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.
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.
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Ingredients You Need to Make Chashu Pork
- 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.
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, 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.
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.
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.
Recipe Video
Chashu Pork
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
- 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.
- 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).
- Use the braising liquid to drizzle over any kind of meat or seafood, to flavor stir-fries or ramen broths.
- I recommend enjoying it in my Pork Belly Ramen with Homemade Ramen Noodles!
Can I make this without refrigerating it afterward? Just sear it once it's done slow cooking?
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.
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.
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!!!
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.
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?
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!
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
I'm so glad that you enjoyed this, Mary! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
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!
Thanks, Ben! I hope you'll try it!
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!
aww...thank you, Cheyanne!
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!
Conquer that fear, David! haha...I promise it's super easy and the braising liquid is so versatile!
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
You're so kind, Valentina! Thank you!!
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!
I'd love for you and your son to try this one, Mary Ann! I hope you'll both love it.
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.
Thank you, Angie!