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Easy Braised Pig’s Tail (Sticky Pork Tail Recipe)

Published by Izzy Yu

on Dec 11, 2020

5 from 3 votes

Braised Pig’s Tail is sticky, tender, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The pork tails are cooked low and slow in a rich and flavorful soup on the stove. This Chinese style pigtail’s recipe is so easy to make and one of my favorite Asian food.

If you ever ask me what my favorite pork recipe is, I’ll probably say pork tails. My mom used to make it very often and I completely love it. Pig’s tails usually take a long time to cook, but the flavor and tender texture they bring are totally worth it.

I used the stove-top method in this recipe, which is the easiest way to cook pork tails. After boiling them in the water, just add all the ingredients and braise until tender!

Ingredients and Substitutes

• Pig’s Tail: You’ll need to clean them thoroughly and remove the hair before cooking.
• Vegetable Oil: It has a high smoke point so don’t substitute with extra virgin olive oil.
• Garlic: Use fresh garlic for the best result. You can also sub garlic powder.
• Ginger: Remove the skin and cut it into thin pieces. You can also use ginger powder.
• Green Onion: For adding flavor to the soup and for garnish.
• Soy Sauce: It adds a nice umami flavor to the dish. I used the combination of light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, which adds a beautiful deeper color.
• Cooking Wine: It enhances the dish by creating a more flavorful sauce. You can substitute beer. 
• Star Anises: It’s a secret ingredient in many Chinese dishes for adding an extra depth of flavor.
• Sugar: It helps to balance out the savory flavor. You can use regular sugar or brown sugar.
• Salt: For seasoning the soup.

How to Cook Pig Tail

1. Add pigtail chunks to a large pan or pot, and then add cold water.

2. Bring to boil and drain the water. (It takes about 10 minutes)

3. In a large pan over medium heat, add oil, garlic, ginger and green onion. Stir fry for about 1 minute until fragrant.

4. Add pigtail chunks, star anises, sugar, soy sauce, cooking wine to the pan.

5. Then add water to make sure the liquid covers the pork tail completely.

6. Bring to boil, and then lower the heat.

7. Cover the lid and simmer for about 1 hour until the pork tail has become completely tender.

8. Remove the lid. Turn the heat to high, cook until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and serve immediately.

Tips for the Best Pig Tail Recipe

• To remove the odors of the pig tail, it’s best to add the pig tail to the cold water, and bring them to boil before braising.
• Braise the pork tail until it’s very tender. It takes some time, but it’s totally worth it.
• Use dark soy sauce if you prefer a darker color.
• You can add cornstarch and water slurry if you want to thicken the soup faster. It also makes the pigtails sticky.
• Taste and add more salt at the end after the sauce has thickened. Otherwise, it can get too salty.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Do Pig’s Tails Taste Like?

Pig tails have more cartilage and produce a lot of gelatine, therefore they taste smooth, rich, but not greasy, just like pig’s feet. The texture is different than other parts of the pork.

Where to Buy Pig’s Tail?

They’re available at most local Chinese grocery stores. Alternatively, order them from a butcher shop.

Is Pork Tail Good For You?

Pig’s tail is good for your health as it’s low in salt with a good source of protein and several important vitamins and minerals.

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5 from 3 votes

Braised Pig’s Tail Recipe

By: Izzy Yu

Braised Pig’s Tail is sticky, tender, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The pork tails are cooked long in a rich and flavorful soup on the stove. This Chinese style pigtail’s recipe is so easy to make and one of my favorite Asian food

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr

Total: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 1 ½ pounds pig’s tail, (cut into chunks)
• ▢ 1 inch ginger, sliced
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ 1 green onion chopped
• ▢ 1/3 cup cooking wine, (you can also use beer)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons soy sauce, I used 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce and 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ▢ 4 star anises
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ water as needed

Optional

• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch

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Instructions 

• Rinse the pork tails, remove the hair, and cut them into smaller chunks.
• Add cold water and pig’s tail to a large saucepan or pot. (Make sure the pig tails are submerged.)
• Bring to boil and drain the water. It’ll take about 10 minutes. Rinse the pork tails to remove the foam and small particles.
• In a large pan over medium-heat, add oil, garlic, ginger and green onion. Stir fry for about 1 minute until fragrant.
• Add cooked pig tail chunks, star anises, sugar, soy sauce, cooking wine to the pan.
• Add water to make sure the liquid covers the pork tail completely.
• Bring to boil, and then lower the heat.
• Cover the lid and simmer for about 1 hour until the pork tail has become completely tender.
• Remove the lid. Turn the heat to high, cook until the sauce has thickened. If you have a lot of liquid in the pan, it may take a while. You can add cornstarch slurry (mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and water). This will thicken the sauce much faster and make it sticky.
• Season with more salt if needed and serve immediately.

Notes

• Dark sauce will make pork tail darker. I used the combination of 2 tablespoons of dark sauce and 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce.
• Add more salt only after the sauce has thickened, otherwise it can become too salty.

Nutrition

Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 1129mg | Potassium: 665mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.

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