First, keep butcher’s twine in your kitchen pantry to become a Ramen master at home!
Well, you’re lucky if you have a handy butcher to tie the oddly shaped pork cut.
Besides, the easiest way outside ordering to the butcher, get a meat netting.
However, tying the meat with butcher’s twine is not so pain in the neck once you get used to it or have big hands.
There are several ways of tying the meat while the classic butcher’s method is called “butcher’s knot”, but, it takes a little hassle since I have small hands and short fingers.
So, I do this way without making a loop-just bring the twine goes around the meat.
It is a common tying method to make Chashu pork in Japan as well butcher’s knot.
There are several reasons why tying meat.
The most popular reason is the finish will be more presentable and attractive, but, it also helps to cook evenly even for the irregular-shaped meat.
Besides, tied rolled Chashu Pork will be tender and moist since the soy sauce-based marinating sauce will not directly penetrate inside of the meat.
Can you skip tying the meat to make Chashu?
Yes, but, yes.
If you don’t care about the beautiful round-Chashu, actually, it is not necessary to tie the meat.
Especially, when using the small meat cut or saving cooking time, it is the option to skip the twine.
Yet, the meat without the twine will easily fall apart or overcook, so cook carefully when you want to skip the twine.
Chashu Pork
How To Tie The Meat For Chashu Pork
Materials
- butcher’s twine
Instructions
- I use the butcher's twine with the length of my open arms and half.
- Secure the twine with a knot. Slide the twine underneath the end of rolled pork shoulder (about 1 inch from the end), and hold the twine with the short end and the long end. *The short end will be tied with the long end as a finish, make sure you have a good 3 to 4 inches of twine on the short end.Tie the twine tightly.
- Hold the long end, and pull the twine a few inches down to another end.
- Hold the twine with your index finger, and bring the twine around the meat.
- Cross the twine under the twine you already pulled down where your index finger is holding, then pill the long end down. Make sure the twine is tightly secured while pulling it. You'll see the twine is crossed.
- Repeat these steps until the end.
- Flip the meat over while gently pulling the twine tight, continue the twine around the other side of the roast.
- Repeat wrapping the long twine around loops you already made until the end.
- Flip the meat again, and secure the twine with another knot at the short end that you made at the first step.
Notes
When you tie the pork successfully, make this easy tender moist Chashu pork with the sous vide cooking method.
This recipe is used a pork shoulder cut, still, you can use pork belly as well.
For the full recipe, check out this post.
Tender Moist Chicken Chashu
You can make Chashu with chicken breast.
(Well, you can’t call it “Chashu” since it is made of Chicken to be precise…)
How can you make this beautiful round shape?
Actually, this is used with plastic wrap.
For my tender moist Chicken breast ramen topping and how to make these,