Description
This easy and delicious braised pork belly recipe is perfect for making Ippudo and Momofuku-style pork buns or used as a topping for homemade tonkotsu ramen, or as a side to eggs for breakfast. Brined overnight and slow-braised to perfection, you will never need another pork belly recipe. Plus, the hands-on time for this entire recipe is only about 10 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Brining Liquid
- 2 to 2 1/2 pounds pork belly, skin removed (1 to 1.15kg)
- 1/2 cup sugar (100g)
- 1/2 cup kosher salt (130g)
- 4 cups water (945g)
- 1 scallion
- 1/2 cup water (118g)
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock (118g)
- 1 scallion (leftover from brining liquid)
Instructions
- Make the pork belly braising liquid. In a liquid measuring cup, add all of the ingredients (except the pork belly) and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.
- Brine the pork belly. Add the pork belly and the scallions to a sustainable plastic bag, or other air-tight container and add the brining liquid. Seal it up being sure the pork is completely covered in the brining solution and refrigerate for 12 hours.
- Braise the pork belly. Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C. Remove the pork belly and scallions from the brine and discard the liquid. Place the pork on top of the scallions in an oven-proof baking dish. Stir the water and chicken stock together and pour it over the pork belly. Bake for 2 1/2 hours until the pork is tender. Turn the oven temperature up to 450F/232°C and continue baking until the top is golden brown about 30 more minutes. You may turn on the broiler function after about 20 minutes if you want to speed up the browning process but watch it carefully so it doesn't burn. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool in its juices.
- Refrigerate the braised pork belly. When the pork belly has cooled, remove it from the braising liquid and place it into an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. Strain the braising liquid and add it to a glass jar and refrigerate. Remove the chilled pork belly from the fridge and slice it into 1/4 or 1/2-inch slices. You may reheat the slices by dipping them into a pot of reheated braising liquid, or by pan-searing them on each side until just warmed through or until they're golden brown, Enjoy!
Notes
- You can add more aromatics to the brining liquid or the braising liquid if desired.
- You can braise pork belly with the skin on which is delicious, but when it's time to brown it under the broiler, it splatters a lot so you'll need to be careful and you'll need to clean your oven afterward.
- You can scale this recipe up to make the most use of energy consumption because this pork freezes extremely well. Just slice it into desired pieces, portion, and freeze it for easy meals.
- You can reheat sliced braised pork belly 3 ways:
- use a kitchen torch to sear it on both sides
- pan-sear it in a skillet on both sides until warmed through, or golden brown
- reheat the braising liquid and add sliced pork to the pot until warmed through
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Brining Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Meat + Chicken
- Method: Braised
- Cuisine: Japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 slices
