirring and scraping to loosen any of the browned residue, bring to a boil. Let it boil for about 1minute. Take it off the heat and add the contents of the pan to the roasting juices,making sure that none of the browned bits from the pan are lost.

2. Place a separate pan, preferably a well-seasoned iron skillet (a saucepan will work, though), over the heat and add the fat. When it is hot, rub the flour or Browning into it with a wooden spoon until it is well blended. If using plain flour, cook until it is beginning to color.

3. Gradually stir in the liquid and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly thickened and beginning to bubble. Reduce the heat to a bare simmer, taste and season with the salt and pepper, and simmer for about 5 minutes. For game, pork, or poultry, just before taking the gravy up, you may, if you like, add the optional Madeira and let it simmer 2minutes longer. Pour into a heated sauceboat and serve at once.

Note: Southern Browning is nothing more than flour toasted over low heat in a dry pan until it is colored. Old cooks made this in quantity and put it away in corked bottles so that the flour did not have to be browned at the last minute.  Simply put the quantity of flour you want to brown in a well-seasoned iron, enameled iron or non-stick skillet. Turn on the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until it is a rich medium brown, about 5 to 10 minutes, and turn off the heat.

Recipe © 2008 Damon Lee Fowler. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Served throughout German-speaking Switzerland with all sorts of veal and game dishes, this hearty braise would be most often made with the mellow, beech-wood-smoked bacon known as geräucherter speck. Of course, versions of the dish vary from region to region, but since Switzerland boasts such superior apple varieties as Zapfenapfel and Grossmutterapfel, and such luscious pears as the brown-skinned Kaiser Alexander and small Eierbirnli, it’s not unusual for cooks to combine both fruits, as in this classic recipe. Speck is available in all of our German markets and delis (and in some upscale food shops), but if you must substitute slab bacon, just make sure that it’s double-smoked.—James Villas

convert Ingredients
One 10-ounce piece German speck or double-smoked slab bacon (rind removed), cut into small chunks
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 cooking apple, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 firm Bosc or Seckel pear, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pound potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Want it? Click it.

Method
1. In a large, heavy saucepan, fry the bacon over moderate heat till almost crisp and pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat.

2. Add the butter to the fat, add the onion, and stir till softened, about 5 minutes. Add the apple and pear, sprinkle the sugar over the top and stir.

3. Add the potatoes plus enough water to barely cover, bring to a low boil, reduce the heat to moderate, and simmer till most of the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes.

4. Add the salt and pepper and cream, stir well, and let simmer about 5 minutes longer. Serve hot.

Recipe © 2007 by James Villas. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

This glazed ham recipe, like many of those submitted by our readers, was the creation of a resourceful mother, in this case the mother of one of our editors. “Never one to shy away from the possibility of failure, Mom always experimented with traditional Christmas recipes—even when it came to the ubiquitous spiral-sliced ham. This adventurous (and successful) attempt to dress up the holiday ham with a Dr Pepper glaze may seem strange at first glance, but the combination of flavors from the fruity soda, fresh orange juice, and mustard gives this ham an unbeatable sweet tang that’s pure genius. Use of an oven bag gets the ham on the table in record time and ensures that it’s moist through and through. This ham is more than enough to serve a crowd and still have some leftovers.”—The Editors of Cook’s Country

convert Ingredients
1 (7- to 10-pound) spiral-sliced, bone-in half ham, preferably shank end
1 plastic oven bag
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup Dr Pepper
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Want it? Click it.

Method
1. Remove the ham from the packaging and discard the plastic disk that covers the bone. Place the ham in the plastic oven bag, tie the bag shut, and trim the excess plastic. Set the ham, cut-side down, in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and cut four slits in the top of the bag. (If you don’t have an oven bag, place the ham cut-side down in the baking dish and wrap tightly with foil.) Let sit at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours.

2. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 250°F (120°C).

3. Bake the ham until the center registers 100°F on an instant-read thermometer, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours (about 14 minutes per pound if using a plastic oven bag, about 17 minutes per pound if using foil), depending on the weight of the ham.

4. While the ham bakes, bring the sugar, Dr Pepper, orange juice, and mustard to a simmer in a medium saucepan and cook until syrupy and reduced to 3/4 cup, about 8 minutes.

5. Remove the ham from the oven and roll back the sides of the bag to expose the ham. Brush the ham liberally with the Dr Pepper glaze and return to the oven until the glaze becomes sticky, about 10 minutes. Brush the entire ham again with the Dr Pepper glaze, tent loosely with foil, and rest for 30 to 40 minutes before serving.

Recipe © 2009 The Editors at America’s Test Kitchen. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Se Bak

Annie Leong, my mother-in-law, has been my indispensable tutor in Malaysian cookery. This is one of her simple, delicious recipes, which is similar to the Chinese style of “red cooking” popular in the country. But this version takes on a distinctly Southeast Asian spin with its infusion of lemongrass and galangal. The star anise and cinnamon perfume the rich brown sauce with their kind aromas. If you can resist finishing it all and need to refrigerate for the next day, make sure to remove the spice so they don’t over-infuse the sauce. A pressure cooker works extremely well for this dish. Simply pressure cook 20 minutes to achieve ultra-tender pork. Steamed white rice and some sliced cucumbers complete the meal.—Robert Danhi

convert Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds pork shoulder or butt, cut into 2-inch chunks (do not trim fat or skin)
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce or 1/4 tablespoon black/thick soy and 1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 medium shallots, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and bruised
4 slices galangal, 1/4-inch thick
1 stick “cassia” cinnamon
2 pieces star anise

Want it? Click it.

Method
1. Marinate pork in soy sauce and sugar for at least 1 hour. In a blender, mini-food processor or mortar, create a smooth paste with the shallots, garlic, and oil. (Or in a mortar, pound the garlic first, then add the shallots and pound until smooth. Stir in oil and proceed.)

2. Heat a 4-quart saucepan over medium-low heat; add the shallot mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the raw aroma has dissipated. Add the marinated pork (along with any marinade), the  lemongrass, galangal, cinnamon, and star anise. Add just enough water to cover (usually about two and a half cups).

3. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then lower to simmer. Cook until the pork is very tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Adjust seasoning with soy sauce, sugar, and salt to taste.

4. Before storing, remove the star anise and cassia so they do not overpower the dish.

Recipe © 2008 Robert Danhi. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Smothered with sweet red peppers, tangy vinegar, and earthy black olives, this dish offers a satisfying intensity of flavors that nearly jumps off the plate, yet it’s a dish that’s simple to prepare. Halved and roasted baby potatoes make a great accompaniment.—Stanley, Evan, Mark and David Lobel

This recipe allows you to choose whether to brine the chops or not. As usual, read the entire recipe carefully before beginning. –Linda Avery

convert Ingredients
For the brine
2 quarts cool water
1/2 cup kosher salt
3/8 cup sugar
Herbs and seasonings of choice (see Note)

For the chops
4 rib pork chops, cut 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inches thick, lightly scored around fatty edges
1 recipe Brine for Pork
Kosher salt
Fresh coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
All-purpose flour for dredging
2 large red bell peppers, seeds, stems and ribs removed, cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
1 small red onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rings
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup good-quality white wine vinegar
2 large anchovy fillets, chopped and then mashed to a paste, or 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
1/3 cup coarsely chopped black olives, such as gaeta or kalamata

Want it? Click it.

Method
Make the brine
1. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 quart of the water with the salt, sugar, and your herbs and seasonings of choice. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Pour into a large pot and stir in the remaining 1 1/2 quarts water. Cool to below 45°F in the refrigerator.

Make the chops
1. If brining chops, place chops in a large bowl and immerse in brine. Transfer chops to refrigerator to brine for 2 to 3 hours. Remove from the brine, pat dry and bring to room temperature before cooking. Warm plates in low oven.

2. If using brined chops, lightly salt the chops on both sides. If using unbrined chops, generously salt them on both sides. Sprinkle chops generously with black pepper.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the chops in the flour, knocking off any excess. When the oil begins to smoke, add the chops, pushing on them to help them make contact with the skillet, and cook until deep golden brown on both sides, but still somewhat raw in the center, 5 to 6 minutes on the first side and 3 to 4 minutes on the second. Transfer to a plate and reserve.

3. Add the peppers, onion, red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon salt to the skillet and toss thoroughly to coat with the oil. Cook until peppers are beginning to color at the edges, for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine, vinegar, anchovies, and 1/4 cup water; bring to a simmer and cook 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the olives. Return the pork chops to the skillet, laying them on top of the peppers and adding any juices on the plate. Cover skillet, leaving the lid ajar slightly, and simmer gently until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of chops registers135°F, for 4 to 8 minutes more.

4. Transfer chops to warmed serving plates. Increase the heat and simmer the liquid in the skillet stirring often until just a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flavorful sauce remains, 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt to taste and divide the peppers and sauce among the plates, placing them over and around the chops. Drizzle each with a tablespoon or so of olive oil and serve.

Note: Brines can be flavored with any number of herbs, spices and other aromatics. A bunch of sage, a few bay leaves, a head of crushed garlic cloves, and a tablespoon or so of peppercorns makes a fine addition to the Italian-style Pork Chops with Peppers, Vinegar, and Black Olives. Exact quantities are not too crucial; be generous but not excessive when flavoring brines with herbs and spices — you want to flavor but not obscure the natural taste of the meat.

Recipe © 2009 by Morris Lobel & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.