Last week, my brother-in-law brought over a beautiful pork knuckle, and I immediately knew what I was going to make. Braised pork knuckle has always been one of those dishes that feels a little special whenever it appears on the table. 

Although pork knuckle is often served during Chinese New Year as a symbol of prosperity and good fortune, I don’t think it should be reserved for the festive season. It’s just as satisfying on a quiet weekend when you’re craving something comforting that has been slowly braised until tender. 

I’ve shared a Cantonese-style version before that uses dried shiitake mushrooms and black moss 发菜. This time, I wanted to try something a little different by building the flavor around a fragrant blend of whole spices, including Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies.

Whether you are making it for a celebration or just because you feel like enjoying some good braised pork, I hope this version brings as much comfort to your table as it does to mine.

Content

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1. Why This Recipe Works
2. Ingredients Breakdown
3. How to Prepare Everything Before Cooking
4. Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions
5. What I Learned While Making This Dish
6. Why This Dish Sometimes Fails
7. Variations
8. Serving Suggestions

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Why This Recipe Works

• Fall-apart tender meat – Slow braising gently breaks down the connective tissue, leaving the pork juicy and so soft that it pulls away from the bone with very little effort.
• Deep, aromatic flavor – Whole spices, fresh ginger, garlic, and soy sauces slowly infuse the pork during braising, creating layers of rich, well-balanced flavor.
• Rich braising gravy – The braising liquid is reduced until it becomes thick and glossy, coating every piece of pork with an intensely flavorful sauce. It is especially delicious spooned over a bowl of steamed rice.
• Perfect for any occasion – Pork knuckle is a traditional favorite during Chinese New Year, but it’s just as satisfying for a relaxed weekend dinner or whenever you’re craving comforting home cooking.
• Easy to make ahead – Braise the pork a day in advance and simply reheat it before serving. The flavors become even richer after resting overnight.

Ingredients Breakdown

• Pork knuckle – The star of the dish. Its skin, collagen, and connective tissue slowly break down during braising, giving the meat its signature tender texture and creating a silky gravy. 
• Ginger and spring onions – Added during blanching and braising to reduce any unwanted porky odor while creating a fragrant base for the braising liquid.
• Garlic – Adds savory depth and complements the warm spices.
• Whole spices – A blend of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, cardamom, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, dried orange peel, white peppercorns, and dried chili creates the warm, aromatic character of this braise.
• Soy sauces – Light soy sauce seasons the pork, while dark soy sauce gives the dish its deep color and a subtle sweetness.
• Shaoxing rice wine – Adds fragrance and balances the richness of the pork.
• Rock sugar – Provides a mild sweetness that balances the savory flavors while helping the sauce develop a beautiful, glossy finish.
• Cornstarch slurry – Gives the reduced braising liquid a thick, smooth, glossy consistency before serving.
• Chinese lettuce – Provides a fresh contrast to the rich pork and serves as a simple base for presentation.

How to Prepare Everything Before Cooking

Pork knuckle

Start by cleaning the pork knuckle thoroughly and removing any remaining hairs from the skin. After blanching, rinse it again and pat it completely dry before rubbing it with dark soy sauce. Having it fully prepared before heating the oil makes the frying step much easier and safer. 

Aromatics

Slice the ginger, cut the spring onions into sections, and peel the garlic cloves. Keeping them together on one plate makes it easy to add them to the pot once the oil is hot. 

Whole spices

Gather all the whole spices and place them in a spice bag or bouquet garni bag. This keeps the braising liquid clear, making it easy to remove the spices once the pork is cooked.

Seasonings

Measure the soy sauces, Shaoxing rice wine, and rock sugar before you start cooking. Once the aromatics become fragrant, you’ll be able to add all the ingredients without stopping to measure. 

Cornstarch slurry

Mix the cornstarch with water shortly before using it, and give it another stir before pouring it into the gravy since the starch settles quickly. 

For serving

Wash and drain the Chinese lettuce ahead of time so you can plate the pork immediately once the gravy is ready. 

The exact quantities for every ingredient are listed in the recipe card below.

Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions

1. Blanch and brown the pork knuckle
   Heat the oil in a large wok or deep skillet over medium heat. Carefully lower the blanched pork knuckle into the hot oil and fry until both sides are evenly browned. The hot oil may splatter, so keep a lid nearby and cover the wok briefly if needed before continuing to fry. Once browned, transfer the pork knuckle to a wire rack or paper towels to drain.
2. Prepare the braising pot
   Heat a little oil in a stock pot or large saucepan over low heat. Sauté the ginger, spring onions, and garlic until fragrant. Add the browned pork knuckle. Add enough hot water to completely cover the pork knuckle. Add the spice bag, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, and rock sugar.
3. Braise until tender
   Bring the liquid to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and braise for about 2 hours, turning the pork knuckle occasionally to ensure even cooking. The pork is ready when the meat pulls away easily from the bone while the knuckle still holds its shape.
4. Make the gravy
   Remove the pork knuckle from the braising liquid. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer to remove the aromatics and spices. Return the strained braising liquid to a saucepan and boil until it becomes slightly thickened and glossy. Stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken it to your preferred consistency.
5. Serve
   Arrange the Chinese lettuce on a serving platter and place the braised pork knuckle on top. Spoon the hot gravy over the pork and serve immediately with steamed rice.

What I Learned While Making This Dish

• Don’t rush the braising. If the liquid boils too vigorously, the meat can become tough before the connective tissue has time to break down properly.
• Frying is worth the effort. It may be tempting to skip this step and proceed directly to braising, but browning the pork first yields a better color and a deeper, more developed flavor.
• Whole spices work best. They release a cleaner, more layered aroma during braising compared to ground spices. 
• The gravy is just as important. Once strained and reduced, it becomes a deeply flavorful sauce that is just as satisfying as the pork itself.

Why This Dish Sometimes Fails

• The pork is still tough – If the meat remains chewy after the recommended cooking time, continue braising over low heat until it becomes tender enough to be fork-tender. Some cuts simply need more time for the connective tissue to fully break down.
• The meat falls apart completely – Over-braising or maintaining too strong a boil can cause the pork to lose its structure and break apart.
• The gravy is too thin – The braising liquid simply needs more time to reduce. If it still looks watery, stir in the cornstarch slurry until it reaches your preferred consistency.
• The pork lacks flavor – The whole spices need enough time to fully infuse the braising liquid. Make sure the pork stays submerged and is turned occasionally so it absorbs the flavors evenly.

Variations

• Make it less spicy – Omit the dried chili and replace Sichuan peppercorns with black peppercorns for a gentler, less numbing braising flavor.
• Use pork shanks instead – If you can’t find pork knuckles or prefer a leaner cut, pork shanks are a good substitute, though the final texture will be slightly less gelatinous.
• Add hard-boiled eggs – Add peeled hard-boiled eggs during the last 30 to 45 minutes of braising so they can absorb the braising sauce and take on its flavor.
• Include braising vegetables – Carrots, daikon radish, or potatoes can be added during the last hour of cooking. They will absorb the braising sauce and make the dish more filling.
• Cook it in a slow cooker – After browning the pork and sautéing the aromatics, transfer everything to a slow cooker and cook on low until the meat is fork-tender and easy to pull from the bone.

Serving Suggestions

• Steamed rice – The classic pairing that soaks up every drop of the braising sauce.
• Blanched Chinese greens – Bok choy, choy sum, or gai lan add freshness and lighten the overall meal.
• Simple soup – Light soups such as winter melon or watercress soup work well alongside the braised pork.
• Family style feast – Pair with stir-fried vegetables, tofu, or steamed fish for a full Chinese-style meal.

This braised pork knuckle is tender, deeply aromatic, and full of flavor, with a sauce that is just as enjoyable as the meat itself.

The key to success is patience. Gentle heat, proper browning, and enough time are what give the pork its soft texture and well-developed flavor.

Continue to Content

Chinese-style braised pork knuckle

Yield: 3 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

This Chinese New Year pork knuckle dish is called 橫財就手 in Chinese. It represents prosperity and good luck for the coming year.

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Ingredients

Ingredients A (blanch and fry the pork knuckle)

• 1 pork knuckle (about 1.2kg)
• 5 slices ginger
• 2 stalks spring onions, cut into 3-inch sections
• 1 tbsp rice wine
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

Ingredients B (aromatics)

• 5 slices ginger
• 2 stalks spring onions
• 5 cloves garlic

Ingredients C (Spices in bouquet garni)

• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 10 cloves
• 1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 5 green cardamom pods
• 1 piece dried orange peel
• 1/4 tsp white peppercorns
• 1 dried chili

Ingredients D (seasonings)

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine
• 2 tbsp rock sugar

Ingredients E

• Cornstarch slurry to thicken the gravy
• 1 Chinese lettuce
• Sufficient oil to fry
• Enough water to braise the pork

Instructions

Blanch the pork knuckle

1. Clean the pork knuckle with plenty of water.
2. Remove any hair you spot with a tweezer or burn it with a blowtorch.
3. Put the knuckle in a large pot and fill it with enough water to submerge it.
4. Add the ginger, spring onion, and rice wine to the water. 
5. Bring the water to a boil. Then blanch the pork knuckles for about 5-7 minutes and turn it over occasionally.
6. Remove it from the water and clean it again with running water. 

Fry the pork knuckle before braising it

1. Add a large tablespoon of dark soy sauce and rub it all over the surface. 
2. Fry the pork in hot oil. Close the lid to avoid splattering.
3. Fry the pork knuckle on both sides until it is golden.
4. Finally, remove it and drain away the oil.

Braise the pork knuckle

1. Saute the sliced ginger, sections of the spring onions, and a few cloves of garlic with oil over low heat until they turn aromatic.
2. Transfer the aromatics into a stock pot.
3. Place the pork knuckle into the pot. Then add enough hot water to the pot to submerge the pork knuckle.
4. Add the bouquet garni of spices, rock sugar, choosing wine, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce.
5. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to keep the braising liquids at a bare simmering temperature for two hours.

Make gravy for the pork knuckle

1. Remove the pork from the braising liquid.
2. Pour the braising liquid through a wire mesh strainer to catch all the herbs and spices.
3. Bring it to a boil again to reduce the amount until it becomes a thick gravy. Then, thicken it with cornstarch slurry.
4. Now the pork knuckle is ready to serve.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 837Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 30gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 2107mgCarbohydrates: 79gFiber: 10gSugar: 14gProtein: 32g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 29/01/2023

What’s the Difference Between Pork Knuckle, Pork Hock, and Ham Hock?

These three names are often used interchangeably, which can be confusing when you’re shopping for ingredients.

A pork knuckle, sometimes called a pork hock, is the section of the pig’s leg around the ankle joint. Depending on where you live, butchers and grocery stores may use either name for the same cut of meat.

A ham hock, on the other hand, usually comes from the hind leg and is often cured or smoked before it’s sold. It has a much saltier, smoky flavor and isn’t the best choice for this recipe unless you want to create a completely different taste.

For this recipe, look for a fresh pork knuckle (or fresh pork hock) weighing about 1.2 kg (2½ pounds). It contains plenty of skin, collagen, and connective tissue, which slowly melt during braising to create tender meat and a rich, silky gravy.