Amazing Sweet & Sour Pork

This sweet and sour pork uses a clever two-step technique that solves the home cook’s biggest sweet and sour problem: tough meat. Pork shoulder gets simmered in vinegar water for 25 minutes first, which tenderizes the cubes and washes away surface scum, then fried and simmered in the sweet-tangy sauce.

The vinegar pre-simmer is doing two jobs. The acid breaks down connective tissue in the pork shoulder much faster than a plain water boil would, and it seasons the meat from the inside so the final sauce doesn’t have to do all the work.

Maraschino cherry juice is a small but signature touch. It contributes a faint floral sweetness and that signature pinkish-red tint you’d recognize from old-school Chinese-American takeout.

Pro Tips

• Cut pork into irregular bite-sized pieces, the uneven edges crisp better when fried
• Mix the cornstarch slurry off the heat so it doesn’t clump
• Don’t add the pineapple and peppers too early, they go limp in long simmering
• Use reserved canned pineapple syrup, fresh juice from a fresh pineapple is too tart and acidic
• Serve immediately over hot rice, the sauce loses its glossy shine as it cools

Variations

• Substitute boneless pork loin for shoulder for a leaner, faster-cooking version
• Add a teaspoon of ketchup for the bright red restaurant color
• Toss in chunks of cucumber or snow peas in the final two minutes for fresh crunch