It has been haunting me since Patio Filipino. Misis took another crack at it last week, and though it was better than her first, it wasn't as good as with ham hock, and so I gave it a try:

• 4 Tbsp canola oil
  
• about 6 cloves minced garlic
  
• 6 pcs pork shanks (approx 4 lbs)
  
• sugar, about 3 Tbsp
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
  
• 3 Tbsp Datu Puti vinegar
  
• leftover tausi (salted black beans), maybe about 4 Tbsp
  
• 1 cup water

I first coated the shanks with about 1 Tbsp sugar then dropped in a 5-qt pot with the oil and garlic and bay leaf already in it over medium heat. I gradually added the rest of the sugar, then the soy sauce, then the vinegar all the while thoroughly stirring the shanks around. I brought the heat up to med-hi, then tossed in the tausi, a bit of stirring, and finally, water. I covered the pot, brought the experiment to a boil, then dropped the heat to low, and then I left for Whole Foods--I ran out of coffee. I came back and found out that I should have waited and skimmed the foam and instead found scummy residue all over, so I had to clean it up, which took at least half an hour. That and the skin around each shank contracted and squeezed the meat outward deforming every piece. That was inevitable. I gave it two more hours of braising over low heat, and although it looked ugly, it tasted good.

In fact, it tasted like what mom usually makes, only she uses dried lotus flowers rather than tausi and leaves out the vinegar, and hers has deep fried tofu cubes and hard-boiled eggs. She calls it Chinese style adobo, misis calls it paksiw na pata. A friend also made something similar but without the eggs and tofu and calls it pata tim. However you call it, I can't get enough of it, and I can't wait to make some more, only next time I'll leave off the shank skins prior to cooking, keep the garlic cloves whole and just crush 'em, and I'll be more careful as to keep the tausi intact. Maybe then the dish will be picture worthy.