Day: February 19, 2016

Ingredients

For the pulled pork:
1kg boneless pork shoulder
2 tsp kosher salt, plus more
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
700ml beer (2 cans)

Buns And Assembly:
250ml milk
1 envelope active dry yeast (about 2 1/2 tsp.)
1 tbsp light brown sugar
400g all-purpose flour
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking powder
60g unsalted butter, room temperature
Nonstick cooking oil spray
3 tablespoons baking soda
1 large egg, beaten to blend
Flaky sea salt
Dijon mustard, cornichons, and cold beer (for serving)

Beer-Braised Pork Shoulder
Preheat oven to 325F/165C. Season pork with pepper and 2 tsp. salt. Heat oil in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium high heat and cook pork until golden brown on all sides, 8–10 minutes. Stir in onion to coat, then add beer and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook in oven until pork is falling apart, 2 1/2–3 hours. Let cool slightly. Shred pork with 2 forks, mixing with braising liquid and onion; season with salt and pepper. Pork filling can be made 5 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.

Buns And Assembly
Gently warm milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until warm (do not let it get hot). Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk in yeast and brown sugar. Let sit until yeast starts to foam, about 5 minutes. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and butter and knead with dough hook until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. (Dough should not be sticky or tacky.) Lightly coat a medium bowl with nonstick spray and transfer dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 1 1/2–2 hours. Alternatively, cover dough and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 425F/220C. Divide dough into 10 pieces. Using the palm of your hand, gently roll pieces on an unfloured surface into balls. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let stand 10 minutes.
Using the palm of your hand, flatten each ball into 3″/10cm diameter rounds. Place 2 tbsp pork filling in the center of each round. Bring up edges and pinch together to create a parcel. Gently roll buns, seam side down, to close.

Bring 2L salted water to a boil and add baking soda. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Working in batches, boil buns 2 minutes (they will puff up and float, so don’t crowd the pot). Using a slotted spoon, transfer to prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1 1/2” apart. Brush buns with egg and sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake, rotating halfway through, until golden brown, 20–25 minutes.

Serve immediately with mustard, pickles, and beer.

Ingredients (Makes 70 to 80 dumplings)
1/2 medium head chinese cabbage
1 tablespoon kosher salt
500g ground pork
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 bunch coriander, minced (about 3/4 cup)
3 tbsp soy sauce
2-inch piece fresh ginger finely minced (about 3 tbsp)
2 large eggs, whisked
1 (350g) package round dumpling, wonton, or gyoza wrappers

Assembling the dumplings

Slice the half-head of cabbage down its length, through the root, to make 2 quarters. Then slice each quarter into very thin strips, cutting cross-wise. Toss the slices with the salt in a large mixing bowl and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes. While it rests with the salt, the cabbage will start to release liquid. When it’s ready, grab handfuls of the cabbage and squeeze out the water. Transfer the squeezed cabbage to another mixing bowl. To the bowl with the squeezed cabbage, add the ground pork, sliced green onions, coriander, soy sauce, ginger, and eggs. Work the mixture together with your hands until fully combined.

Clear a large space on the counter. Set a small bowl of water, the bowl of filling, and a parchment-lined baking sheet nearby. Open the package of dumpling wrappers and arrange a few on the work space in front of you. Place 1 scant tablespoon of filling on each dumpling wrapper. It doesn’t look like much filling, but using any more gets messy and makes the dumplings hard to pleat closed! Once you get the hang of pleating the dumplings, you can try adding a bit more. Dip your finger in the bowl of water and run it around the edge of the dumpling. This will help it to seal closed.

Lift the dumpling from the work surface and fold it in half. Press the top closed. Use your opposite thumbs to fold a tiny pleat on either side of the dumpling, then press firmly to seal the dumpling closed. You may need to dab a little water under the pleat to make it stick closed.Repeat. Continue filling and pleating the rest of the wrappers using the remaining filling. As you finish each dumpling, line it up on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

You can cook the dumplings immediately, or freeze them on the baking sheet. Once frozen solid, gather them into a freezer container and keep frozen for up to 3 months.

Cooking the Dumplings
Sear the dumplings in a skillet:
Film a skillet with about a tablespoon of oil and warm over high heat. When the oil is shimmering, arrange the dumplings in the pan as close as they’ll fit without actually touching. Cook until the bottoms have turned brown and golden. Pour 3 tablespoons of water in the pan — the water will immediately sizzle and begin to steam. Cover the pan immediately and reduce the heat to low. Cook the dumplings for 3 to 5 minutes if fresh, or 6 to 8 minutes if frozen. When done, the wrappers will appear translucent and noodle-like; the filling will be opaque and warmed through (you can cut one open to check). Transfer the cooked dumplings to a plate and serve with soy sauce or other dipping sauce.

Steamed dumplings:
Line a steamer basket with parchment and steam over simmering water for about 6 minutes if fresh, 8 minutes if frozen.