There comes a time in a man’s life when his tastes change. They mature. They evolve.
His love of beer evolves to Bourbon. His love of milk chocolate evolves to dark. His love of Pamela Anderson evolves to that MILF-y librarian checking out organic arugula at Whole Foods.
The same is true of broth.
Sure…we were all raised on chicken broth, and that’s a wonderful thing. But sooner or later, our tastes evolve and we want a hot bowl of liquid animal that doesn’t remind us of being home sick with a cold during junior high school. We want something more…mature.
We want pork broth.
Now…I don’t know about you, but neither my mother nor my grandmothers ever made pork broth when I was growing up. But, then, neither my mother nor my grandmothers were Japanese. So, I’ll give them a pass on that epic fail.
No such excuses for me. Armed with an 8 quart Instant Pot and $10 in my pocket, I set out to embrace my inner Pink Lady & Jeff and cobble together a pork broth recipe worthy of both Midnight Diner and Samurai Gourmet.
[Sorry, Kantaro…but I’m not a dessert person.]
I started with a reputable recipe for beef broth, swapping the beef bones for pork necks. It was good, but its flavor lacked depth. And its aroma did not make me swoon in the way that the scent of my favorite pho shops always do.
I kept tinkering. Fish sauce for umami. Oh, hell…a splash of soy sauce, too. Sugar for sweetness. Lemongrass, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cloves for aromatics.
Did we nail it?
Well…to quote my wife, “This is the best fucking broth I’ve ever had in my life.”
THE INGREDIENTS
- 3-3.5 lbs. pork necks (I buy mine at H-Mart, my local Asian market)
- Lemongrass (5″ bottom of stalk, woody outer sheaths removed)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 celery rib, chopped
- 3 T tomato paste
- 1 t salt
- 2 T sugar
- 4 star anise
- 4 cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 T soy sauce
- 1/3 c Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce (aka, “nam pla” (Thai) or “nuoc mam” (Vietnamese))
- 3/4 c dry red wine (bring on the box!)
- 3 quarts (i.e., 12 c) water
- Vegetable oil
THE ASSEMBLY
- STEP 1: Put pork necks in microwave-safe dish. Microwave for 10-12 minutes until browned. You’ll likely need to stir the necks midway through for more even browning. Set aside.
- STEP 2: Set 8 quart Instant Pot (or similar multi-cooker) to “Saute.” Add oil and saute onions, carrots, celery, and lemongrass until softened (5 minutes).
- STEP 3: Add tomato paste to sauteed vegetables and stir for 30 seconds.
- STEP 4: Add red wine to Instant Pot and deglaze pan, scraping up browned bits.
- STEP 5: Add pork necks, salt, sugar, star anise, cloves, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, soy sauce, and fish sauce to Instant Pot.
- STEP 6: Add 3 quarts (i.e., 12 cups) water to Instant Pot. If you are using a 6 quart Instant Pot, it won’t fit all 12 cups–so, just add enough water until it reaches the maximum fill line etched on the inner wall of the pot
- STEP 7: Lock the lid into place. Set Instant Pot to “Pressure Cook”…”High Pressure”…one and a half hours. Let ‘er rip!
- STEP 8: When an hour and a half of high pressure cooking is complete, quick release the pressure valve to let out all the steam. When pressure is fully released, unlock and remove the Instant Pot lid. Strain the solids from the broth.
- And there you have it! For $10 worth of ingredients (pork necks are cheap!) and two hours of your life, you’ll have 3 quarts of the best tasting broth this side of the Bosphorus. Your family will love you for it, and your house will smell grrrrreat. ありがとうございました
