Kou Rou Xun (扣肉熏)

In Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces, smoking over sawdust and tea leaves is a winter preservation technique that predates refrigeration. Kou Rou Xun — pressed pork belly finished over a wok smoker — delivers deeply mahogany skin, camphor-scented fat, and falling-tender meat. The technique melds Han Chinese braising with Manchu smoking traditions that have shaped Dongbei cooking for centuries.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Pork belly

• 1 kg (2.2 lb) skin-on pork belly, in one piece
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tsp five-spice powder
• 3 slices fresh ginger
• 2 spring onions, knotted
• 1 tsp sugar

Smoking mixture

• 3 tbsp raw long-grain rice
• 2 tbsp loose black tea leaves
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken

To serve

• Steamed bao or plain steamed rice
• Sliced cucumber and spring onion
• Hoisin sauce

Instructions

1. Place pork belly skin-side down in a pot; cover with cold water. Add ginger and spring onion. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 40 minutes. Drain and pat very dry.
2. Rub pork belly all over with soy sauce, rice wine, five-spice, and sugar. Rest uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Line a wok with foil. Spread rice, tea, brown sugar, and cinnamon in the base. Place a wire rack over the mixture. Put the pork belly on the rack, skin-side up.
4. Cover the wok tightly with a lid. Heat over high flame until the mixture starts to smoke, about 3–4 minutes. Reduce to medium. Smoke for 18–20 minutes total, until the skin is dark mahogany. Turn off heat; leave covered for 5 minutes.
5. Rest pork belly for 10 minutes before slicing thickly (about 1 cm / ½ inch). Serve with steamed bao, sliced cucumber, spring onion, and hoisin sauce.

Cook's Notes: The smoking mixture burns quickly — do not skip the foil lining or the wok will be ruined. For deeper flavour, rest the brined pork belly in the fridge overnight before smoking. Leftovers reheat well in a steamer for 5 minutes.