How to stir-fry pork so it’s tender
Stir-fried pork is a classic home-cooked dish, but how to keep the pork tender and juicy is a science. Combining the hot topics and hot content on the Internet in the past 10 days, we have summarized some practical tips and scientific methods to help you easily fry tender pork.
1. Material selection is key
Choosing the right pork cut is the first step. The taste and tenderness of different parts of pork vary greatly. The following is a comparison of common parts:
| parts | Features | Suitable practice |
|---|---|---|
| Tenderloin | The most tender and less fat | Quick stir-fry, smooth stir-fry |
| Plum pork | Fat and thin, delicate taste | Fry, grill |
| pork belly | More fat and rich flavor | braised, stewed |
2. Preprocessing techniques
1.Cut meat against the grain: Pork has thick fiber. Cutting it against the grain can shorten the fiber length and make the meat more tender.
2.Pickling method: Marinating is an important step in making pork tender. The following are common pickling recipes:
| Material | function | Dosage (per 500 grams of meat) |
|---|---|---|
| light soy sauce | seasoning | 1 tablespoon |
| cooking wine | Remove the fishy smell | 1 tablespoon |
| starch | Lock in moisture | 1 teaspoon |
| egg white | Increase smoothness and tenderness | 1 |
3.Add baking soda or meat tenderizer: Alkaline substances can destroy muscle fibers, but the dosage needs to be controlled (1/4 teaspoon per 500 grams of meat).
3. Cooking skills
1.Fire control: Stir-frying over high heat and quickly is the key to maintaining tenderness. Heat the pot before adding the meat, and stir-fry quickly until it changes color.
2.Fry in batches: If the amount of frying is large, it is recommended to fry in batches to avoid water leakage due to a sudden drop in temperature in the pot.
3.Add salt later: Salt will cause water to seep out. It is recommended to add salt to season when it is about 70% cooked.
4. Scientific principles
According to recent popular science content, the scientific explanation of pork tenderness is as follows:
| factors | Principle | Application method |
|---|---|---|
| protein denaturation | It starts to denature at 65℃ and will harden if heated too much. | Control cooking time and temperature |
| moisture retention | Muscle cell water content affects tenderness | Add water-retaining materials when pickling |
| The role of enzymes | Natural enzymes break down muscle fibers | Pickled with pineapple, papaya and other fruits |
5. Frequently Asked Questions
1.Why is my fried pork always old?
It may be that the heat is not high enough or the frying time is too long. It is recommended to cut the meat thinner and stir-fry quickly with the highest heat.
2.Can I use frozen meat?
Yes, but it needs to be completely thawed and drained. Quickly frozen meat has less cell damage than slow-frozen meat and is more suitable for frying.
3.Does it need to be boiled?
Generally, stir-fried pork is not blanched, as blanching will lead to loss of nutrients and deterioration of meat quality.
6. Recommended innovative practices
Based on the recent popular recipes on the Internet, we recommend two new ways to make tender stir-fried pork:
| practice | Features | Tenderness secret |
|---|---|---|
| Stir-fried method | Less oil and healthy | Use a small amount of hot water instead of oil and stir-fry quickly |
| Stir-fry at low temperature | Suitable for thick cuts of meat | Fry slowly over medium-low heat until cooked |
Through the above methods and techniques, I believe you will be able to fry tender and delicious pork. Remember, good ingredients + correct methods = delicious food, give it a try!
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