Chashu (Japanese Braised Pork Belly)
Chashu or Japanese braised pork belly is usually served thinly sliced and lightly charred. It's gently cooked in a sweet and savory braising liquid until super tender but still juicy and flavorful. A must have topping in a bowl of ramen along with ajitama (ramen eggs)!
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 2 hr 5 min
- Yield
- 16 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 4 pound pork belly (preferably skinless (about 9in by 7in or 23cm by 18cm) *see notes)
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup regular soy sauce
- ½ cup sake
- ½ cup mirin
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 stalk negi (just the green part (aka Japanese long green onion or substitute with 2-3 stalks of green onions))
- 2 inches ginger (sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the pork belly:If your pork belly has skin on it, trim it off first. Then roll the pork belly longways (lengthwise) into a log, fat side out and the meaty side in. Wrap butcher's twine tightly around the rolled up pork belly to help it keep it's shape. Tie the twine to secure it.*If your pork belly is too long for your braising pot, you can cut it in half to make two smaller logs.*
- 2
Place the rolled up pork belly into a pot and fill it with enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil, remove the the pork belly and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the water and clean the pot for braising later or use a new pot.
- 3
In a nonstick pan over medium high heat, sear the blanched pork belly until it's golden brown all around. Remove from the pan and place into the braising pot.
- 4
Braise the pork belly:To the pot, add all of the remaining ingredients (water, soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, negi, ginger, and garlic) and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. The braising liquid reach at least half way up the pork belly log. Once the sugar has dissolved, dip a sheet of clean paper towel into the braising liquid then drape it over the pork belly.
- 5
Keep it at a gentle simmer for about 2 hours for tender chashu with a little bite or 3 hours for completely melt in your mouth chashu. Make sure to rotate the pork belly log every 30 minutes and keep the top of the chashu covered with the braising liquid soaked towel to keep it moist. Also, add more water as needed if the braising liquid evaporates more than half way below the pork belly.
- 6
Cool:This cooling step is optional but highly recommended as it will really help the pork belly hold its shape and make cutting the chashu into thin slices easier. Also, the pork will have more time to sit in the marinade, which means more flavor! But you can definitely go straight into cutting and eating the chashu after braising.
- 7
Once the pork belly is done braising, transfer it to a vacuum bag or a resealable bag, like Ziploc. Strain the braising liquid and discard the aromatics. Add about 1 cup of it to the bag with the pork belly. Vacuum seal the braised pork belly and let it cool in a bowl of ice water until at least room temperature then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before cutting. Remaining braising liquid can be saved for other use.If you don't have a food vacuum machine, you can make your own vacuum bag with just the resealable bag and some water (read more about it in the post above).
- 8
Serve:After the pork belly has cooled completely and firmed up, remove it from the bag and remove the butcher's twine. Use a sharp knife and cut the pork belly into thin slices no thicker than ⅛ inch (about 3mm). You can reheat the chashu in the hot broth you'll be serving in or by pan searing in a hot pan or torching with a kitchen torch to give it its iconic char.Enjoy the chashu over rice or as a topping in your ramen!