chinese suckling pig recipe and technique

[mudbug]

Just got back from question Mom on the suckling pig , or siu yook.

Yum... the prep sounds divine. What exactly does the lye water do? What is it's purpose?

sheetz

Tried that recipe with less then optimum results. Skin does not crisp properly or consistently.

[origamicrane]

when my old man makes this at the shop

we usually hang the pork for a day over the kitchen stove to allow the skin to dry out this allows the skin to become even more crispy.

[Dejah]

Just got back from question Mom on the suckling pig , or siu yook.

Yum... the prep sounds divine. What exactly does the lye water do? What is it's purpose?

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Don't ask such difficult questions! The lye water must do something to the skin to help make it crispy. Remember, she made holes all over the skin so the lye water would penetrate.

[trillium]

Just got back from question Mom on the suckling pig , or siu yook.

Yum... the prep sounds divine. What exactly does the lye water do? What is it's purpose?

sheetz

Tried that recipe with less then optimum results. Skin does not crisp properly or consistently.

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Kan sui (peng sai) is an alkaline mixture of several salts, inlcuding potassium and sodium carbonates and hyroxides. It's what gives Chinese style noodles their elastic texture (unlike Japanese style). I'm guessing it sort of does the same for siu yuk.

I've made skin-on roast pork a few times and there are a couple of things I've learned. One is that the more dry you can make the skin, the better. Once seasoned, I think you can leave it on a rack in the fridge lightly covered for 5 -7 days. It also helps to score it. The other is that it is much easier with fresh pork, not frozen. I'll have to try it with kan sui.

regards,

trillium

[sheetz]

sheetz

Tried that recipe with less then optimum results. Skin does not crisp properly or consistently.

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Hmmm, I only tried it once but it worked fine for me. I can't exactly remember what I did, but I'm sure I tried to make the skin as dry as possible. My standard procedure for this type of thing is to leave it in the frig skin side up overnight to dry.

Lye water and baking soda water are both alkaline, and I think they help dissolve away the outer layer of the skin which seems to prevent crispiness.

[mudbug]

and I think they help dissolve away the outer layer of the skin which seems to prevent crispiness.

Are you sure you meant "prevent" instead of "encourage"?

For me the end goal is always a light yet firmly crunchy, evenly blistered surface.

[Dejah]

and I think they help dissolve away the outer layer of the skin which seems to prevent crispiness.

Are you sure you meant "prevent" instead of "encourage"?

For me the end goal is always a light yet firmly crunchy, evenly blistered surface.

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sheetz is correct in her use of "prevent" because she is referring to the outer layer of the skin which prevents crispiness. Those da#* relative pronouns.

[sheetz]

and I think they help dissolve away the outer layer of the skin which seems to prevent crispiness.

Are you sure you meant "prevent" instead of "encourage"?

For me the end goal is always a light yet firmly crunchy, evenly blistered surface.

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I probably didn't word that as well as I'd like. I'm saying that the outer layer of skin seems to prevent crispiness.

[mudbug]

Sounds like one for the food scientists like Shirley Corriher.

Evidently it makes scalding easier because it breaks down (denatures) proteins and has long been used for this purpose:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/197...To_Butcher_Pork

"The main idea we need to understand is that each protein is very large, and that each protein has to be exactly right or it will not do what it needs to do. Cooking does not usually destroy the actual molecular formula for a protein, but it destroys the shape of the protein from how it was folded and re-connected and related to the environment around it. The process of destroying the useful shape of a protein is called denaturing. Cooking is only one of the ways to denature protein. Adding acid or salt or lye (base) to the protein can also denature the protein and these processes also tend to kill bacteria and other things that would attack the protein."

http://www.chemtutor.com/ms.htm

"A less-common form of pickling uses sodium hydroxide (lye) to make the food too alkaline for bacterial growth. Lye will saponify fats in the food, which will change its flavor and texture. Lutefisk uses lye in its preparation, as do some olive recipes."

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclope...reservation.htm

"Food uses of lye include washing or chemical peeling of fruits and vegetables, chocolate and cocoa processing, caramel color production, poultry scalding, soft drink processing, and thickening ice cream. Olives are often soaked in lye to soften them, while pretzels and German lye rolls are glazed with a lye solution before baking to make them crisp.

Lye is used to make the Scandinavian delicacy known as Lutefisk (from lutfisk, which directly translated to English means "lye fish"; basically cod jellied in lye). Hominy is dried maize (corn) kernels reconstituted by soaking in lye-water."

http://www.answers.com/topic/potassium-hydroxide

[sheetz]

and I think they help dissolve away the outer layer of the skin which seems to prevent crispiness.

Are you sure you meant "prevent" instead of "encourage"?

For me the end goal is always a light yet firmly crunchy, evenly blistered surface.

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sheetz is correct in her use of "prevent" because she is referring to the outer layer of the skin which prevents crispiness. Those da#* relative pronouns.

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Thanks for the confirmation. BTW, did I mention I'm a guy?

[mudbug]

Lye water and baking soda water are both alkaline, and I think they help dissolve away the outer layer of the skin which seems to prevent crispiness.

Understood. I read in haste earlier.

[Dejah]

BTW, did I mention I'm a guy? 

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Understood...Now...

[mudbug]

sheetz is correct in her use of ....

Thanks for the confirmation. BTW, did I mention I'm a guy?

I noticed a similar comment earlier and let it slide. When I refer to someone online, I prefer to use their username which is not gender specific.

Perhaps this is Dejah's MO. Maybe an intentional or non-intentional method of finding out by assuming? Since the statement usually elicits a reactionary response...

[Dejah]

sheetz is correct in her use of ....

Thanks for the confirmation. BTW, did I mention I'm a guy?

Perhaps this is Dejah's MO. Maybe an intentional or non-intentional method of finding out by assuming? Since the statement usually elicits a reactionary response...

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Whatever works