Ramen Chashu (Japanese Braised Pork Belly)

By Sudachi · 150 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Pat the pork belly dry, place it flesh side up, and make shallow cuts across it about 1 cm apart.
2. Roll it tightly, pressing as you go to push out air pockets, then tie with butcher's twine or wrap in a meat net.
3. Put the pork in a deep pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Let it bubble gently for 5–6 minutes, skimming off the scum.
4. Once the scum slows, lift the pork into a bowl of cold water. Rinse the pot, refill it with fresh water and bring it to a simmer again. Meanwhile, rinse the pork under cold running water.
5. When the water is gently bubbling, add the pork along with 50 g of leek green tops, 25 g of ginger, 3 garlic cloves, 100 g of onion and 1 tsp of rice vinegar. Cover with a drop lid, lower the heat and simmer gently for 1 hour.
6. Remove the drop lid, turn the pork over and ladle out 250 ml of the broth. Cover again and simmer for another hour. If more than a third of the pork is out of the liquid, top up with a little water.
7. Put the 250 ml broth in a small pan with 4 tbsp sake, 4 tbsp mirin, 1½ tbsp light brown sugar, 1 tbsp honey and the star anise. Bubble for about 1 minute.
8. Turn off the heat and stir in 125 ml Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) and 1 tsp oyster sauce. Set aside.
9. After the pork has simmered 2 hours in total, put it in a large zip-top bag. Strain the sauce, pour it over the pork, and add 25 g of ginger cut into thick slices. Press out the air, seal, cool on the counter, then refrigerate for 12–24 hours.
10. Remove the pork from the marinade and slice it 10–15 mm thick. Save the leftover marinade for a broth.
11. Optionally, char the slices with a kitchen blowtorch, then serve on ramen.

Summarized from Sudachi's video. Watch it for the details.

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GarlicOnionGingerBrown sugarLeekPork bellyPork