RECIPE

Asian-Glazed Pork Shoulder

• Recipe by Ming Tsai

Ming Tsai, chef at Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and host of Simply Ming on PBS, experienced the power of the pressure cooker during a taping of Iron Chef America a few years ago. Using the device, he was able to make one of his favorite childhood dishes, slow-braised pork shoulder, in just an hour. "At a restaurant you have all day to braise," Tsai says. "That’s not true on Iron Chef." Now he’s always looking for new ways to exploit his cooker, making duck legs, chicken thighs and spareribs as well as the juicy glazed pork shoulder he’s eaten his whole life.

• Healthy
• Make-Ahead

Ingredients

1. 3 cups soy sauce
2. 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
3. 1 1/2 cups water
4. 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
5. 1 pound dark brown sugar
6. 6 scallions, white and light green parts cut into 2-inch lengths, dark green parts thinly sliced
7. 3 small, dried red Thai chiles
8. One 4-inch piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
9. 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
10. 1 medium orange, quartered
11. One 4-inch cinnamon stick
12. One 4-pound piece of boneless pork shoulder, quartered
13. Freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. In an 8-quart pressure cooker, combine the soy sauce, wine, water, vinegar, sugar, scallion lengths, chiles, ginger, garlic, orange and cinnamon stick. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Season the pork with pepper and add it to the pressure cooker. Close and lock the cooker and bring to full pressure over high heat. Adjust the heat to maintain full pressure and cook for 1 hour or until the pork is very tender. Slowly release the pressure and open the cooker. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and cover with foil.
2. Strain 1 cup of the cooking liquid into a small saucepan; discard the remaining liquid. Boil over high heat until the liquid is reduced by two-thirds and thick, about 5 minutes. Brush a light coating of the sauce over each piece of pork to glaze it. Thinly slice the pork and serve.

Make Ahead

The cooked pork can be refrigerated in the liquid overnight.

Serve With

Steamed Chinese broccoli.