Method

1
Inspect the hocks. Remove stray hairs with tweezers or by singeing. Dry-fit both hocks in the Dutch oven to confirm they sit in a snug single layer with the lid able to close.
Uses: pork hocks

Note: touching is fine — wedged so you cannot rotate them is not
2
Put the hocks in a large blanching pot. Cover with cold water. Add the blanching ginger, scallions, and Shaoxing wine.
Uses: pork hocks, fresh ginger, scallions, Shaoxing wine
3
Bring gradually to a rolling simmer. Hold to draw out blood proteins and scum. ⏱ 9m
Target: water 98°C
4
Drain. Rinse the hocks thoroughly under warm water, rubbing away any gray scum in the creases. Rinse the pot if reusing.
5
Set the hocks on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Pat extremely dry. Refrigerate uncovered for the cleanest surface, or rest at room temperature and pat dry again. ⏱ 60m
Note: wet skin steams before it browns — drying matters
6
Preheat the broiler to high for 10 minutes. Position the rack so the hocks will sit 15–20 cm from the element. ⏱ 10m
7
Broil the hocks, rotating every 3–5 minutes, until the skin is blistered, golden-brown, and dotted with small dark spots. Chase the pale areas — these are whole hocks, not a single "skin side up." ⏱ 16m
Uses: pork hocks

Note: stop before the skin turns leathery or shows charred patches
8
Set the hocks aside on the rack. Place the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the rock sugar with 2 tbsp water. Let the sugar dissolve, bubble, and gradually turn amber — caramel, not burnt.
Uses: rock sugar

Target: caramel 170°C
9
Immediately add the remaining Shaoxing wine. It will hiss and steam. Stir to dissolve the caramel into the liquid.
Uses: Shaoxing wine
10
Add the light soy, dark soy, remaining ginger and scallions, and the spices. Pour in about 1 liter of water. Bring to a simmer and scrape the bottom clean.
Uses: light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, fresh ginger, scallions, star anise, cassia bark, dried tangerine peel, water
11
Lower the hocks into the pot. Top up with more water only as needed to reach half to two-thirds of the way up the hocks — do not submerge.
Uses: pork hocks, water
12
Stabilize the braising liquid at the target temperature. Cover with the lid slightly ajar.
Target: braise 90°C
13
Braise gently. Every 30–40 minutes, baste both hocks, rotate them, and swap positions if one side runs hotter. Keep the liquid at a near-simmer — a rolling boil will emulsify fat into the sauce. ⏱ 180m
Target: braise 90°C, max 94°C

Note: cloudy greasy sauce means the braise boiled too hard
14
Check doneness. A chopstick should slide through the skin with almost no resistance; meat near the bone should pull apart easily; fat under the skin should look translucent. If the meat is tender but the skin still resists, keep braising — the skin is the point of the dish.
Target: meat 91°C
15
Lift the hocks out carefully with two spatulas. They will be fragile. Set on a tray and cover loosely.
16
Strain the braising liquid into a wide metal bowl. Discard spent aromatics. Chill over an ice bath or in the freezer, stirring the edges occasionally, then skim off the fat as it rises and firms. ⏱ 30m
Note: refrigerating overnight and lifting the solid fat cap the next day gives the cleanest result
17
Return the defatted sauce to a wide pan. Reduce over medium-high heat until glossy and spoon-coating — aim for roughly 300–450 ml of glaze. ⏱ 15m
18
Drop the heat to low. Stir in the Chinkiang vinegar, starting with 2 tsp and tasting up. The sauce should taste less heavy, not sour.
Uses: Chinkiang black vinegar
19
Return the hocks to the glaze. Spoon sauce repeatedly over all sides, rotating carefully — the skin is delicate now. If reheating chilled hocks, cover and rewarm gently in the sauce first. ⏱ 6m
Uses: pork hocks

Target: glaze 86°C, interior 65°C
20
Serve whole or in large pieces. Plate with steamed rice and blanched greens, and spoon glaze over everything.