Make this classic Taiwanese Pressure Cooker Braised Pork Hock Recipe 台式萬巒豬腳. Imagine dipping bouncy & crisp pork hock slices into the addictive secret homemade sauce. The great mouthfeel with bold, garlicky flavors make it satisfying to eat!
All started from a humble food stall in a small town – Wanluan Township 萬巒鄉 of Taiwan in 1948.
This addictive Braised Pork Hock dish quickly gained popularity and the love spread around the country. People started flocking to Wanluan town to eat it.
Many other locals jumped in and started selling their own version of Braised Pork Hock. Thus, the beginning of the infamous Wanluan Pork Hock 萬巒豬腳. Now, there’s a whole street in town, known as the Wanluan Pork Hock Street, dedicated to this classic Taiwanese delicacy.
You can enjoy these savory bites as snacks or served with rice. Though the Pork Hock is the star, the garlicky dipping sauce is the soul. The strong savory & spicy flavors with a hint of sweetness truly enhance the meat.
Ever since the first time we tasted it, we just couldn’t stop going back for more!!
What we look for in a delicious dish of Taiwanese Braised Pork Hock?
This classic braised pork hock has to be:
- Flavorful
- Great texture & mouthfeel (sliced with the right thickness) – skin, meat & fibers are bouncy & crisp with a bit of chew yet slightly tender
- Full of fragrance
- Not fatty/oily tasting
- Amazing dipping sauce: a bold balance of sweet, savory, spicy flavors & garlicky fragrance that lingers in your mouth
Pressure Cooker Pork Hocks Experiment
We tested 2 pounds of 1.5 inches thick Pork Hocks with 3 different sets of pressure cooking time using 1.5 cup of Master Stock. Here are the results!
Test 1*
- Cooking Method & Time: High Pressure 20 mins + 15 mins Natural Release
- Result: fragrant, flavorful, fully cooked with great mouthfeel – bouncy, crisp, a bit of chew yet tender. Just the right texture for this recipe.
Test 2
- Cooking Method & Time: High Pressure 10 mins + 15 mins Natural Release
- Result: moist and juicy, with strong flavors. Very bouncy, crisp, and chewy.
Test 3
- Cooking Method & Time: High Pressure 40 mins + 25 mins Natural Release
- Result: flavorful & super tender with fibers broken down. The skin only has a bit of chew left, with a gelatin-like smoothness texture. It’s delicious, but more suitable to be served as whole pieces rather than sliced.
Experiment Conclusion
Both Test 1’s results and Test 3’s results were delicious. Test 1’s result has the right texture & mouthfeel for this recipe, while Test 3’s super tender result is more suitable for dishes that serve whole pork hock rather than sliced.
Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Braised Pork Hock
- Pork hock
- Master Stock
Garlic Dipping Sauce: Garlic, Master stock, Sugar
Tips for Pressure Cooker Braised Pork Hock
1. Best Pressure Cooker Pork Hocks Cooking Time Experiment:
We tested batches of meat with 3 different pressure cooking times. Find the full experiment details and results below the recipe.
Since test 1’s result is more suitable for this recipe, we developed our recipe based on Test 1’s cooking method & time. For more tender results, use High Pressure 30 minutes + 15 minutes Natural Release.
2. Whole Pork Hock, Ham Hock or Pork Knuckle: all of these refer to the same part! You can use a whole pork hock to make this recipe too.
3. Bouncy Skin: Rinse the pork in cold tap water after boiling the pork hock in Step 1 (cleaning step) makes the skin more bouncy.
4. Is there a substitute for Master Stock?
Here’s a Simplified Master Stock Recipe:
- 1 cup water
- 2 slices ginger
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 stalks green onion
- 1 Chinese cinnamon stick or substitute with Cinnamon stick
- 3 Star anise 八角
- 1 Dried Chinese red chili or 1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn 花椒
- 3 tablespoons Regular soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons Dark soy sauce
- 1/2 cup Shaoxing wine
- Half a stick of Chinese Brown sugar in pieces 冰片糖 (or sugar) (40 grams)
5. What other recipes can I make with Master Stock?
Pressure Cooker Braised Pork Hock 萬巒豬腳
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork hock pieces (1.5 inches in thickness)
- 1 ½ cup master stock
Garlic Dipping Sauce
- 2 tablespoons garlic , minced
- 60 ml master stock (see above tips section for simplified version)
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
Equipment
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Instructions
- Optional Cleaning Step: Bring 3.5L of water to a boil. Then, boil the pork hock for 3 minutes to clean and remove the excess fat. Remove and rinse in cold tap water. We take this step whenever we make Chinese soups or cook in master stock with pork hock or any other bones and meat.
- Pressure Cook Pork Hock: Add the pork hock and 1.5 cup of master stock (see above tips section for simplified version) into the pressure cooker. Close the lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 20 minutes (For more tender results: use High Pressure for 30 minutes), and full Natural Release (roughly 15 - 20 minutes). Turn off the heat. Open the lid carefully.
- Marinate Pork Hock: place the pork hock pieces in a smaller bowl, pour the master stock through a strainer and fully submerge the pork hock pieces in the master stock for at least 1 hour.
- Make Garlic Sauce: Mix 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, 60 ml of master stock and ¼ teaspoon of sugar together. Taste and add more sugar if necessary.
- Serve: This dish is best served at room temperature. Slice the pork hock into thin slices and serve with the garlic sauce. Enjoy~
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