HOW TO MAKE LAP YUK (CHINESE BACON)
|
Meat preservation is a way of life in China, some of the oldest curing and charcuterie recipes herald from there, and they are certainly the masters of using every part of the animal or creature in one way or another. One tradition is that of Lap Yuk (literally means ‘wax meat’) that is made from the belly of the pig and been made for centuries. Firstly, don’t be alarmed. There is no wax in the recipe; it refers to a Chinese word meaning the cold and dry winter air that comes with the 12th month of lunar calendar – one can imagine waves and waves of pork belly strips hanging like curtains outside houses and from balconies for weeks of the year.
One reason I love making this is its simplicity requiring no specialist equipment – just some string (or meat hooks, or adapted sterilised metal coat hangers) - almost fool proof. There is no reason to not make this anytime of the year if you can recreate the conditions. I’ve found the typical English spring-summer-autumn-winter time perfectly fine and have made this with and without a fridge perfectly successfully. Pork belly selection makes all the difference, so it worth going to the butcher as opposed to the supermarket to get good long cuts of the belly, that haven't been injected with preservatives, and at least an inch thick, with the skin on, ideally looking for the perfect ‘five flower’ portions – this is where there are 5 distinct lines alternating between fat and meat. |
Lap Yuk (Chinese Bacon)
|
|
With such a traditional recipe I soon discovered lots of variations by region and that cantonese families have the most amount of variations so I was a little lost on how to best start. I’ve adapted mine a little from a recipe handed to me by a work colleague’s mother in the USA, Susan Wong (thanks Sandy Wong for the support!) who helped me surf the plethora of variations to find a solid base recipe. I love the sweet and saltiness, and the texture of the pork against the firmer skin (leave the skin on!).
|
This was initially recommended to me as part of an awesome quick meal – when cooking rice in the rice cooker, pop in a whole piece of lap yuk about half way through cooking, then when the rice is done remove it all, and snip up the pork. Job done!. It’s simple and heavenly. I’ve since used it with other rice and stir fry dishes (and even as a replacement for homemade pancetta for pasta dishes).
It stores well if vacuum packed and kept on the fridge, but you can also freeze in portions to use later. If you can’t get Chinese Rose wine (I found this hard in the UK) then I found vodka and whiskey perfectly fine replacements.
It stores well if vacuum packed and kept on the fridge, but you can also freeze in portions to use later. If you can’t get Chinese Rose wine (I found this hard in the UK) then I found vodka and whiskey perfectly fine replacements.
|
INGREDIENTS
1.5kg of belly pork, skin on 5 tablespoons (approx. 80ml of light soy sauce 1 table spoon (approx. 15-20ml) of dark soy sauce (this makes the lap yuk darker) 5 tablespoons of granulated sugar (approx. 65-70g) 5 tablespoons of Chinese rose wine (80ml) or vodka or whiskey – anything above 30% alcohol) |
Pork Belly In the Marinade
|
|
PROCESS
1. Mix all the ingredients, except the pork, in a bowl – and stir till the sugar has dissolved. 2. [OPTIONAL] – with a pin or needle puncture the meat and fat and skin to help the marinade penetrate deeper and quicker – but not essential. 3. If you are going to hang the meat with string then it’s worth piecing the meat now and threading your string through and typing in a loop. If you are using meat hooks or adapted sterilised metal coat hangers then you can skip this bit. 4. Lay the pork belly down in a dish big enough to have all as one layer. If you don’t have a large dish then putting it all in a food grade bag is fine but I found you need to mix the bag more regularly to ensure the marinade coats everything for long enough. 5. Pour over the marinade and cover the meat both sides and then pop in the fridge for 3 days. Get in the habit of flipping the pork over a couple of times a day. If using a food grade bag then mix it all around through the bag each time you go to the fridge. 6. After 3 days remove the pork and hang either outside in the sun (looking for cooler days <18C) , or hang indoors if rain is forecast. If hanging inside its worth popping a towel underneath to catch the drips for the first day. |
|
7. You want to hang the pork for 5-7 days. (7 days if you have thicker pieces >1inch thick). Bring it inside for the evening. With the rubbish weather we had this summer in the UK I found just leaving it hanging in the conservatory was fine for 5 days in a row. You could also rig up a pole and hang in your fridge or place on a rack in the fridge to dry out but it will take longer. After 5 days of hanging the belly will be quite firm, but with a bit of give, the meat will darken and the fat will yellow.
8. It’s worth checking your meat each day for fly eggs – they tend to like crevices so unlikely to lay on the top side of the belly, but if you do see any, just brush them off and give the area a wipe with a 50:50 vinegar/water solution. I’ve not had this issue at all but it goes the same for any air drying of meat to be honest.
9. Hey presto it’s done. It’s awesome when thrown in the rice cooker on top of the rice, part way through cooking. I’ve tried it sliced in an omelette, or stir fry dishes, and even as a replacement for pancetta in dishes. Its stores well in the fridge for a week, but any longer either vacuum pack it or wrap and freeze until needed. But to be honest every batch doesn’t last long – especially now my friends have found it in my larder!
I’m toying with this to make my own family recipe over time – it lends itself well to additions of star anise, bay leaves, ginger, and sechuan pepper but haven’t quite found a perfect balance that beats the above recipe (yet!)
8. It’s worth checking your meat each day for fly eggs – they tend to like crevices so unlikely to lay on the top side of the belly, but if you do see any, just brush them off and give the area a wipe with a 50:50 vinegar/water solution. I’ve not had this issue at all but it goes the same for any air drying of meat to be honest.
9. Hey presto it’s done. It’s awesome when thrown in the rice cooker on top of the rice, part way through cooking. I’ve tried it sliced in an omelette, or stir fry dishes, and even as a replacement for pancetta in dishes. Its stores well in the fridge for a week, but any longer either vacuum pack it or wrap and freeze until needed. But to be honest every batch doesn’t last long – especially now my friends have found it in my larder!
I’m toying with this to make my own family recipe over time – it lends itself well to additions of star anise, bay leaves, ginger, and sechuan pepper but haven’t quite found a perfect balance that beats the above recipe (yet!)
