If you have ever gone to a dedicated ramen shop, be it traditional Japanese-style or one of those freestyle “fusion” joints, you have most likely encountered the tender slices of fatty pork that so often adorn the top of these bowls of noodley awesomeness. It may either be served as small rectangular slices or rolled tightly in an attractive spiral, but it is always mind-bendingly tender and delicious. This is chashu, Japanese-style braised pork belly, and it is easily the most popular meat topping for ramen (in fact, at many traditional ramen shops, it is the only meat served).
After my first exposure to chashu, it naturally didn’t take long for me to want to know how it was made, hoping against hope that it was possible to produce something at least marginally similar at home. To my surprise and delight, I soon learned that not only could proper chashu be made at home, it was also relatively easy to do. All I would need was a cast iron skillet, a braising dish, a slab of pork belly, a few easy seasoning ingredients, and a bit of time.
Fast forward a little bit, and I had gotten my hands on a 7.5 lb piece of pork belly (technically it was wild boar belly from the lovely people at Fossil Farms, but you don’t need to get that fancy to enjoy this recipe). I cleared off a bit of time from my schedule and went at it. I originally planned to use the belly for a number of different recipes, but after sampling my first batch of homemade chashu, I knew I needed to make more. In the end, only a pound of that pork belly went to anything other than chashu.
While I could have easily kept all of that chashu for myself (it freezes very well, incidentally, so stocking up is totally an option), I was more than happy to share. Sharing with Chele, though, meant coming up with a gluten-free version for her. Her celiac disease meant that standard soy sauce was out, due to its wheat content. Complicating matters further, she had been finding that tamari and gluten-free soy sauce (even the certified varieties) were still causing her distress. We had both heard that coconut aminos were a popular soy sauce alternative for those with gluten and soy sensitivities, so I decided to go that route. A little digging online turned up many positive comments about Bragg Coconut Aminos on celiac discussion boards, so I ordered up a bottle and gave it a whirl. The aminos are significantly sweeter than typical soy sauce, but that turned out to be an asset here, since the braising sauce used for making chashu is sweetened anyway. I simply swapped in the aminos and left the rest of the recipe untouched, and Chele, her husband Chris, and myself all loved the end result. If you are averse to the extra sugar the aminos add, you might want to back down the sugar called for in the recipe (you are on your own there, as we have not attempted it that way).
Obviously, you can serve your chashu over ramen, just like your favorite shop does. You can also serve it over udon or a simple bowl of rice. You can dice it and use it to make chashu fried rice (which is a popular way to use up the end pieces that don’t make pretty slices). Or you can simply eat slices of it as is, maybe with a little dipping sauce of your choice or (one of my personal favorites) wrapped in a fresh shisho leaf. Slices can also be seared in a very hot pan or by using a small butane torch before serving.
The leftover braising sauce is also very tasty and versatile, so don’t throw it out. You should save a little to store any chashu that you plan to store in the refrigerator in, but the rest can be used in a variety of ways (after you skim off the fat, of course). For starters, you can make ramen eggs by soaking peeled hard boiled eggs in it overnight. Or try tossing some stir-fried shishito peppers in it for a quick side dish. It also makes a great sauce for rice, eggs, or pretty much anything else that you want to soak it in. Interestingly, the full-sugar version made with coconut aminos will quickly turn into a chewy salted caramel when you throw it in a hot pan. It makes for a really unique version of those shishito peppers I just mentioned – or a surprise ice cream topping!
As mentioned earlier, chashu can be cooked in either a slab or rolled version. The rolled form makes for a more striking presentation and tends to be even more moist and tender, but is more work to prepare and requires twice the cooking time as the slab form. The slab version is much simpler and is probably the version best suited for day-to-day cooking at home. For this reason, the recipe presented here will focus on the slab version, though we have made both. For info on making the rolled version, please see the recipe notes.
Chashu
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork belly skinless
- 1 tbsp light oil sunflower, vegetable, etc
- 3 green onions
- 1" knob ginger skin scraped off
- 1 cup cooking sake
- 1 cup soy sauce for gluten-free, use coconut aminos or certified gluten-free tamari
- 2 cups water
- ⅔ cup sugar
Instructions
- Determine which direction the grain of the pork belly runs by looking at the edges (the ends that look most like bacon are cut across the grain). Slice the pork belly ALONG the grain to create several logs that are about 2" wide along the "bacon" ends. The exact number of logs will depend on the shape of your original slab.
- Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet or heavy frying pan over high heat. Place pork belly logs in the pan fat-side down and sear for about 1.5-2 minutes. Turn and repeat until all sides have been seared (about 10-12 minutes total time).
- While meat is searing, add all remaining ingredients to a large stock pot, dutch oven, braising dish, or similar pan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the seared pork belly logs to the pot.
- Make a circle of aluminum foil that is just wide enough to fit the INSIDE diameter of the pot (you want it to rest directly on top of contents of the pot while covering them completely). Cut a 1"-wide "X" in the center. (You have just made a makeshift otoshibuta, or Japanese-style vented drop lip. If you happen to own an actual otoshibuta, by all means use that instead).
- Simmer on low heat for one hour, turning the pork belly every 15 minutes.
- Remove the chashu from the pan and let rest. Skim fat from the remaining contents of the pot, then strain out solids. Reserve sauce for storing any chashu that is not going to be served immediately, or refrigerate for later use in other recipes.
- If you are serving the chashu immediately, slice into ¼" slices across the grain, and serve however you prefer (i.e. atop a bowl of ramen or rice). Chashu can also be stored in the refrigerator for a few days prior to serving by leaving whole and placing in an airtight container or plastic bag with a small amount of sauce. For long-term storage, chashu may be sliced and frozen.
Notes
- To make the rolled version of chashu, you will want a piece of pork belly that is cut so that the “bacon” ends are shorter than the other two ends. Start by taking one of the longer ends and roll the slab tightly – fat-side facing out – so that the shorter ends form a spiral. Wrap the roll tightly with kitchen twine and tie it off securely to ensure it will maintain its shape. Sear and braise as per recipe instructions, but increase the simmering time to 2 hours.
