SHOYU AND BLACK SUGAR–SIMMERED PORK BELLY
When shopping for the pork belly, ask for a piece with the rib meat still attached and with the skin and some of the belly fat removed. This is the same cut used for making bacon. Parboiling the meat first removes blood and gaminess. As with many Japanese simmered dishes, the meat is long-cooked with the sweet elements to allow the sugars to penetrate, before adding salt in the form of shoyu. In Japan, when I asked why this was done, my chef told me with a shrug, “It’s osmosis. Science!” I nodded. I still don’t really understand, but the sweet before salt rule has stuck with me ever since.
Given that it’s so rich, I like to balance the pork belly with simmered daikon or with blanched mustard greens (see Note below) and Japanese hot mustard. Served with a bowl of rice, it makes a meal.
If you’d like, you can press the pork belly flat under a weight during the blanching and simmering process, then refrigerate it in its liquid overnight. Doing these steps doesn’t really change the flavor but does help to make a beautiful, shapely final dish. Perfectly shaped or not, this dish is a crowd pleaser.
Recipe from Rintaro by Sylvan Mishima Brackett
Ingredients
4 lb / 1.8kg pork belly
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or other neutral oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
3 whole scallions, root ends trimmed
1 whole garlic head, halved across its center
1½ oz / 45 g coarsely chopped ginger (unpeeled is fine)
3 cups / 710ml cooking sake
1½ cups / 355ml Katsuobushi Dashi
1 cup / 236ml mirin
2 tablespoons kurozato black sugar or dark brown sugar
1 (4 by 4-inch / 10 by 10 cm) piece konbu
1 whole star anise (optional)
1 cup / 236ml shoyu
3 dried Japanese chiles, seeded
FOR SERVING:
Furofuki daikon (optional)
Blanched mustard greens (optional)
Japanese hot mustard
Hot rice
Method
Bring 2 qt / 1.9L of water to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add the pork belly, reduce the heat to medium and to a simmer. Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the belly registers 150°F / 66°C. Drain and rinse the pork. Wash the pot for the next step.
Return the pot to the stove over high heat and add the oil. When the oil is shimmering but not yet smoking, add the onion, carrot, scallions, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the sake, dashi, mirin, and black sugar. Add the pork belly, skin-side up, then add the konbu and star anise (if using). Cover the pot with a small heatproof plate or pot lid to keep the meat submerged in the simmering liquid. Turn down the heat until the liquid is simmering gently, then simmer for 3 hours, until the pork is easily pierced with a metal skewer. Add the shoyu and chiles and simmer for 1 more hour. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Place the pork belly in an 8 by 12-inch / 20 by 30 cm baking dish, fatty side up. Strain the simmering liquid into a bowl and discard the vegetables. Use a fat separator to strain the seasoning liquid from the impressive quantity of fat that is rendered from the belly. If you don’t have a fat separator, use a large resealable storage bag: pour the stock into the bag, hold it upright to allow the oil to float to the top, snip a small hole in the bottom corner of the bag, and drain the sauce into a saucepan. Discard the fat.
Cut the pork belly into 2½-inch / 6 cm squares. Place the baking dish under the broiler and broil until the top of each piece of pork has caramelized to a dark lustrous brown. To serve, return the pork cubes to the saucepan with the liquid, along with the furofuki daikon, if using, and bring to a simmer to heat through. Serve with blanched mustard greens, if using, with hot Japanese mustard and rice alongside.
Note: To blanch the mustard greens: While the pork is simmering, in a large pot of salted water, boil the greens until tender, about 3 minutes, then plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking. Using your hands, gather the greens by the stems so the leaves all face in the same direction. Squeeze gently to remove most of the water, forming a log, then cut into 2-inch / 5 cm pieces.