Braising
intro
Tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly braised in a savory-sweet soy glaze with a sticky, glossy coating, a beloved comforting Chinese home-style dish.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep pork and aromatics
Cut 500 grams of skin-on pork belly into uniform 3cm cubes, pat completely dry with paper towels; slice 20 grams of ginger into 3 thick 5mm slices, tie 2 scallion stalks into a loose knot, and set aside with 2 star anise pods and the 5cm cinnamon stick.
Blanch pork cubes
Bring 1 liter of cold water to a rolling boil over high heat, add pork cubes and 15ml (1 tablespoon) of Shaoxing wine, boil for 5 minutes until grey, foamy scum rises to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to scoop pork out, rinse under warm running water, and drain fully; discard the blanching water.
Caramelize rock sugar
Heat a heavy-bottomed enameled braising pot over medium-low heat, add 15ml (1 tablespoon) of neutral cooking oil and 30 grams of rock sugar. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 3-4 minutes until the sugar melts completely into a deep amber, glossy caramel with no remaining white granules, taking care not to let it darken to a burnt brown.
Sear pork in caramel
Add the fully drained pork cubes to the caramel, turn heat to medium, and toss continuously for 3 minutes until every cube is evenly coated in caramel and lightly golden on all cut edges, adjusting heat slightly if needed to avoid burning the sugar coating.
Add braising liquids
Toss in the ginger slices, tied scallion knot, star anise, and cinnamon stick, stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the remaining 45ml (3 tablespoons) of Shaoxing wine, 45ml light soy sauce, 15ml dark soy sauce, and 750ml of boiling water, ensuring the liquid just covers the top of the pork cubes.
Slow braise until tender
Bring the braising liquid to a gentle, low simmer over medium heat, then turn heat to the lowest stovetop setting, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and braise for 60 minutes. Lift the lid once at the 30-minute mark to stir the pork, ensuring no pieces stick to the pot bottom, then replace the lid to finish cooking.
Reduce to glossy glaze
Remove the pot lid, turn heat to medium, and fish out and discard the scallion knot, ginger slices, star anise, and cinnamon stick. Simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens to a sticky, glossy dark red glaze that evenly coats every pork cube.
Tips
2.Watch the caramel closely as it melts: if the sugar turns dark chocolate brown and smells bitter or burnt, discard it and start over, as burnt caramel will ruin the flavor of the entire dish.
3.For deeper, more rounded flavor, make the dish a day ahead: refrigerate the braised pork in its sauce overnight, skim off the solidified excess fat from the surface, and reheat gently before serving, as the meat will absorb more sauce as it rests.
OMG this was SO good! I made this for our Sunday family dinner last weekend and even my super picky 7 year old went back for seconds. The pork got so melt-in-your-mouth tender, I couldn’t believe it. Was a little intimidated by the 90 minute cook time but it was 100% worth every minute. Total game changer for my weekly rotation!
Made this for a work potluck yesterday and people were hounding me for the recipe before I even finished serving myself! I swapped the rock sugar for a little brown sugar since that’s all I had in the pantry and it still turned out amazing. Will definitely make again, probably for my next game night with the guys.
I was worried this would be too hard since it’s marked medium difficulty, but the steps were so straightforward! I prepped a big batch on Sunday for my weekly lunches and it reheats like an absolute dream. The sauce is so rich and savory, I’ve been drizzling the extra over my rice all week. 10/10.
Took me two tries to get the caramelization of the sugar right, but wow when I did? Chef’s kiss. First batch I burned the sugar and it got super bitter, don’t be like me and walk away from the pan at that step! Ended up serving this with steamed bao buns and pickled veggies, it was restaurant quality.
Brought this to our neighborhood block party last weekend and it was the first dish to get completely cleaned out. Multiple neighbors asked if I catered it, little did they know I made it in my dutch oven at home! The balance of sweet and savory is spot on, not too heavy like some braised pork dishes I’ve tried before.
As a college student with barely any cooking experience, I was nervous to try this but I’m so glad I did! The only thing I had to buy special was the light soy sauce, everything else I already had. My roommates lost their minds over how good it smelled cooking all afternoon. Total win.
I’ve been making a version of this for 40 years since my neighbor from Shanghai taught me, and this recipe is so close to how she made it! The only thing I do differently is add a couple of hard boiled eggs to the braise during the last 20 minutes, they soak up all that gorgeous sauce. 10/10, brought back so many good memories.
Game. Changer. I’ve ordered Hong Shao Rou at every Chinese restaurant I’ve been to for the last 10 years and this recipe beats 90% of them. The pork belly gets that perfect sticky, glossy coating, no weird gamy taste at all if you blanch it properly like the recipe says. I served it with garlic green beans and jasmine rice, chef’s kiss.
Made this on a weeknight even though the cook time is 90 minutes, most of that is hands off while it braises so I was able to help the kids with homework while it cooked! My whole family devoured it, even my teen who ‘hates pork’ asked for seconds. Will be adding this to our regular monthly dinner rotation for sure.
I added a little extra Sichuan peppercorn and a tiny pinch of dried chili flakes to give it a little numbing spicy kick, and oh my gosh it was incredible. Don’t get me wrong, the classic version is perfect, but if you like a little heat I highly recommend that tweak! So good over rice.
I adjusted this just a tiny bit to fit my low carb lifestyle by using monk fruit sweetener instead of rock sugar, and it turned out so well! The fat from the pork belly is so satisfying, I didn’t even miss the rice, I ate it with roasted bok choy. Can’t believe I can eat something this delicious while sticking to my diet.
Grew up eating my mom’s hong shao rou and was a little skeptical a random online recipe could measure up, but this hit so close to home! I called her while I was making it to brag that I finally nailed the dish I used to beg her to make every birthday. The sauce is exactly the right balance of sweet, salty, and umami, no notes.
Wait, has anyone tried making this in a slow cooker? I’m going camping next weekend and was wondering if I could adapt it to cook in the crockpot while we’re out hiking, so it’s ready when we get back to the site. The stovetop version I made last month was incredible so I want to make it for the group!