Chashu Pork: the phenomenal recipe for tasty Japanese braised pork belly

For a sensational dish that will melt in your mouth, there's nothing like chashu pork. This easy-to-make Japanese recipe for braised pork belly is sweet and savory thanks to a mouthwatering braising liquid made from soy sauce, mirin, sugar, ginger, and garlic.

Slow cooking the meat makes it exceptionally tender and juicy, and it allows all the flavors of the delicious, aromatic ingredients to penetrate the meat.

Chashu pork is usually enjoyed with steamed rice or layered over a bowl of ramen, but it's fantastic in sandwiches and stir-fries, too. There are plenty of ways to enjoy chashu. If you're in the mood for a succulent pork dish that will delight your taste buds, chashu is perfect for you!

What is Chashu?

Chashu is a wonderful, incredibly flavorful, succulent pork dish made from pork belly gently braised in a savory-sweet marinade consisting of soy sauce, mirin or sake, sugar, ginger, garlic, and other ingredients.

It's a Japanese recipe that was adapted from the Chinese char siu barbecued pork dish. Chashu is also often served as a topping for ramen or with steamed white rice.

Chashu vs Char Siu

Char siu is a Chinese dish. The Japanese adapted chashu from the Chinese char siu. Char siu is typically marinated with soy sauce, rice wine, hoisin sauce, five-spice powder, honey, plus a little red food coloring. The meat is barbecued and has a smoky grilled flavor.

Chashu pork is more tender and juicy thanks to the fact it is braised slowly over a lower heat.

Chashu Pork Ingredients

You actually don't need too many ingredients to make homemade chashu, and most of them are available at your local supermarket.

First off, you'll need to pick up some pork belly from your local butcher. You can also use pork shoulder if pork belly isn't available.

For the braising liquid, you'll need soy sauce, water, sugar, garlic, ginger, and spring onions, as well as mirin, a type of rice wine that's similar to sake. If you can't find mirin, you can use sake and add a little extra sugar to the sauce.

What is the Best Pork Cut for Chashu?

Chashu is traditionally made with pork belly, but you can use other cuts such as pork shoulder or even pork loin. Shoulder and loin won't be as tender and be much less fatty than pork belly, but they'll still be delicious.

How to Make Chashu Pork

Chashu pork is incredibly easy to make. Many recipes require you to roll and tie the pork belly with twine, but if you use a smaller cut of pork belly, like in this recipe here, you can get away with making an unrolled version. Remember, if you decide to roll your chashu, it will take a little longer to cook.

To make chashu at home, start by heating your oven to 250F. Take a small bowl and whisk the soy sauce, water, sugar, and mirin until the sugar dissolves. Sear the pork belly for 2 minutes on each side in a Dutch oven. Take the pot off the heat.

Arrange the pork so the fat side is down, then pour the sauce over it. Place the garlic, ginger, and green onions into the pot. Pop the lid on the Dutch oven, then braise the pork for 1 ½ hour. After 90 minutes, flip the pork, and cook it for an additional 1 hour. Take the Dutch oven out and let the pork cool.

Once cooled, place the pork and the cooking liquid into an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. Skim any fat from the top of the liquid, then strain the braising liquid for other use. Slice the pork and fry it in a pan over medium heat. Cook until lightly browned and heated through, and serve.

How to Roll and Tie Chashu

Roll the pork belly into a log. Wrap the bottom end with some butcher's string and tie it into a strong knot. Repeat at the opposite end. Wrap the butcher's string along the length of the pork belly, spacing each loop around 1/3-inch apart.

How to Cut Chashu

Whether you make rolled or unrolled chashu, slicing and serving it remains the same. Take a sharp knife and cut the pork belly into thin slices. Lightly fry the slices in a skillet then serve.

Tips for the Best Chashu Pork

You can use skinless or skin-on pork belly to make your chashu.

If you don't have mirin, you can use sake and a little extra sugar as a substitute. You can find mirin in many supermarkets or order it from online specialty stores.

Save the braising liquid and use it to flavor other recipes. It makes a great marinade for other meat dishes or can be thickened up and used as a sauce for stir-fries, rice, or noodle dishes.

Use skin-on or skinless pork belly. Skinless will be less fatty and not as tender or succulent.

If you want to make your chashu in a slow cooker, cook it for 6 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.

To make Instant Pot chashu, Cook on high for 1 hour 10 minutes, followed by a natural release.

If you don't want to wait overnight, you can leave the pork in the braising liquid for five to six hours, then slice, heat, and serve it.

How to Serve Chashu Pork

Chashu is usually served as a ramen topping or with a side of steamed white rice. It also tastes amazing in sandwiches or stir-fried noodles.

What to Use Chashu Sauce For?

You can use the leftover braising liquid for all sorts of tasty recipes. Add it to stir-fries, use it to marinate poultry or meat, or as a marinade for ramen eggs.

How to Store Chashu Pork

Keep your chashu pork in an airtight container and enjoy it within 5 days. Reheat it in a skillet until warmed through.

Can You Freeze Chashu?

Absolutely! Chashu freezes well for up to one month. To maximize its convenience, freeze the slices separately so you can grab however much you need rather than having to defrost the whole pork belly.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 250F.

Add the water, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a bowl.

Whisk until the sugar has dissolved.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high flame. Sear the pork for 2 minutes on each side. Take the pot off the heat. Place the pork fat-side down.

Pour the sauce over the pork.

Add garlic and ginger.

Add in the green onions to the pot.

Place the lid on the Dutch oven then braise for 1 ½ hour.

Remove from oven and flip the pork, and bake for an additional 1 hour.

Remove from oven then let the pork cool. Once cooled, place the pork and the cooking liquid into an airtight container.

Let it refrigerate overnight. Remove any fat from the top of the liquid, then strain and use the liquid for other recipes.

Slice the pork.

Fry it in a pan over medium heat. Cook until golden brown.

Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Use white or brown sugar to make the chashu marinade.