Homestyle Red Braised Pork Belly (Hongshaorou)

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1. 1Step 1: Add enough water to a wok or pot to get halfway up the pork belly. Boil a minute or two on each side, until the outside changes color and firms up. Reserve the hot water in a separate pot - preferably a claypot.
2. 2Step 2: Cut your pork belly into chunks. We like big thick cubes (about 2 inches each side), but some people prefer to cut each of those chunks into four smaller pieces. You want to have a nice cross-section roughly two inches high that has a solid mix of lean, fat, and a slice of skin.
3. 3Step 3: Briefly fry the Dried Chilis and Sichuan peppercorns. After they’re nice and aromatic (about a minute or two later), toss it in to that reserved water along with the garlic, ginger, cinnamon/cassia, and star anise.
4. 4Step 4: To that oil, add half (40g) of your crushed rock sugar (or brown sugar). Over low heat, melt your sugar into the oil until it’s melted into the oil and a nice dark brown color. This’ll take about five minutes, but don’t walk away – the sugar can burn real easy.
5. 5Step 5: Add your pork chunks and get a nice coating for caramel on each side of the pork pieces. Don’t be overly aggressive, as you don’t want the pieces to come apart.
6. 6Step 6: Turn off the heat, add in the liaojiu and the soy sauces, and transfer to the pot.
7. 7Step 7: Braise the pork, covered, for 90 minutes. Check on it every 30 minutes or so. Your pork will be done when a chopstick can pierce the entire piece of pork with very little resistance.
8. 8Step 8: Add the second hit of your sugar (rock sugar or brown sugar) and let it dissolve into the sauce. If you’re using a pot with a heavy lid instead of a claypot, let the sauce reduce uncovered for 20 minutes so that it thickens up a touch.
9. 9Step 9: Remove pork, strain sauce into separate bowl. Brush the pork with the sauce to get a nice sheen, and then drizzle a spoonful of the sauce over top.
10. 10Step 10: Serve. Eat with rice, a fried veggie, and some cold beer.