The Art Of Boiling Hot Pot Pork: A Guide To Tender, Flavorful Meat

Hot pot is a popular dish in China, especially during the colder months. It's a social and interactive meal where diners gather around a pot of simmering soup, adding various raw ingredients such as meat, seafood, vegetables, tofu, and starches. The key to a successful hot pot is in the broth, which can be made from scratch or using packaged soup bases. A light bone broth made from pork bones is a popular choice as it provides a balanced base for the array of flavours and ingredients. When preparing the pork, it's important to trim any visible fat and coat the meat with flour or other seasonings. The pork is then thinly sliced and cooked in the broth for a few minutes until tender.

Choosing the right cut of pork

First, it's important to understand that hot pot is all about variety. The beauty of this dish lies in the assortment of flavours, textures, and ingredients that come together in a harmonious dance of tastes. With that in mind, go for a variety of pork cuts to elevate your hot pot experience.

Now, let's talk about the specific cuts. Pork loin and pork belly are excellent choices and are considered hot pot classics. Slice them paper-thin to ensure quick and even cooking when dipped into the hot broth. The key is to have them thinly sliced so they cook in mere seconds, resulting in tender, juicy perfection. You can purchase pre-sliced pork for hot pot at Asian supermarkets, or slice them yourself at home.

If you're feeling adventurous, consider adding pork shoulder to your hot pot. While it's not as popular as the loin or belly, pork shoulder can be a tasty and economical option. Just be sure to slice it thinly, as thicker slices can become rubbery when cooked in a hot pot.

Lastly, don't be afraid to branch out and try different cuts of pork. Pork neck or leg bones, for example, can be used to make a delicious and light pork bone broth, which serves as the perfect base for your hot pot. The key is to remove any blood and impurities from the bones to achieve the cleanest, clearest broth.

Remember, the fun of hot pot is in the exploration of flavours and textures, so don't be shy about experimenting with different cuts of pork to find your favourites. Happy hot potting!

Preparing the broth

Firstly, choose your broth's base. A meat or mushroom base is a popular choice, but you could also opt for a tomato soup or fiery Sichuan base. If you want to keep things simple, you can use chicken soup and throw in a handful of goji berries, ginger, and sliced scallions.

If you're making a pork bone broth, you'll need to start by removing any blood and impurities from the bones. Soak the bones in cool water for 30 minutes, then drain and transfer to a large pot. Cover with cool water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the bones again, then wash and dry the pot. Next, heat some vegetable oil in the pot and add the bones, cooking until lightly browned. Now you can add your other ingredients. For a pork bone broth, ginger, onion, and water are good choices. Bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour. You can also add daikon radish, cooking for a further hour. Finally, add salt, chicken bouillon powder, and ground white pepper to taste.

If you're making a chicken broth, you can marinate the meat in a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, and ginger before searing in a pan. You can also add butter, garlic, and herbs for extra flavour.

Layering the ingredients

Firstly, prepare your ingredients. Wash and slice your vegetables into manageable pieces. For root vegetables like potatoes, aim for 1/4-inch slices, while for leafy greens such as napa cabbage, cut them into smaller 1-2 inch pieces. Don't forget to trim any fungi, such as enoki mushrooms, to make them more manageable. It is also important to thinly slice your meat. Pork shoulder or loin are great choices, and you can ask your butcher to slice them for you or do it yourself at home.

Now, it's time to assemble your hot pot. Place a wide, shallow pot on a portable electric burner in the centre of your table. This setup ensures that your soup stays hot and is easily accessible for all diners. Start by adding your broth. You can use a simple chicken or pork bone broth, or try something more flavourful like a tomato soup base or Sichuan hot pot broth.

Next, begin layering your ingredients. The order of layering is important to ensure even cooking. Start with your vegetables, placing them in the pot in layers to form your first layer. You can use potatoes, onions, carrots, or any other vegetables you prefer. Sprinkle each layer with a seasoning mixture of your choice, such as salt, thyme, and coriander seeds.

After the first layer of vegetables, add a layer of pork. Generously sprinkle the pork layer with your chosen seasoning. Repeat this process, creating alternating layers of vegetables and pork, until all your ingredients are in the pot. You can also add other proteins, such as beans, at this stage.

Finally, pour your chosen liquid over the layered ingredients. You can use water, chicken broth, or something else that complements your broth. Don't forget to add a dollop of butter on top!

Cover your hot pot and let it cook slowly. Depending on your heat setting, it should take around 4-8 hours for the meat and vegetables to become tender. Once it's ready, your hot pot pork will be a delicious blend of flavours and textures, perfect for sharing with family or friends.

Cooking time and temperature

When preparing a hot pot, it's important to ensure that the broth is boiling before adding any meat or seafood. This is crucial for food safety and to ensure that your ingredients are thoroughly cooked. After adding raw meat, especially pork, let the broth boil for at least 30 seconds to 1 minute before removing any other items from the pot.

When cooking pork, the ideal internal temperature is 145°F, which can be checked with a meat thermometer. This temperature ensures that the meat is cooked through while remaining juicy. To achieve this, you can sear the pork chops in a pan for about 4 minutes on one side to create a golden-brown crust, then flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes on the other side.

For a hot pot, thinly sliced pork is recommended, with a thickness of around 1 inch. This ensures even cooking and tender meat. Boneless pork chops are often preferred for ease of slicing and uniform cooking. However, bone-in pork chops can also be used, but they may require a slightly longer cooking time to reach the ideal internal temperature.

If you're preparing a slow-cooked pork hot pot, the cooking time will depend on whether you're using a crock pot or a similar slow cooker. For this method, you can expect to cook the pork and vegetables on low heat for around 8 hours or on high heat for about 4 hours. This extended cooking time allows the ingredients to become tender and infused with flavour.

When cooking the pork in a hot pot, it's essential to dip the meat into the boiling broth and hold it there for 10 to 15 seconds or until it's gently cooked. This ensures that the pork is cooked thoroughly yet remains tender.

Serving suggestions

Hot pot is a fun, interactive meal to be shared with family and friends. It's a great way to bring people together and create a social dining experience. Here are some tips and suggestions for serving a delicious hot pot:

Preparation

Prepare all the ingredients before your guests arrive. Cut the pork into thin slices, chop the vegetables, and have all the dipping sauces and condiments ready. You can also par-cook certain ingredients, such as noodles, to reduce cooking time during the meal.

Equipment

Make sure you have the necessary equipment, such as a heat source, a wide and shallow pot, chopsticks, sauce bowls, and metal hot pot baskets or wire ladles. A portable electric burner or tabletop gas burner works well as a heat source, and a Chinese stainless steel hot pot is ideal due to its round shape and depth.

Broth

The broth is the star of the show, so take the time to make a delicious base. You can use a light bone broth, chicken soup with goji berries, ginger, and scallions, or packaged hot pot soup bases. Keep the broth plain and clean-tasting, or go for a thicker tomato soup base or a spicy Sichuan broth.

Ingredients

Offer a variety of ingredients for your guests to choose from, including raw meats, seafood, vegetables, tofu, and starches. Here are some specific suggestions:

• Meats: Thinly sliced pork shoulder, loin, or belly
• Seafood: Shrimp, fish fillets, squid, scallops, or seafood balls
• Vegetables: Leafy greens (bok choy, spinach), cabbage, corn, mushrooms (enoki, shiitake, oyster), squash, tomatoes
• Starches: Thin noodles, rice cakes, frozen dumplings, bean threads, rice noodles
• Tofu: Frozen tofu, firm tofu, dried bean curd, fresh tofu sheets

Dipping Sauces

Hot pot is a personalised dining experience, so provide a variety of dipping sauces and condiments for your guests to create their own unique combinations. Here are some ideas:

• Chinese sesame paste or sauce
• Peanut butter or peanut sauce
• Soy sauce (light, seasoned, or seafood-flavoured)
• Sha Cha (Chinese BBQ sauce)
• Sichuan peppercorn oil
• Chili garlic sauce
• Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Fried shallots or garlic

Cooking

When the broth is boiling, your guests can start cooking their chosen ingredients. Using chopsticks or metal hot pot ladles, they can dip the raw ingredients into the broth for a few seconds until they are cooked to their liking.

Leftovers

If you have any leftover broth and ingredients, you can create new dishes! Use the broth as a base for a soup or noodle dish, and add any leftover meats, seafood, and vegetables.

Frequently asked questions