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    Home » Recipes » Japanese

    Chashu Pork - Braised Pork Belly for Ramen

    July 28, 2020 By Sara McCleary Updated November 29, 2020 - This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    chashu pork pinterest pin

    Chashu pork is ridiculously easy to make at home. Rolled pork belly braised to delicious melt in your mouth perfection. The tender slices of charred goodness that crown a bowl of piping hot ramen. There is no excuse to not have some on hand in the freezer, and you can use it for more than ramen.

    Pork belly cooked in this manner is incredibly tasty and tender. I keep a nice little hoard of the stuff in my freezer. Sliced and ready to use when needed, or I should say craved.

    It goes perfectly with the stash of instant ramen I have in the cupboard. Add a few slices of chashu pork with some freshly chopped spring onion, egg, and pickled bamboo. Bingo, delicious easy ramen at home.

    chashu pork being sliced on a cutting board
    slicing charshu pork
    What's in this post
    • Not just for ramen
    • Preparing, rolling & tying the pork belly
    • The importance of browning
    • Braising liquid
    • Slicing & storing
    • Reheating the slices
    • Printable Recipe
    • Other Japanese recipes

    Not just for ramen

    I do make chashu pork mainly to be used with ramen. Especially when the months are colder, and a warm bowl of noodles and broth go down a treat.

    But there are many ways you can use this version of Japanese braised pork belly. You don't have to use it just for ramen.

    • Okonomiyaki - A few slices placed on top of the ingredients when cooking. It will sear beautifully on the grill when flipping it over.
    • Rice & Noodles - Add it as an ingredient to stir-fried noodles or fried rice.
    • Baos (steamed Buns) - Place a couple of slices in a steamed bao with green onion, cucumber, and tonkatsu sauce.
    • Donburi - makes a great topping for a donburi, rice bowl.
    • Omelette - chop some up with green onion, baby corn, and bean shoots as an omelette filling.
    a bowl of pork ramen with slices of chashu on top
    tonkotsu ramen

    Preparing, rolling & tying the pork belly

    I've used a 1.5kg (3.3 pounds) piece of pork belly for this chashu pork recipe. Both the skin and the bones have been removed. This is something I ask my butcher to do for me. Saves me having to do it, plus they are far better at butchering meat than I am.

    Do keep the bones and skin. You may as well as you are paying for them in any case. The bones can be used to make broth (pop them in the freezer until you have enough).

    The skin I turn into crackling. Also known as Sara made pork scratchings and the entire family (including Harley) do a happy dance.

    top side of pork belly with skin removed on baking paper
    top view of pork belly with skin removed
    underside of pork belly showing ribs removed
    underside of belly belly with bones removed

    With the underside of the belly facing up, roll it up as tight as you possibly can.

    a person rolling a piece of pork belly on a wooden board
    roll tightly from one end of belly
    rolled piece of pork belly on baking paper
    rolled pork belly

    Tying up a rolled pork belly for the first time can be a little tricky. Don't worry about how tidy it looks, nobody is going to see it with the string on.

    The idea is to keep it in a tight roll, nice and compact as the meat will shrink slightly during cooking.

    Wrap kitchen string/butcher's twin around one end of the rolled belly. Tie a double knot to firmly secure the string. Loop the string around the belly a finger spacing away from your initial knotted loop. Thread the string under the loop just created and pull tightly. Continue this until you come to the other end of the belly.

    rolled piece of pork belly on baking paper
    tie string firmly around one end of rolled belly
    tying a rolled piece of pork belly with string
    wrap the string around the belly
    tying a rolled piece of pork belly with string
    thread the string under the loop
    tying a rolled piece of pork belly with string
    pull tight and continue until the end

    Once the string has been wrapped around the pork belly you need to secure the ends. Loop the string over the end of the pork roll, tucking in the end of the pork. Run the string down the middle of the roll, threading the string through every few loops as you go, pulling tight.

    Do the same for the other side of the rolled and tied belly.

    tying a rolled piece of pork belly with string
    bring string back down the middle looping through and tightening every few loops
    pork belly rolled and tied with string
    tie firmly at the end and repeat on underside of belly

    The importance of browning

    Once the pork belly is tightly rolled you are on to the next stage, browning. Browning the chashu pork is very important, and not a step to skip. By browning the meat you are caramelising it, giving it not just colour, but also flavour.

    rolled and tied pork belly in a pan being seared
    brown rolled pork belly well for colour and taste

    Braising liquid

    Now it's on to the real part of the cooking. Braising the pork slowly in a flavour packed liquid for a few hours.

    A classic Japanese flavour combination, mirin, cooking sake, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, shallot and green onion. Easy to obtain ingredients from your local supermarket or Asian grocery store.

    ingredients for chashu braising liquid
    ingredients for braising liquid
    seared and rolled pork belly in a dutch oven with braising liquid
    seared pork belly in braising liquid

    What I do love about this recipe is that it keeps on giving. Not only do you end up with a decent amount of chashu pork, you also end up with a flavourful sauce. DO NOT throw the braising liquid away.

    It is black gold! Use it to make Ajitsuke tamago (ramen eggs), as a sauce for stir-fries, marinade, noodle dipping sauce, or drizzled over chilled tofu. You can also use a little of the sauce to reheat slices of chashu pork.

    skimming solid fat from chashu pork braising liquid
    remove fat from chilled braising liquid
    braising liquid for chashu pork strained and placed in jars for future use
    strain braising liquid and store in jars

    Pour the leftover braising liquid into a large jug through a fine mesh sieve. Once cooled, cover and leave in the fridge overnight. The fat will come to the top and solidify. This makes it easy to spoon off the fat to discard.

    Pour into glass jars and store in the fridge.

    Slicing & storing

    Now we come to the hard part. Once the chashu pork has finished cooking it needs to cool and "set". Once cooled wrap it tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap. Then place in the fridge overnight.

    If you try to slice the chashu pork immediately after it has been cooked it will shred to pieces. It needs time in the fridge to completely chill and set in the rolled shape.

    whole piece of chashu on a cutting board ready for slicing
    tied, chilled and rested chashu pork
    whole piece of chashu with string being removed
    removing string from braised pork belly

    The next day, and it is worth the wait, you are ready to slice up your ramen pork belly.

    Carefully remove the kitchen string before slicing. Using a sharp knife cut. into 2-3mm (â…› inch) slices. The ends are difficult to slice, chop those up to use in fried rice, with noodles, or topping a donburi.

    whole piece of braised pork belly with slices cut on a board
    perfect round slices of Japanese braised pork belly

    Any pork I am not going to use within a couple of days I freeze. To freeze sliced pork place on baking paper with a piece of baking paper between each slice. This prevents the slices sticking together.

    As I use three slices at a time in my ramen, I freeze in lots of three slices. I still place baking paper between each slice to keep them separated on defrosting.

    The chashu pork slices are then placed in a zip lock bag. Extract as much air as possible to help prevent freezer burn. I also store the chopped ends in an zip lock bag in the freezer.

    slices of chashu on baking paper
    slices of chashu on baking paper

    Reheating the slices

    There are various ways you can reheat slices of chashu pork. My preferred method is by fire, using a kitchen butane torch. The smell is incredible and adds a wonderful charred flavour to the chashu pork.

    You can also reheat using a little of the braising sauce. Or simply place slices directly into your hot steaming bowl of ramen. If using from the freezer, defrost the pork first.

    kitchen torch charing chashu pork slices
    searing chashu with a kitchen torch

    I do hope you enjoy this delicious chashu pork recipe as much as I do. It is a pure comfort dish and one that keeps giving. From the slices in the freeze to using the braising liquid for ramen eggs.

    Sara xxx

    Printable Recipe

    chashu pork being sliced on a cutting board

    Chashu Pork - Ramen Pork

    Recipe Author: Sara McCleary
    Chashu pork is ridiculously easy to make at home. Rolled pork belly braised to delicious melt in your mouth perfection. The tender slices of charred goodness that crown a bowl of piping hot ramen. There is no excuse to not have some on hand, especially as slices can be frozen and on hand when needed.
    Start this recipe the day before.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
    Resting Time 9 hours hrs
    Total Time 12 hours hrs 50 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Japanese
    Servings 15 people
    Calories 602 kcal

    Special Equipment

    • large nonstick fry pan
    • dutch oven with lid or large baking dish
    • kitchen string
    • chopping board + sharp knife

    Ingredients

    • 1.5 kg pork belly (bones and skin removed)
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 4 green onions (cut into thirds)
    • 1 shallot (cut in half)
    • 1 knob ginger (cut into rounds)
    • 2 cloves garlic (bruised)
    • 250 mls mirin
    • 250 mls soy sauce
    • 150 grams caster sugar
    • 500 mls water

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven 160°C (320°F)

    Preparing the Pork Belly

    • Place pork belly on a cutting board underside up. Roll up tightly.
    • Wrap kitchen string/butcher’s twin around one end of the rolled belly. Tie a double knot to firmly secure the string. Loop the string around the belly a finger spacing away from your initial knotted loop. Thread the string under the loop just created and pull tightly. Continue this until you come to the other end of the belly.
    • Once the string has been wrapped around the pork belly you need to secure the ends. Loop the string over the end of the pork roll, tucking in the end of the pork. Run the string down the middle of the roll, threading the string through every few loops as you go, pulling tight.
    • Do the same for the other side of the rolled and tied belly

    Cooking the Pork Belly

    • Add oil to a large nonstick frypan placed over medium heat. Put rolled pork belly in the frypan and brown all the surfaces. You aren't cooking it at this stage, simply trying to get good caramelisation.
    • While the pork belly is browning add all other ingredients (including water) to a large dutch oven. Stir with a spoon until the sugar has dissolved.
    • Place browned pork belly into the dutch oven with the braising liquid.
    • Place lid on the dutch oven and place in the oven on the middle shelf.
    • Cook for 40 minutes then turn the pork belly over and continue cooking. Continue turning the pork belly every 40 minutes for 3 hours and 20 minutes.
    • Remove pork from the oven and turn one final time. Leave to rest with the lid on for 1 hour.

    Rest & Set Chashu

    • Remove pork from the braising liquid, set aside to cool slightly. Reserve the braising liquid, do not throw it away (see notes).
    • When it is cool enough to handle wrap chashu tightly in a few layers of plastic kitchen wrap.
    • Place chashu in the fridge overnight.

    The Next Day

    • Remove chashu from the fridge and take off the plastic wrap.
    • Carefully remove the kitchen string from the chashu. Using a sharp knife cut. into 2-3mm (â…› inch) slices. Reserve ends to use in another dish.
    • Place slices of chashu on top of ramen and eat.

    For storage and reheating please refer to below notes

      Oven Temperatures

      All oven temperatures are fan forced.

      Measurement Notes

      All measurements are Australian metric standard. All measures are level, and cups are lightly packed unless specified. 1 teaspoon = 5ml / 1 tablespoon = 20mls / 1 cup = 250ml /4 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon.

      Recipe Notes

      Pork Belly
      Ask your butcher to remove any bones and the skin from the pork belly and keep them.  You can use the bones to make pork stock or when making ramen from scratch.  The pork skin can be used to make scratchings/pork crackling.
      I highly recommend using pork belly for this recipe.  It is the fat content that makes the chashu incredibly tender.  A lot of it will render away on cooking, but it will still be fatty.  This isn't a bad thing considering you will only be using a few thin slices at a time.
      You could try using a piece of pork scotch (collar butt) which works well for longer cooks.  Pork fillet (loin) is a no no as it will dry out.
      Storing Chashu
      Any pork not being used within a couple of days freeze. To freeze sliced pork place on baking paper with a piece of baking paper between each slice. This prevents the slices sticking together.
      The chashu pork slices are then placed in a zip lock bag. Extract as much air as possible to help prevent freezer burn. I also store the chopped ends in an zip lock bag in the freezer.
      Reserve Braising Liquid
      Pour the leftover braising liquid into a large jug through a fine mesh sieve. Once cooled, cover and leave in the fridge overnight. The fat will come to the top and solidify. This makes it easy to spoon off the fat to discard.
      Use it to make Ajitsuke tamago (ramen eggs), as a sauce for stir-fries, marinade, noodle dipping sauce, or drizzled over chilled tofu. You can also use a little of the sauce to reheat slices of chashu pork.
      Reheating the Slices
      My preferred method is by fire, using a kitchen butane torch. The smell is incredible and adds a wonderful charred flavour to the chashu pork.
      You can also reheat using a little of the braising sauce. Or simply place slices directly into your hot steaming bowl of ramen. If using from the freezer, defrost the pork first.
      Cooks Notes
      All oven temperatures are for a conventional oven, if using fan forced lower the temperature by 20 Deg C (70 Deg F).
      All measurements are Australian tablespoons and cups. All measures are level, and cups are lightly packed unless specified;
      ~ 1 teaspoon equals 5ml
      ~ 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml (Nth America, NZ & UK use 15ml tablespoons)
      ~ 1 cup equals 250ml (Nth America use 237ml)
      ~ 4 teaspoons equals 1 tablespoon
      I use the below unless specified in my recipes;
      ~ Herbs are fresh
      ~ Vegetables are of a medium size
      ~ Eggs are roughly 60 grams in weight (large)

      NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

      The recipe's nutritional information is an approximation based on an online calculator. It is meant solely for reference purposes. If you're looking for precise details, be sure to double-check with your own research.

      Calories: 602kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 11gFat: 54gSaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 1093mgPotassium: 235mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 42IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 1mg
      Did You Make This Recipe?I do a happy dance when people share how they went. Tag me on Instagram @bellyrumbles & #bellyrumbles

      Other Japanese recipes

      Tori Karaage - tasty Japanese fried chicken
      Japanese Rice Soup - a delicious distant cousin to congee
      Agedashi Dofu - lightly deep-fried tofu
      Teriyaki Chicken Wings - finger licking deliciousness

      chashu pork pinterest pin
      « Burrata Salsa Tartufata with Asparagus and Celery Salad
      How to make Yakiniku at home »

      Reader Interactions

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        Recipe Rating




      1. Richard

        February 02, 2021 at 8:25 am

        Hi Sara,
        When is the Ramen Soup base recipe available, Tonkatsu Ramen
        Is my absolute favourite. Just signed up to your site.
        Cheers Richard

        Reply
        • Sara McCleary

          February 03, 2021 at 11:02 am

          Hi Richard
          Great to hear from you and thank you for signing up.
          A ramen base recipe is on its way soon, I promise. It is well overdue.
          Cheers, Sara

      2. Angela

        January 01, 2021 at 12:12 pm

        5 stars
        Delicious and perfect for ramen thank you!

        Reply
        • Sara McCleary

          January 20, 2021 at 4:49 pm

          Hi Angela, I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed it. It is a staple at our place for Ramen.

      3. Jane

        August 31, 2020 at 3:20 pm

        5 stars
        This was such a great recipe, but agree with the other comment. When are we getting a ramen soup base recipe???

        Reply
        • Sara McCleary

          September 01, 2020 at 10:30 am

          Hi Jane, the ramen soup base is coming soon. I promise 🙂

        • Katie

          October 29, 2022 at 4:01 pm

          Great recipe. But can you tell me how long can I store the braising liquid in the fridge? A week?

        • Sara McCleary

          November 11, 2022 at 11:00 am

          Hi Katie
          I've kept it for a couple of weeks in the fridge. I store it in glass jars. We use it up pretty quickly making ramen eggs.
          I think if treated well (no double dipping, clean utensils, etc) it will last at least 3 weeks in the fridge.
          You could also freeze the leftover liquid in portions and defrost as needed for use.
          Cheers, Sara

      4. Tilly

        August 31, 2020 at 3:19 pm

        5 stars
        Thank you Sara for another fantastic Japanese recipe. Will you be sharing a recipe for the ramen soup base in the future?

        Reply
        • Sara McCleary

          September 01, 2020 at 10:34 am

          Hi Tilly, Yes I do have plans on sharing a ramen base soon.

      5. Alice

        August 31, 2020 at 3:18 pm

        5 stars
        I can't believe how easy this was to make at home. I followed your advice and now have a nice "stash" in the freezer.

        Reply
        • Sara McCleary

          September 01, 2020 at 10:30 am

          Hi Alice, Glad you enjoyed it. I love having my stash of chashu in the freezer, comes in so handy.

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