Pork teponk

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 pork shoulder weighing 4–4.5 kg, with skin and on the bone
• 2 medium onions (291 g), cut into quarters
• 4 cloves garlic (26 g), crushed
• 5 cm peeled ginger root (40 g), chopped (about 3 tbsp)
• 10 carnations
• 6 star anise
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 cup dark soy sauce
• 1 cup sherry vinegar or cooking sherry
• 6 large eggs

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Fry the pork, skin side down, until it begins to brown, 5–6 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, cloves, and star anise and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, 4–5 minutes.
3. Add the brown sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until melted, 1–2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and vinegar and stir. Return the pork to the pot, skin side down, and cover with water (about 10 cups). Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover and transfer to the oven. Simmer until the pork is tender, 3 1/2–4 hours.
4. Meanwhile, place the eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water to a depth of 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the water boils, immediately turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for 3 minutes. Drain and transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Peel the eggs and make 4-5 small slits in the whites of each. Refrigerate the eggs until ready to use.
5. Remove the pork from the pan and place the pan over high heat. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce by half or until thickened, about 30 minutes (you should have 4 cups of liquid left). Add the eggs to the pan and cook for another 5–6 minutes, allowing the sweet and salty sauce to penetrate the yolks. Strain the sauce into a bowl and skim off any fat. Slice the pork and pour the sauce over it. Serve with the eggs.