Clay pot pork

[fifi]

This thread on cooking beans in a clay pot reminded me of a dish I used to get at the now-gone Dong Ting Chinese restaurant in Houston. It was called Clay Pot Pork. This was about the best pork dish I have ever eaten. It was served in a clay pot, I think called a sand pot from what I was able to google. The pork was lean with a nice fat cap in a very flavorful broth. I think there was some soy in there, maybe a touch of orange and star anise. I also think it was cooked at a low temperature in this clay pot for a long time. After googling for recipes, I think I am on the right track.

Does anyone have a favorite recipe?

As to the pot, I will see what Hong Kong Market has and report back. For those not in Houston, Hong Kong Market carries what I think one would find pretty much anywhere in Asian markets.

I am off to find a pot and a piggy.

edit: to correct the link to the new thread split from the original

[fifi]

Hong Kong Market let me down on the clay pots. All they had were the small, one serving sand pots and these really huge pots that wouldn't fit in my oven. But they did have this hunk of pork that I couldn't pass up. It looked like it was cut off the ham, the skin like ivory and the fat layer under it bright white. The meat was darker red than supermarket pork. This may not be "the other white meat". It is slowly braising in a mixture that includes the star anise and the place smells like Dong Ting's kitchen.

The pot hunt continues.

[Wolfert]

I know you can use sandpots on top of the stove (gas or electric without diffusers).

Just keep the temperature low.

[fifi]

Those big suckers were REALLY BIG. Think about eight gallons.

[Wolfert]

ohhhhhh

[Dejah]

My son gave me a sand pot for Xmas. I have used them in the past and after about half a dozen uses, they always crack.

Clay pots and sand pots are two different items, right? The clay ones are glazed inside and out?The sand ones are rough outside with a" wire cage" on the bottom half...glazed inside?

Is there a thread on using sand pots?I have only used them on top of the stove making chicken and rice.

Would appreciate more ideas on how to use them properly.

[wkl]

The pot hunt continues.

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[jayt90]

When I was looking for a sand pot, I couldn't find what I wanted, and when. But a Korean market had a pot, or casserole, holding 4-5 litres, in the oval shape of a clam shell. Only the bottom was unglazed, but this allows slow flame cooking. It was less than $20., and had hand painted seafood decorations, which soon washed off.

I have used this successfully for a number of pork braises. The oval shape allows vapours to condense and drop back on the food.

I have used Italian and French casseroles for the same type of cooking, but they have succumbed more quickly, as they were thinner-walled, and had a square corner on the bottom surface.

[fifi]

Thanks for bumping this back up. I need to get back to the pot hunt since we are all into braising these days. I have also decided that a good clay pot pork recipe probably needs a good pork stock. Oddly enough, I have seen pork neck bones in the grocery so pork stock may be next on the agenda.

We started discussing pork stock here in the eGCI. Check it out and stay tuned for further developments.

[SobaAddict70]

I'm thinking you're probably thinking of the Vietnamese clay pot pork.

If that's the case, the following may be of interest:

Fish sauce, countered by lightly caramelized sugar and fortified by a host of typical spices, is the backbone of clay pot, a classic Vietnamese dish. It's a childhood favorite of Mr. Phan, one he has on his menu at all times.

"We do clay pot with catfish, with pork, with chicken, shrimp, even sardines," he said. "In fact, you can use this technique for anything, and in Vietnam people do.

Clay Pot Cuisine (Mark Bittman) (from the NYTimes DIGEST update for Wednesday, 7 April 2004. Scroll down for the appropriate link.)

There is a recipe for Pork Clay Pot in the article, courtesy of Chef Charles Phan, of The Slanted Door in San Francisco.

Soba

[fifi]

Wowser, that is an interesting article. I am now wondering about the origin of the dish I used to order at Dong Ting. The restaurant was definitely up-scale Chinese. Of course, there may be some cross over in the cuisines. I did not taste fish sauce in the Dong Ting preparation. I did taste soy, but lightly, and star anise, probably as part of "Chinese Five Spice."

I think where I am heading is to make a good pork stock, infuse it with the "Five Spice" components, add a little light soy sauce and braise some good pork in that.

[BettyK]

My son gave me a sand pot for Xmas. I have used them in the past and after about half a dozen uses, they always crack.

Clay pots and sand pots are two different items, right? The clay ones are glazed inside and out?The sand ones are rough outside with a" wire cage" on the bottom half...glazed inside?

Is there a thread on using sand pots?I have only used them on top of the stove making chicken and rice.

Would appreciate more ideas on how to use them properly.

←

Sand pots are sand colour and clay pots are medium brown. Sand pots are usually glazed inside - some have that wire cage some don't. Mine don't. Dejah, did you season your sand pot before using? I washed mine then soaked it in cold water for 24 hours. I can look up the instructions if you want. Also, I was told that you should never put the pot on high heat. Always start on low and then increase the heat gradually. And don't heat the pot without any liquid. So far my pot hasn't cracked. I do chicken rice and braises in mine.

[BettyK]

This thread on cooking beans in a clay pot reminded me of a dish I used to get at the now-gone Dong Ting Chinese restaurant in Houston. It was called Clay Pot Pork. This was about the best pork dish I have ever eaten. It was served in a clay pot, I think called a sand pot from what I was able to google. The pork was lean with a nice fat cap in a very flavorful broth. I think there was some soy in there, maybe a touch of orange and star anise. I also think it was cooked at a low temperature in this clay pot for a long time. After googling for recipes, I think I am on the right track.

Does anyone have a favorite recipe?

As to the pot, I will see what Hong Kong Market has and report back. For those not in Houston, Hong Kong Market carries what I think one would find pretty much anywhere in Asian markets.

I am off to find a pot and a piggy.

edit: to correct the link to the new thread split from the original

←

I've made something very similar. I'll try to dig my recipe later.

[Shalmanese]

My son gave me a sand pot for Xmas. I have used them in the past and after about half a dozen uses, they always crack.

Are you putting them over dry heat? clay pots need at least a bit of liquid in them or they will crack. But some of the clay pots I have go back 20 or 30 years and they are still going strong.

Clay pot cooking seems to work differently from normal vessels, the bottom seems to get stuck on the inside of the pot and brown which means you get a very flavourful broth which you don't normally get. The only bad thing is you need to sear in another pot.

Doing pork neck bones in a clay pot for 8 hours produces silky smooth meat and bones that crumble, delicious. And leaving the cover off means the broth evaporates leaving you with a intensely concentrated sauce to go with it.

I also like doing Boeuf Borguignon and Coq a Vin in a clay pot.

[Dejah]

My son gave me a sand pot for Xmas.

I can look up the instructions if you want.

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Betty, I would appreciate any instructions you can send along. Thanks!

[Tkrup]

Try to find a Portugeuse "Pucara" pot. They make a dish in a large clay pot called "Frango no Pucara", which is basically just a quartered chicken cooked in the pot. They are usually big enough to do a pork loin or shoulder or a couple of tenderloins in. If you can find one, make sure you "season" it by filling it with hot water from your kettle and baking it for one hour at 400 degrees, then let it cool. You can find them at ethnic Portugeuse markets.

Also, I think the clay pot that was mentioned in the earlier thread to have been found at an Asian market may have been a kimchi pot. They're not used for cooking, but for pickling, which may explain the unglazed bottom.

Hope this helps.

[BettyK]

My son gave me a sand pot for Xmas.

I can look up the instructions if you want.

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Betty, I would appreciate any instructions you can send along. Thanks!

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Submerge pot in cold water for 24 hours. Remove and let dry completely.

Fill sand pot to the brim with cold water and bring to a boil on med-low heat.

Let boil for 30 mins. Your pot is now cured. You only have to do this once.

BTW, you can also make congee in this pot.

[fifi]

Thanks for the curing instructions. I need to make another excursion to Hong Kong Market. The only problem last year was that all they had was the individual serving size, like I used to get at Dong Ting, and the really huge. I was hoping for about a two or three quart size.

[Dejah]

Thanks, Betty.

I will follow the instructions and hopefully, this one will last longer than the previous ones!

Congee... Sounds good!

[BettyK]

Thanks, Betty.

I will follow the instructions and hopefully, this one will last longer than the previous ones!

Congee... Sounds good!

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Hey, what's wrong with congee?

[BettyK]

Fifi, here's my notes for red-cooked pork shoulder...

For 3 lb pork shoulder

1/2 cup dark soy sauce

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar

2 whole star anise

1 cinnamon stick

2 scallions, trimmed and cut into 3-inch lengths

1 one-inch thick ginger, peeled and sliced

1/4 cup Shao-Hsing wine or dry sherry

Enough cold water to cover the meat - abt 4 cups

You can either blanch the meat in water for 5 mins then rinse or brown the meat like any roast. Then put it in the clay pot with all the ingredients plus enough water to cover the meat. Bring to boil and then let simmer until done about 3 hours or so. Turn the meat about every hour. I usually bring the liquid to a boil and then put it in a 300 deg oven.

Note: I've tried once with orange peel and didn't care for the bitterness so I leave it out.

Edit: Recipe adapted from Eileen Yin-Fei Lo's "Chinese Kitchen".

Edited January 31, 2005 by BettyK (log)

[fifi]

Oh my BettyK, that sounds awfully close to what I used to enjoy at Dong Ting. I am marking that post as a favorite. I am doing a brain thing on that recipe and to match what I remember, I might increase the star anise. Also, the serving in the individual sand pot didn't have any of the aromatics, just the broth. I am now wondering if the broth was infused ahead of time. I don't recall any orange notes so that isn't a problem. But I am wondering, I have seen dried orange peel called for in other Chinese braises. I have toyed with the idea of stripping off some peel, without any pith to lend bitterness, and drying it in the DeLonghi. I can't seem to find it on the shelf at the Asian groceries.

[Dejah]

Thanks, Betty.

I will follow the instructions and hopefully, this one will last longer than the previous ones!

Congee... Sounds good!

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Hey, what's wrong with congee?

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[/quote

That was actually meant to be a thoughtful ...such as " wonderful idea for a cold winter's night!"

I love congee but have never made it in a sand pot.

[Dejah]

I have toyed with the idea of stripping off some peel, without any pith to lend bitterness, and drying it in the DeLonghi. I can't seem to find it on the shelf at the Asian groceries.

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With dried orange peel, you just have to soak it until soft, THEN scrape off the pith. That removes the bitterness.

[tamiam]

I just happened to buy a sand pot the other day at the Vietnamese grocery next door to Seven Star Pepper (mmmmm....for any Pacific NW readers). They were kind of hidden on a lower shelf beneath a bunch of porcelain...not easy to spot.

It was $5.50 for a 10 or 11" pot with lid. It is round, glazed dark brown inside and sandy color outside, with a wire cage and a handle. I looked hard for cracks and didn't see any, and it didn't leak when I filled it with water. I am in the midst of my 24 hr soak. In addition to never heating it empty, I have also read to be careful of rapid temp changes, so dont heat too quickly, and don't cool too fast either. And some season with oil instead of water.

For tangerine peel, I've read that herb shops may carry higher quality (longer aged) than markets. Grace Young says that the older stronger flavored and fragranced product is called chun pay, and the younger is called guo pay, and to soak it no longer than 30 minutes so as not to lose flavor.

You can probably tell I am speaking from books instead of knowledge, as I am just now learning. If anyone can share from real experience, please do. I am very excited to give my new sand pot a try.