Steamed Leg of Pork

A leg of fresh pork, not smoked or cured, 2 to 5 pounds
soy sauce, sherry, garlic, oil, sugar, corn starch, water, special equipment
quantities and details below based on 3 pounds

Stab the meat all over, especially the skin, at least 100 times for small leg. 
Rub meat all over with about 2 T soy sauce.
Store meat overnight in a plastic bag in refrigerator or continue immediately.

The next step cooks the meat part way, gets rid of excess fat, and makes great stock.
Put the meat in the smallest pan that will hold it, cover it with water,
bring to a boil, and simmer, covered, 40 minutes. It is ok to add flavoring veges 
such as onion or ginger to the water. I don't. More water means weaker stock. 
Depending on the shape of the meat, you might want to use less water and 
turn over the meat part way through the simmering.  Do not worry about overcooking. 
I once forgot the timer and 40 minutes turned into 90, with no harm done.
Remove the meat from the liquid. After the liguid cools, remove the layer of fat and
reserve the rest as stock for soup. It will be jelled.
Let the meat cool. Overnight in the refrigerator is good.
You can reuse the plastic bag from the night before.

Set up the bowl in a pot steamer. Put a stand on the bottom of a large stock pot.
Pick a bowl with ears, big enough to hold the pork.
Check that the bowl fits in the pot and you can lift it from above with bowl tongs.
nfold a clean kitchen towel on the counter.
Place the pot cover on the towel, with just a tiny bit not on the towel.
Join the 4 corners of the towel with a safety pin near the cover handle.
Add water to the to above the stand, cover and heat on high.

1 T sugar	1 T sherry	2 T soy sauce
Combine ingredients. Place pork in bowl and rub mixture all over.

2 or 3 cloves garlic
2 T oil
2 T sugar
2 T soy sauce

Crush garlic. Do not chop. In a sauce pan, heat oil and brown garlic.
Off heat, add sugar and soy sauce, mix well.
Position meat in bowl so large meaty end is available to test doneness while in pot.
Pour sauce over meat. Place bowl in pot. 
Add water to halfway height of bowl.
Do not wash saucepan.
When water boils, turn down heat a little.
Check progress about every half hour.

Remove cover carefully, avoiding the steam.
Add a little cold water to make it easier to do the rest.
Add hot water to halfway up the bowl.
If the bowl is more than half full of fluid, transfer the excess to the saucepan.
Check for done. It is done when it is very, very tender, almost falling apart.

Wash the spinach.

When pork is done, turn off heat, remove the bowl from the pot.
Using two slotted spoons, transfer the pork to a large platter.
Discard the garlic.
Pour the sauce from the bowl into the saucepan and bring to a boil.

Mix 2 T corn starch with 4 T water in a small bowl.
Slowly stir it into the boiling sauce. Stop when the sauce is thick enough.
Pour sauce into serving dish.

Remove rack from botom of pot, add spinach, stir for a few seconds,
and drain into a collinder.  Place half the spinach at each end of the platter.
Serve with steamed rice.