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    Recipes » Main Course Recipes » Asian Main Courses

    Chashu Pork

    Published: May 24, 2021 · Modified: Jul 19, 2022 by Marissa Stevens · 23 Comments

    Gluten Free

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
    sliced chashu pork on a black plate

    Chashu Pork is meltingly tender pork belly that's been slow-braised in an intense blend of soy sauce, sweet mirin, ginger, garlic and green onions. It's an essential topping at any ramen house and, with this much simplified method, it's easy to make at home.

    Chashu Pork served on a black plate with a serving fork

    When you've seen other chashu pork recipes, the meat may have been tightly rolled with twine into a spiral. Though very pretty, it requires large cuts of pork belly (2 pounds or more) and a bit of time and skill to roll and tie it properly. Here I'm using a smaller cut (just 1 pound) with a shorter cooking time and no rolling required, all of the flavor and none of the fuss.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients You Need to Make Chashu Pork
    • What is chashu?
    • Not Just for Ramen
    • Skinless vs. Skin-On
    • Storage Tips
    • How to Make Chashu Pork
    • Recipe Video
    • Chashu Pork
    • 💬 Comments

    Ingredients You Need to Make Chashu Pork

    Chashu Pork Ingredients on a white marble board
    • Pork Belly: skin-on or skinless thick cut of even thickness
    • Soy Sauce: or tamari for a gluten free version
    • Mirin: You can also use sake, but you'll want to add an extra tablespoon of sugar.
    • Sugar: granulated white sugar
    • Oil: neutral flavored, high heat vegetable oil such as avocado oil
    • Garlic: Look for a plump, firm head of garlic with smooth skin and large cloves.
    • Green Onions: or spring onions when they're in season
    • Ginger: fresh ginger root, powdered ginger isn't a good substitute here

    If you've had Tonkotsu (meaning "pork bones") ramen before, with it's rich pork bone broth, you already know chashu pork, the tender slices of pork belly served on top. It's traditionally made by rolling the meat into a log and braising it 'low and slow' for many hours, then chilling overnight. The next day it's thinly sliced and warmed before serving.

    What is chashu?

    Chashu, the Japanese name for this dish, actually comes from the Cantonese dish "char-siu," meaning "fork roasted." Though the names and some of the flavors are similar, the dishes are prepared differently. Cantonese char-siu is roasted after marinating in a sweet sauce with five spice powder and often red food dye. By contrast, Japanese chashu is braised low and slow in a sweet and salty mixture, often with aromatics like ginger and garlic, but without five spice powder or food dye. 

    Chashu Pork served on a black plate with a serving fork photographed from above

    Not Just for Ramen

    Don't limit the use of your chashu to just soup. Though this unctuous, melt-in-your-mouth meat is the ideal topping for Pork Belly Ramen or with Miso Ramen Broth or Shoyu Ramen Broth (with Homemade Ramen Noodles!), it's also wonderful served over udon, soba or rice noodles, over rice (chashu don) with braised vegetables and Soy Sauce Eggs, eaten alone as you would Korean Pork Belly, or as a chashu pork sandwiches on brioche slider buns, i.e., Pork Belly Sliders. 

    And once you've chilled your chashu overnight, don't throw away the braising liquid! Just skim off the fat and reserve the liquid to kick up the flavor in all kinds of Asian soups, steamed vegetables, noodle and stir-fry dishes, and rice bowls. It freezes well too if you don't want to use it right away.

    Skinless vs. Skin-On

    Either cut works well with this recipe, but note that skinless pork belly will render more fat as it braises and you'll end up with less fatty slices. With skin-on pork belly, the meat may curl as it braises. If it does, cook 30 minutes per side during the final hour of braising instead of flipping it completely. 

    Storage Tips

    Enjoy your chashu pork within 3 or 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

    How to Make Chashu Pork

    Step 1: Combine braising liquid ingredients: water, soy sauce, mirin and sugar; stir until sugar dissolves.

    stirring braising sauce ingredients together in a ceramic bowl

    Step 2: Sear pork belly on all sides in hot oil in an oven safe pot. Remove from heat; add aromatics (ginger, garlic and green onions) and pour braising liquid over. Cover and cook, fat / skin-side down in an oven preheated to 250˚F for 1 ½ hours. Flip meat and cook 1 hour more.

    searing pork belly on all sides
    adding aromatics to pot
    adding braising liquid to pot
    pork belly in braising sauce with aromatics in dutch oven
    putting covered dutch oven into the oven

    Step 3: Transfer meat to a smaller container and pour braising liquid over. Once it cools, cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, transfer the meat to a cutting board and thinly slice. Pan fry over medium heat until lightly golden and serve as desired.

    pouring braising liquid over cooked pork belly
    removing plastic wrap after chilling pork belly in braising liquid
    scraping fat off the top
    thinly slicing chashu pork
    pan frying chashu pork
    pan fried chashu pork

    Recipe Video

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    Chashu Pork served on a black plate with a serving fork

    Chashu Pork

    Marissa Stevens
    Make this meltingly tender, deeply flavorful pork belly with just 10 minutes of prep! No rolling required.
    5 from 5 votes
    Save Recipe Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 2 hrs 40 mins
    Refrigeration Time 1 d
    Total Time 1 d 2 hrs 50 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Asian
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 464 kcal

    Equipment

    • Dutch oven or other heavy, oven-safe pot

    Ingredients
      

    • ½ cup water
    • ½ cup soy sauce
    • ½ cup mirin
    • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil such as avocado oil or other high heat, neutral flavored oil
    • 1 pound pork belly skin-on or skinless (see recipe note #1)
    • 2 large garlic cloves crushed and peeled
    • 3 green onions cut lengthwise into 2-inch pieces
    • 2 inches fresh ginger root thinly sliced (peeled if desired)

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 250˚F.
    • In a medium bowl, whisk together water, soy sauce, mirin and sugar until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
    • Heat oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or other heavy, oven-safe pot until shimmering, but not quite smoking. Add pork belly and sear on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from heat.
    • Flip pork belly if needed so that the fat / skin side is down. Pour soy sauce mixture over (the liquid should come about half way up the side - add a bit more water if it doesn't) and add garlic, green onions and ginger to liquid. Cover pot and place in the center of preheated oven. Cook for 1 ½ hours; then flip pork belly to meat side and cook 1 hour more (see recipe note #2). Let pork belly cool in liquid, then transfer to a smaller container, pouring cooking liquid over the top; cover and refrigerate overnight.
    • The next day, scrape the fat off of the braising liquid and transfer pork to a cutting board. Strain solids from braising liquid and save for another use. (recipe note #3) With a sharp knife, cut into thin slices and pan fry until lightly golden in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Serve as desired. (recipe note #4)

    Notes

    1. Use this recipe for skin-on or skinless pork belly. The main difference you'll notice is how much more fat renders from the skinless cut. Look for a thick cut of pork belly with even thickness. Very thin cuts will cook faster and you'll need to reduce the overall cook time. I recommend checking it every 15 minutes or so once you've flipped your pork belly.
    2. With skin-on pork belly, the belly may curl somewhat so that it doesn't lie flat when you flip it. If this happens, cook skin side down for 1 ½ hours, then, instead of flipping completely, cook on each side for 30 minutes each. Skinless pork belly is less likely to curl and you can just flip it completely, following the recipe instructions. Either way, you'll need 2 ½ hours total cook time unless your pork belly is thin (see recipe note above).
    3. Use the braising liquid to drizzle over any kind of meat or seafood, to flavor stir-fries or ramen broths.
    4. I recommend enjoying it in my Pork Belly Ramen with Homemade Ramen Noodles!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 464kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 9gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 1257mgPotassium: 211mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 67IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword comfort food
    Tried this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram at @pinchandswirl or leave me a comment and rating below.

    More Asian Main Courses

    • Birria Ramen
    • Crispy Baked Egg Rolls
    • Salt and Pepper Shrimp
    • Korean Pork Belly

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Leah Monterroso says

      December 17, 2022 at 2:03 pm

      Any advice on how to cook this in a slow cooker? My slow cooker has a sear function so I can sear in the pot before slow cooking, but I can only set it on high or lo. Any ideas on which heat setting or for how long?

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        December 17, 2022 at 2:33 pm

        Hi Leah! That's a great question. I have not made this in a slow cooker, but I don't see why not. It's nice that you can sear right in your slow cooker. From what I understand, low on most slow cookers is about 200˚F, a bit lower than the 250˚F that the recipe calls for. Once you sear the pork belly and add the other ingredients, I'd cook it on low - my best guess is to add 30 minutes to an hour to the overall cook time. I hope that helps!

        Reply
    2. danny says

      January 10, 2022 at 7:03 pm

      Can I make this without refrigerating it afterward? Just sear it once it's done slow cooking?

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        January 11, 2022 at 10:36 am

        Hi Danny! When the chashu pork is freshly cooked it's meltingly tender and so soft it would be difficult to slice. Refrigerating it overnight in the cooking liquid further infuses it with flavor and makes it easy to slice while retaining the tenderness.

        Reply
    3. DB says

      December 12, 2021 at 5:21 pm

      Ok trying this today. When I went to the butcher there was bone in pork belly with more meat and there was regular pork belly that was thinner (both skin on). I bought the regular and will keep a close eye.

      Reply
    4. Shane says

      December 12, 2021 at 2:33 pm

      5 stars
      I very rarely leave comments or ratings on recipes but this one came out so unbelievably well that I had to come back! I've never had luck cooking pork belly on my own as it would often turn out tough and chewy and not at all like what you'd get at the local ramen place, but this one was absolutely exceptional, even though I didn't have enough mirin (I subbed equal parts white wine and water to make up for the difference lol). The pork belly turned into the melt-in-your-mouth stuff of dreams. I used it in a chashu-don and I genuinely think it's the best thing I've ever made. Thank you!!!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        December 12, 2021 at 3:34 pm

        This is wonderful to hear, Shane! I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipe! I made it this week too - my husband and I have been enjoying it in a vegetable and noodle stir-fry the past few days and we feel exactly the same way. It literally melts in your mouth.

        Reply
    5. Dawn says

      November 02, 2021 at 4:39 am

      Marissa, My oven is broken but I want to start making this tonight, as the weather has started to turn chilly in Atlanta…perfect for a bowl of ramen!! My 15 year-old son and I are ramen junkies!! Can I prepare the pork belly in a slow cooker? If so, for how long and at what setting (high or low) would you recommend?

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 03, 2021 at 8:35 am

        Hi Dawn! I haven't tested this recipe in the slow cooker so I can't say for sure, but I don't see why not. I recommend doing the first half of step 4 on the stove top - searing the meat and adding the aromatics and liquids so everything is hot when you add it to the slow cooker. Then my best guess is 2 to 3 hours on high or 4 to 5 hours on low (depending on your slow cooker and the thickness of your pork belly), flipping the meat half way through the cooking time. But without testing it myself, I'm really not sure about the cooking times, so please keep a close eye on it for overcooking and if it doesn't seem done, don't be afraid to extend the cooking time. I hope that helps!

        Reply
    6. Mary says

      August 31, 2021 at 8:08 am

      5 stars
      So...I just posted a rating on your ramen noodles. And am now realizing that we used another recipe of yours for the same meal! We made this chashu pork to put in the ramen soup (with the homemade noodles) and it was spectacular

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        August 31, 2021 at 8:24 am

        I'm so glad that you enjoyed this, Mary! Thank you for coming back to let me know.

        Reply
    7. Ben | Havocinthekitchen says

      May 26, 2021 at 3:55 am

      Ooo this Chashu Pork looks and sounds phenomenal - so tender, melt-in-your-mouth, crispy outside, and I bet aromatic! I've only cooked with pork belly a few times in the past, but this recipe inspired me to experiment with it much often!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        May 26, 2021 at 9:06 am

        Thanks, Ben! I hope you'll try it!

        Reply
    8. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

      May 25, 2021 at 11:46 am

      5 stars
      OMG, I'm drooling!!!! I used to eat pork belly (kakuni) more than I'd like to admit (ahh-hem, daily) ages ago when I worked in a Japanese restaurant. And, seeing this Chashu is reminding me that it's been waaaaaayyy too long since I've gotten my pork belly fix! Your Chashu pork looks absolutely AMAZING and your video has me literally drooling all over my keyboard!!! Bookmarking this to make PRONTO!!! Yummy yummy!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        May 26, 2021 at 9:07 am

        aww...thank you, Cheyanne!

        Reply
    9. David @ Spiced says

      May 25, 2021 at 4:19 am

      5 stars
      That braising liquid sounds like it's right up my alley - it's intense in flavor, but it sounds delicious. I don't have much experience cooking with pork belly, but I think it's time I conquer that fear! I'm going to be dreaming about this chashu pork all day now!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        May 26, 2021 at 9:08 am

        Conquer that fear, David! haha...I promise it's super easy and the braising liquid is so versatile!

        Reply
    10. Valentina says

      May 24, 2021 at 11:28 pm

      Marissa, this looks absolutely amazing. The photographs are mouth-watering and stunning -- I would hang them on the wall! This is such a dreamy blend of ingredients -- and soaking into that pork, oh my! 🙂 ~Valentina

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        May 26, 2021 at 9:08 am

        You're so kind, Valentina! Thank you!!

        Reply
    11. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says

      May 24, 2021 at 6:10 pm

      5 stars
      My son Sean and I reallly enjoy pork belly Marissa! I can't wait for us to make this together. I know we'd love it!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        May 26, 2021 at 9:09 am

        I'd love for you and your son to try this one, Mary Ann! I hope you'll both love it.

        Reply
    12. angiesrecipes says

      May 24, 2021 at 10:17 am

      I am not a ramen fan, but I do LOVE both char-siu and chashu. Yours looks authentic and really really yummy. An excellent recipe, Marissa.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        May 26, 2021 at 9:09 am

        Thank you, Angie!

        Reply

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