Cooked pork bones are not only delicious but also nutritious, making them a common sight on the dining table. With so many different names for pork bones in the market, it can be confusing to know how to cook them. Let me teach you.
There are four common types of pork bones.
The types of pork bones people often eat include ribs, backbones, shoulder blades, and leg bones. Pork ribs, also known as pork rib racks or pork spare ribs, are flat ribs located in the chest cavity, mostly consisting of lean meat with a tender texture. Pork backbones, also known as pork back bones, are from the spinal area. They are lean with little fat but contain a large amount of soft, fatty marrow. Pork shoulder blades are located on the pig's back, below the shoulder. Because their front part is crescent-shaped, they are also called pork fan bones or pork moon bones, and are characterized by having more cartilage. Pork leg bones have a hole in the middle and are also called tube bones. The hind leg bones are generally thicker and stronger than the front leg bones, contain a large amount of marrow, and are of better quality.
Ribs are suitable for sweet and sour cooking.
Pork ribs are suitable for refined cooking, such as braising in soy sauce, sweet and sour, or grilling. Sweet and sour ribs are especially recommended because the large amount of vinegar used in cooking can soften calcium salts, making them easier for the body to digest and absorb. Even drinking bone soup cannot compare to the calcium-supplementing effect of eating sweet and sour ribs. The method for making sweet and sour ribs is: cut the pork ribs into small pieces, place them in a pot of cold water. Once the water comes to a boil, skim off the foam. Add green onions, ginger, garlic, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, a little salt, and a few drops of vinegar. Turn to low heat and simmer for about 1 hour. Then, remove the ribs, drain the water, and set aside a small bowl of the broth for later use. Heat oil in a wok, add sugar and stir-fry until a caramel color is achieved. Add the ribs and stir-fry until they are evenly colored. Then, add cooking wine, soy sauce, and vinegar. Pour in the reserved broth, turn to low heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Finally, turn the heat up high to reduce the sauce. Once the sauce has thickened, pour a little vinegar along the edge of the wok. After plating, sprinkle with white sesame seeds.
Large pork bones are suitable for making soup.
Larger bones like backbones, shoulder blades, and leg bones are recommended for making soup. The key to a good bone broth is to use a variety of ingredients. Adding ingredients like yams, corn, kelp, radishes, lotus root, winter melon, and mushrooms will make the broth more flavorful and nutritious. It's worth noting that bone broth contains a lot of saturated fat but is not high in calcium, so its calcium-supplementing effect is far less than that of milk. The marrow in large bones contains a lot of cholesterol, so you can eat it, but not too much.