The Best Pork Belly DOESN’T Have Crispy Skin (Ancient Recipe) 

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.

max is like the myth buster but instead of busting myths he cooks ancient recipes to see if they are actually the best

I like how he waited 1k years for the pork belly

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

“Pork belly is an insanely fatty cut of beef” nice one 😂 love you Max ❤

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.

Thanks for the video Max. Looks super good as always, love it

would love to order some of your jerky cuz it looks so good, sadly i do not live in canada or the us so i cant order any. I'll be looking forward to the day you expand your shipping if you decide to, when you do ill definetely get some!

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 RU-vid 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.

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 😊

Dude I love your editing style!!! It’s informative yet hilarious 💙

Dude I love your editing style!!! It’s informative yet hilarious . Dude I love your editing style!!! It’s informative yet hilarious .

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.

you should try making Cantonese style crispy pork belly and compare

Can you do Dong Po Rou? The special recipe Su Dong Po (a famous Song dynasty poet) made up during his time in exile. It is literally the best kind of Hong Shau Rou there is. It’s also like,,, super expensive

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"

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.

Finally! This is one of my favourite dishes and I am so happy that you made it.

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

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.

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. 👍

Incredible video, I will tell you my catering receipt for the crispy one. Always make holes in the skin, that way the excess fat will render and glaze the pork belly while cooking, always put a lot of salt on the skin when it goes to the freezer and it’s better if you finish it on the grill that 2 hours indirect and 30 minutos direct in soft coals of charcoal!

my dad makes hong shao rou with hard boiled eggs and rice and its always been such a great comfort meal for me

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~

my grandma cooks red braised pork all the time and it's a fan favourite, it's just so packed with flavour.

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

Dong po rou has been one of my favorite pork dishes of all time. Nice to see that you featured it.

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

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)

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'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!

Thanks for great videos and inspiration! As much as you enjoy pork belly, you should check out the Danish way of cooking it = ribbensteg. We Danes actually braise the pork belly, or more accurately the skin side to soften it up for full on crispiness. If you love crispy skin pork skin (I know you do!) we also have another variation which is called flæskesteg. Don’t know the English name for the cut, but it has a leaner meat section compared to ribbensteg, though fully covered in crispy skin.

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.

I always diamond score the pork belly skin, it makes it easier to eat and you actually get more crackling (What we call it in the UK) as you have bigger surface area to get crispy.

you have earned it man

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

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.

“Right you are, Right you are” 😂😂😂 so good.

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. :)

You should check out the Vietnamese braised pork too. Christine Ha made it to win season 3 of MasterChef.

Non crunchy pork belly is something completely normal in Germany where I grew up. Just slice it and throw it in sauerkraut and let it cook with it or use it in stews and stuff like that. I don't think Porkbelly without a crunchy crust is that uncommon to start with. I go for crust if there are big ocasions but for everyday meals or hearty stews in the winter I'll always cook it instead of smoking and grilling it. BTW cooking porkbelly in sauerkraut can lead to a nice taste... or no taste at all if you overdo it :D .

All look absolutely delicious but love the consistency of the jerky, so different from what I’ve tried before. Yum !!!!

Braised Pork Belly with Skin on is just heaven on earth. My favorite dish ever.

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

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.

hopefully you saved all that fat! I render it down in a pan, add a bit of butter, some seasonings but mostly just chopped garlic. then put it in a dish and wait for it to reach room temp then set it in the fridge. works really well when cooking you can just grab a spoonful and use it to add instant flavor

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

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

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

That Anakin's line "liar" was so sudden and out of pocket it cracked me up 😂😂😂😂😂

Bought some of your Jerky! I love a good bacon jerky and when you showed us yours I immediately got some! haha

its most common to find pork belly with the bones in norway because one of our traditional christmas dishes called "ribbe" is just cripsy pork belly with the ribs still attached

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!

I really need to try this old recipe 🤩🤩

I'm ordering your jerky! It looks amazing! Congratulations on making ur dreams a reality!

It's braised pork belly. Very common chinese/Vietnamese dish that I grew up eating as it's very inexpensive meats to feed a lot of people with rice. Only thing missing is to add some boiled eggs into the pot.

I used to eat Dong po rou all the time at a small Chinese restaurant while I was in college. Loved it. It was actually my first introduction into pork belly besides bacon. I have to say though.. pork belly prepared with the crispy skin is better. You still get that fatty texture BUT you also achieve an incredible salty crunch from the skin. The added texture takes the cake for me.

Max maybe you should try to combine these recipes and braise the pork belly but ensuring a crispy skin.

im addicted to this video, i cant stop watching it.

BRO INVITE ME TO YOUR KITCHEN IM HUNGRY 😭

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.

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!

This is like uncovering ancient magic.

Please Max don't go 0-10 again n the next game....

@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.

Loved it when my parents made it for me when I was a kid

Great video with amazing content!! I just can'g get over the fact that he said "Berksheer" when it's pronounced bark-shire

"Literally tastes like pork rinds (aka. chicharrones)" Hmmm i wonder why

That crispy skin is amazing!! The maple bacon jerky is delicious, btw!!

Gotta give credit to your awesome sister dude, she's definitely your number one fan and also the best supporter ever

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

Chinese+Italian food dominate the world

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

max that hong shou rou was my favorite meal ever.

Every time I watch this kind of stuff I regret watching them but telling myself I have to keep going

I really want to try max jerky

Man it was just your nostalgia that made that braised pork belly...😮

I’ve made this dish it’s so easy and delicious absolutely amazing and difficult to mess up it’s a winner 🏆

lol I go to max's channel when I'm hungry

Theres is a similar dish like this and it is called "Thit Kho" and it is a vietnamese dish that is reallt delicious.

I wonder if you've tried brushing the reduction of the braised pork onto the skin of the roasted pork right after it's done cooking, or dipping the roasted pork in that reduction. You can have the aromatic and smoky taste of the braised pork but with the crispy texture of the pork skin that way.

yo the sound of that crackling was AMAZING i literally melted in my desk when i heard max cut into it

Max come to Puerto Rico!! 🇵🇷 The pork here is amazing 🤤❤️

this is my childhood, you nailed the recipe.

I am 100% gonna make the non-crispy one when i have hours to spare 😂

He forgot where the fridge was. 😂😂

What about doing that cold water dunk and blanching the using the water as a binder for the seasoning before smoking, I think that might let you render out more fat and get a better meat to fat ratio for the finished crispy pork belly.

I paused this video so many times. I just HAD to go get a bite of someting. You gotta be some cooking god

I love Filipino Pork Adobo made with pork belly❤ It's really tender and full of flavour, so freaking delicious🤤 It looks delicious both versions of pork belly, really making me hungry lol

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 :)

That crispy belly skin is called lechon here in the Philippines

I tried all four flavors of his Jerry and the bacon and beef Jerry's are my favorites😊

I've been making this recipe for years and I have no idea where I picked it up from. Well, slightly different, but not by much. Always preferred it over crispy. Called it pork crack.

4:19 i have no idea why but this caught me off guard and it made me laugh

A minor advice: next time while boiling the meat, u can actually add a bit of ginger, spring onions and a bit of alcohol😊