Filipino Crispy Pata: Simmered and Deep-Fried Pork Leg

What you need

• 1.5 kg (3 1/4 lb) pork leg or hock (pata), front or hind, cleaned and any hairs scraped off
• 3 l (12 cups) water
• 6 dried bay leaves
• 2 tbsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 onion, cut into wedges
• 6 cloves garlic, 4 crushed, 2 finely chopped
• 2 star anise, optional
• 2 tbsp salt, divided
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1.5 l (6 cups) vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) soy sauce
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) cane or white vinegar
• 1 bird's eye chili, sliced, optional

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Bring the water to a boil in a large pot with the bay leaves, peppercorns, onion, crushed garlic, star anise and about two-thirds of the salt.

2. 2

   Lower in the pork, return to a gentle simmer and cook until the meat is tender when pierced near the bone, 60-90 min. Skim off any foam.

3. 3

   Lift the pork out, drain it well and let it cool on a rack, about 30 min.

4. 4

   Pat the skin completely dry with paper towels.

5. 5

   Mix the ground pepper, garlic powder and the remaining salt, then rub it all over the pork.

6. 6

   Set the pork on a rack, uncovered, in the fridge for at least 6 hours so the skin dries out. The drier the skin, the crispier it fries and the less it spits.

7. 7

   Pour the oil into a deep, heavy pot that the pork fits in, filling it no more than halfway, and heat to 175 °C (350 °F).

8. 8

   Pat the pork dry again and lower it gently into the oil. Cover at once with a lid or splatter screen, as the skin will pop hard.

9. 9

   Fry until the first side is blistered and deep golden, 8-10 min. Turn it carefully with long tongs and fry the other side the same way.

10. 10

    Drain on a rack for 5 min. The pork is already fully cooked from simmering, so the frying is only for the crackling.

11. 11

    While it drains, stir together the soy sauce, vinegar, chopped garlic and chili for dipping.

12. 12

    Chop the pork into chunks through the skin with a heavy knife and serve hot with the dipping sauce.

Imported from panlasangpinoy.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.