Star Anise Pork

I ripped this recipe out of the magazine 19 years ago and (bad habit of mine- loose pages of recipes everywhere and I can never find the one I am looking for), I finally am getting around to making it due to the quarantine. As luck would have it, I happened to find a 2.5 pound pork shoulder blade roast and it was on sale for $6.50, so game on! The recipe was great as is, but I did add a cinnamon stick and 2 one inch chunks of smashed ginger to the simmering liquid and used water instead of broth. Be careful salting the meat before browning since the soy sauce contributes a sufficient amount of salt, even though it is only 1/4 cup for the whole roast. Next time I will simmer the roast in a slow cooker after browning it. Also, I have an instant pot (which I have not opened up, or mustered the courage to use yet), and from what I've read, I believe this recipe would work well in the instant pot since it does not have a lot of liquid in the simmering broth. The flavor profile stands up to the test of time for an almost twenty year old recipe and would work well for fusion type dishes too. The shredded meat is good with Chinese buns (bao) or with tortillas topped with asian slaw, cilantro, green onions, and jalapenos. I think you could also have it as a sort of Vietnamese banh mi sandwich too. Enjoy!

Great recipe! I made this earlier and it's very authentic and delicious!

I'm not inspired to add some extra oil into it. Minimal will do for me!

I haven't tried this recipe yet but this surely makes me hungry this time. Looks so delicious! Can't wait to try this!

magnificent meat dish!