Pork Floss

Pork floss, known in Chinese as rousong, is made by braising pork tenderloin until completely tender, then pulling it apart and stir-frying or baking the shreds with soy sauce, sugar and oil until every strand is completely dry, light and slightly sweet. The result is a fine, fibrous, cotton-like condiment with a deep savoury flavour. It is widely used across Chinese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese cooking as a topping for congee, tofu, buns and rice bowls. In this episode, Laurence used pork floss to add a contrast of texture and umami to his smoked loin dish, using the tenderloin pulled from the whole hog before smoking to prevent it from drying out over the long cook.