Hong Shao Rou
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Brick-Tea Pot Pork
Cured pork belly braised in brick-tea liquor with dried bamboo shoots, finished with green garlic — tea cuts the richness, the pork stays melting. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 茶道砖锅肉, report 67.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 茶道砖锅肉_67.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 12 hours (soaking)Cook: 55 minutesTotal: 12 hours 55 minutesServings: 2Difficulty: MediumRegion: Anhui (Huizhou)Flavour: Smoky, savoury, tea-fragrant
Why this works
The report's trick is using tea as a braising liquid rather than a drink alongside. Brick tea, steeped five minutes at 90 °C, gives a deep amber liquor that does two things water cannot: its tannins cut through cured pork's fat, and its earthy note makes the whole pot taste more complex without extra seasoning. The pork is first rendered dry — no oil in the pan — until about 30 ml of fat comes out, because that rendered fat is what carries the tea flavour into the meat. Then the pot simmers low for half an hour, the bamboo goes in for fifteen more, and the sauce reduces until it coats a spoon like syrup. Steep the tea longer than ten minutes and it turns bitter and drags the pot with it; add the green garlic early and it yellows. Both mistakes are timing mistakes, which is the report's recurring lesson.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huizhou cured pork belly, with skin | 5.3 oz | 150 g | Cut into 2 cm cubes; cured pork belly from a Chinese grocer, or smoked bacon in a pinch (adaptation). |
| Dried bamboo shoots, soaked | 3.5 oz | 100 g | Soaked weight; soak dried shoots in cold water for 12 hours, then blanch (adaptation for the soak). |
| Green garlic, cut into segments | 1.1 oz | 30 g | Green garlic or garlic chives; spring onion greens are a substitute (adaptation). |
| Brick tea liquor | 20 tbsp | 300 ml | One steeping of brick tea in 90 °C water for 5 minutes; dark pu-erh is a substitute (adaptation). |
| Light soy sauce | 1.0 tbsp | 15 ml | — |
| Rock sugar | 0.4 oz | 10 g | Granulated sugar works (adaptation). |
| Cooking wine | 2.0 tsp | 10 ml | Shaoxing wine. |
| Salt | 0.1 oz | 2 g | — |
Equipment
- Clay pot or heavy lidded pot — a brick-shaped pot is traditional but not required (adaptation)
- Pot for blanching bamboo
Steps
- Soak and prepare. Soak the dried bamboo in cold water for 12 hours (it roughly triples in weight), cut into strips, and blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes. Cut the cured pork into 2 cm cubes. Steep the brick tea in 90 °C water for 5 minutes and strain.
- Render the pork. Heat a dry pan — no oil — and fry the pork cubes over medium heat for 3 minutes until they release fat and the surface is lightly crisped. About 30 ml of fat should render out.
- Braise in tea. Pour in 300 ml tea liquor, add rock sugar, cooking wine and soy sauce, bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. The liquor should cover the pork; do not add water midway, and keep the heat low so the tea does not turn bitter.
- Add bamboo. Add the blanched bamboo and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes more, until the bamboo has absorbed the tea and pork juices.
- Reduce and finish. Turn to medium-high heat and reduce for 3–5 minutes until the sauce is thick and coats a spoon. Add the green garlic, toss over high heat for 30 seconds until just wilted and fully heated, and serve in a preheated clay pot with the remaining sauce poured over.
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Technique: Technique: tea steep, fat render, low simmer
Three controls decide this dish: tea steeped five minutes, never over ten, or bitterness takes over; pork rendered dry until fat runs, because that fat is the flavour carrier; and a low simmer throughout, since hard boiling makes the tea harsh. The sauce is done when it hangs on a spoon like syrup, not before.
Variations
- No brick tea: ripe pu-erh gives the closest earthy liquor; avoid green or floral teas, which turn thin and sharp in a braise.
- Make-ahead (adaptation): the report notes the render-and-braise stages can be batched; reheat, reduce and add green garlic only at serving.
Frequently asked questions
Why brick tea?
It is a pressed dark tea with an earthy, mellow character that survives braising and cuts cured pork's richness.
Can I add water during braising?
The report says no — the tea liquor must cover the pork from the start, and topping up dilutes the flavour.
Why no oil for rendering?
Cured pork belly releases plenty of fat on its own; added oil would make the finished pot greasy.
Storage
Best eaten fresh, though the braise reheats well. Keeps 2 days refrigerated; reheat until boiling throughout and add fresh green garlic at serving.
Brick-Tea Pot Pork — Recipe Card
Cured pork belly braised in brick-tea liquor with dried bamboo shoots, finished with green garlic — tea cuts the richness, the pork stays melting. Adapted for a
Prep: 12 hours (soaking)Cook: 55 minutesTotal: 12 hours 55 minutesServings: 2
Ingredients: 150 g cured pork belly; 100 g soaked bamboo shoots; 30 g green garlic; 300 ml brick-tea liquor; 15 ml light soy; 10 g rock sugar; 10 ml cooking wine; 2 g salt.
Steps: 1) Soak bamboo 12 hours; blanch 2 minutes. Steep brick tea at 90 °C for 5 minutes. 2) Render pork dry 3 minutes until fat runs. 3) Add tea liquor and seasonings; simmer low 30 minutes. 4) Add bamboo; simmer 15 minutes. 5) Reduce 3–5 minutes until syrupy; add green garlic, toss 30 seconds, serve in a heated pot.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 茶道砖锅肉 (data/reports/67.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. The report's ingredient cost table is arithmetically wrong — it prices one steeping of brick tea at hundreds of times its own stated unit price — so all cost figures are omitted. Original poster image: clouchef.com (茶道砖锅肉_67.jpeg).