Chashu Pork (叉燒)

04 Mar 2015

Chashu pork is a key ingredient on a nice bowl of ramen. It is one of the key ingredients that enhances the ramen experience.

The pork should be very soft and tender and full of flavor from the marinade. I especially like them slightly ‘torched’ to add the extra ‘smokey/BBQ’ flavor. In this version, the pork belly is long enough and I wanted to expose the whole belly skin. So, I wrapped a pice of pork jowl inside the belly which gave it extra tenderness.

Ingredients

• 2 pound slab of boneless pork belly, skin-on
• 2 small pieces of pork jowl
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup sake
• 1 cup mirin
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 scallions, roughly chopped
• 6 whole garlic cloves
• One 2-inch knob ginger, roughly sliced
• 1 whole shallot, split in half (skin on)

Instructions

1. Lay pork belly on cutting board and roll up lengthwise (with the jowl meat in the middle), with skin facing out.
2. Using butchers twine, tightly secure pork belly at 3/4-inch intervals (~ 3,4 twine each).
3. Preheat oven to 250°F. Heat 1 cup water, soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, scallions, garlic, ginger, and shallot in a medium saucepan over high heat until boiling. Add pork belly (it won’t be submerged). Cover with a lid left slightly ajar. Transfer to oven and cook, turning pork occasionally, until pork is fully tender and a cake tester or thin knife inserted into its center meets little resistance, 3 to 4 hours.Transfer contents to a sealed container and refrigerate until completely cool.
4. When ready to serve, remove pork belly and strain broth. Reserve broth for another use (excellent for ajitsuke tamago). Slice pork belly into thin rounds (it might help to cut it in half lengthwise first).
5. Reheat pork belly slices in soup broth or reheat with a blowtorch (through binchotan), charring its surface. Serve.