Homemade Pork Floss (Rou Song)
肉松 · pan chinese cuisine
Pork floss (rou song) is a Chinese staple of dried, shredded, cottony pork, great over rice, in congee, or in bakes. This version uses a pressure cooker to tenderize the pork loin, a bread machine's jam setting to dry and fluff it, and includes a stovetop alternative if you don't have a bread machine.
Rosa DelgadoThird-generation Tex-Mex cook learning my abuela's tamales before it's too late. Masa is a living thing, y'all. Also deep in a sourdough phase I can't explain.Nutrition & allergens
Contains:SoyWheat
Some ingredients are not yet allergen-surveyed; this label is not exhaustive.
Per serving (4 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- Unknown
- Protein (g)
- Unknown
- Fat (g)
- Unknown
- Carbs (g)
- Unknown
- Sodium (mg)
- Unknown
Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.
Pork loin猪里脊肉
22.93 oz
0.06 cup
5.0 slice
Monk fruit (luo han guo), for pressure cooker use罗汉果（高压锅中用）
0.25 whole
salt盐
0.63 oz
caster sugar细砂糖
1.41 oz
salt盐
0.21 oz
1.8 oz
0.21 oz
Techniques you'll use
- Blanching (chao shui) ↗
Par-cook in boiling water to clean, tighten, or prep ingredients.
- Simmering (dun) ↗
Gentle low-heat cooking in liquid until flavors merge and meat softens.
- Dry-frying (gan bian) ↗
Drive off moisture in a bare wok to concentrate flavor and chew.
Steps
- 1
Step 1
Cut the pork loin into large chunks following the direction of the muscle fibers — avoid cutting across the grain so the fibers stay long. Prepare the ginger, cooking wine, and monk fruit.
✅ Done when: The pork is in large long-grain chunks and the ginger, wine, and monk fruit are set out.
Bring a pot of plenty of water to a boil, add the pork, and boil for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the pork, and rinse it clean with cold water.
✅ Done when: The surface scum is gone and the rinsed pork looks clean.
In a pressure cooker, add the pork and seasonings with enough water to cover the meat. Bring to pressure, then reduce to low heat and cook for 15 minutes. (For babies, you can cook longer.)
✅ Done when: The pressure cooker has come up to pressure and the pork simmers on low for 15 minutes.
- 4
Step 4
Remove the pork pieces, drain well, and let cool. Put them in a resealable plastic bag and roll flat with a rolling pin as much as possible.
✅ Done when: The pork is cool to the touch and flattened into thin pieces.
- 5
Step 5
Rub the flattened pork firmly between your palms to break it into fine shreds. This step is key to getting a fluffy, cotton-like floss.
✅ Done when: The meat has turned into fine, fibrous shreds rather than chunks.
- 6
Step 6
Put the shredded meat into a bread machine, add the seasonings, and give it a light stir. Adjust the seasoning amounts to your own taste.
✅ Done when: The seasonings are evenly distributed through the shredded meat.
Run the bread machine's jam function to stir-fry the floss. Since bread machines vary in power, if the floss isn't dry enough, run the jam function again for about 20 more minutes. About halfway through, taste and add more seasoning to your liking. Stovetop alternative: if you don't have a bread machine, use a nonstick pan over low heat. Do the palm-rubbing step (step 5) even more thoroughly, keep the heat low the whole time, stir constantly, and keep going until the floss is dry and fluffy — the drier it is, the better it keeps.
✅ Done when: The floss is dry and fluffy, not moist or clumped.
- 8
Step 8
Spread the finished floss on a baking sheet to cool, then pack it airtight and refrigerate. Because homemade floss has no preservatives, keep it sealed in a bag or jar in the fridge for about 3-5 days, or freeze it for longer storage.
✅ Done when: The floss is completely cool before sealing and refrigerating.