Make this easy, melt-in-your-mouth Chashu pork belly recipe at home! Braised in a sweet and savory sauce, these tender slices of meat can now top your next bowl of ramen! It’s the most fulfilling reward for any pork belly lover out there!
What is your favorite ramen topping? For me, it is the perfectly cooked soft-boiled marinated Ramen Egg (Ajitsuke Tamago). But for most people I know, including Mr. JOC, it is the melt-in-your-mouth juicy, tender, and flavorful slices of braised pork belly known as Chashu (チャーシュー).
What is Chashu?
Japanese have adapted the famous Chinese barbecued pork called Char Siu (叉燒) as chāshū (チャーシュー). Unlike the Chinese version which requires roasting over high heat, we prepare the meat by rolling it into a log and then braising it over low heat in a sauce seasoned with soy sauce, sake, and sugar.
In Japanese, we sometimes call Chashu “Nibuta” (煮豚), literally means simmered/braised pork, as opposed to “Yakibuta” (焼豚), which means barbecued pork. The Japanese enjoy Chashu as a topping for Ramen and other noodles, as well as Chashu over steamed rice called Chashu Don, like a rice bowl.
The Original Chinese Char Siu
Traditionally, Chinese char siu is marinated in soy sauce, honey, hoisin sauce, rice wine, five-spice powder, and red food coloring, and then roasted in a covered oven or barbecued over a fire. You have probably seen the slabs of barbecued pork hanging in Chinese deli shop windows.
Chinese Char Siu offers a good bite with marked, smoky grilled flavor, while Japanese chashu is appreciated for its succulent and fork-tender texture.
Watch How to Make Chashu
Make this easy, melt-in-your-mouth Chashu pork belly recipe at home! Braised in a sweet and savory sauce, you can now add the tender slice of meat as topping to your next bowl of ramen. It’s the most fulfilling reward for any pork belly lover out there!
A Quick Rundown on How to Make Chashu Pork
First, we sear the pork belly over high heat to caramelize the surface of the meat. My go-to choice is a solid cast iron pan which I use for searing meats. With a cast iron, you can really turn up the heat and food comes in direct contact with an evenly heated surface. This step makes a great difference with the finished dish, enhancing it with complex layers of flavors.
After searing the meat, we then braise the meat in a soy sauce based seasoning on a simmering low heat for about 1-2 hours. The pork will slowly soak up all the flavors in the pot. Ginger and long green onion (in Japan it goes by a few names – Naganegi (長ねぎ), Shironegi (白ねぎ) or Tokyo negi (東京ねぎ)) help remove any unsavory smell and add more depth to the sauce.
When the sauce reduces, transfer the meat to a bag or a container with a little bit of sauce, and let marinate in the refrigerator overnight to intensify the flavors.
Next day it’s finally ready to serve. Slice the Chashu thinly but thick enough for the chopsticks to clasp on.
Chashu 2 Ways: Rolled (Log) vs. Non-Rolled (Block)
Chashu served on ramen is often the rolled type, although many ramen shops do serve slices of the Non-Rolled Chashu in Japan. Both ways are legitimate Chashu by the standard of ramen shops, but let’s take a look at the two options.
Rolled Chashu (Log)
The most common preparation for Chashu served on ramen is by rolling a big slab of pork belly into a log with butcher’s twine. The main reason for that is to keep the pork moist. As the meat is not directly exposed to the sauce, meat does not get dry yet it still absorbs flavors.
When I roll the pork belly into a log shape, I usually increase the amount of cooking time because you will need more time to rotate the Chashu and to make sure it soaks up all the good flavors.
You may wonder why I don’t increase the amount of seasoning so that Chashu will be completely submerged. Ramen shops make Chashu every day and they keep re-using the cooking sauce by combining with a new batch of seasoning. To a home cook, it is rather wasteful to make such a big batch of cooking sauce.
That’s why you will need 2 hours to cook Rolled Chashu (as opposed to 1 hour for Non-rolled Chashu).
Non-Rolled Chashu (Block)
If you don’t need a lot of Chashu, consider making Non-Rolled Chashu with smaller blocks of pork belly. The pork belly blocks I buy from the local Japanese supermarket come in small pieces (¾ to 1 lb). Since you don’t need to roll them up into a log, you can start searing the pork belly right away.
The benefit of Non-Rolled Chashu is that braising time takes just 1 hour as the slab of pork belly is fairly flat and easily absorbs flavors. Make sure to use Otoshibuta (drop lid) so that the sauce circulates nicely and won‘t evaporate too much evaporation braising.
Chashu (Non-Rolled Chashu) served with Shiraga Negi topping and Ramen Egg.
How to Roll and Tie Chashu
Why do we roll Chashu?
- To maintain the shape after rendering fat.
- To keep the moisture in the meat (protected by outer layer/rind).
- To look pretty
Learn how to roll and tie pork belly correctly
You can find the step-by-step pictures in the recipe below and the video above to go over the step, but here’s the quick summary.
- Find out the right orientation for rolling. One or both ends should have the “bacon” like appearance, showing the varying layers of meat and fat.
- Roll up and find how much pork belly you need for a nice cooking Chashu. Cut off any extra meat and save it for other recipes.
- Once you roll up the pork belly into a log, wrap the meat with a butcher twine on one end and make a double knot.
- Wrap 2-3 more times on the same end (the starting point) to make sure it is secured.
- Then run the twine across the log to the far end and wrap 2-3 times tightly. Both ends are now secured.
- From this end, start wrapping tightly and work toward the starting point, keeping ⅓ inches (1 cm) between each wrap.
- Once you reach the starting point, run the twine under some wraps around the middle and then bring back to the starting point.
- Make a double knot with two ends of the butcher twine.
What Cut of Pork Do We Use for Chashu?
The ideal cut for chashu is pork belly, although you can use pork shoulder, and sometimes pork loin. Keep in mind that the last two choices don’t get the melt-in-your-mouth texture as they do not have as much fat as pork belly.
In Japanese cooking, we usually use pork belly without a rind/skin (except for making certain Chinese or Okinawan recipes).
I always use pork belly for my Chashu recipe, but if you try pork shoulder, let me know. I personally would not recommend using pork loin for this recipe.
Where to Buy Pork Belly
You may not find pork belly sitting at the butcher window or sold pre-packaged, but most butchers should have them stored in the freezer. So don’t be shy to ask the butcher at your local grocery stores or meat deli. Ready to make pork belly on the same day? Do call ahead and factor in the defrosting time as they usually come frozen.
The best place to shop for pork belly is Korean grocery stores. They sell different thicknesses and sizes of pork belly. I usually request the butcher to cut a specific size just for me.
You can also ask the butcher to remove the rind/skin (if there is any) or remove it yourself using a sharp knife.
How to Cut Chashu
It’s pretty easy to cut the Chashu into thin slices once it has rested in the refrigerator overnight. A sharp bread knife would make your job relatively easier too.
I don’t usually use up the entire Chashu in one meal, so I’d cut it into several thin slices for Ramen, and then cut the rest into 2 to 3 blocks and pack each piece in the Food Savor bag to store in the freezer. I’ll show you below how I use Chashu besides Ramen.
How to Reheat Chashu
There are 3 ways to reheat Chashu:
- Soak Chashu in the hot cooking sauce.
- Directly put in the hot noodle soup.
- Sear the Chashu using a culinary butane torch. We call this Aburi Chashu (炙りチャーシュー). Aburi means searing in Japanese and you may have heard about Aburi Toro and Aburi Salmon from the sushi menu.
I use searing options to reheat Chashu and to add smoky charred flavor. Don’t forget to drizzle some hot cooking liquid on top!
Various Ways to Enjoy Chashu
Besides enjoying Chashu with ramen or by itself, you can also use it for many other dishes. Here are my suggestions:
- Noodle dishes – Hiyashi Chuka and Tsukemen
- Rice dishes – Chashu Don (over rice) and Chashu Fried Rice – a great way to use up the broken pieces or edges of Chashu.
- Sandwiches – Serve with steamed buns (use this recipe)
What to Do with Leftover Chashu Cooking Sauce
- Stir fry seasoning
- Marinate for grilling meat
- Make Ramen Egg
Family’s Favorite Recipe for a Long Time!
I’ve been cooking this exact Chashu recipe for almost 20 years (and on the blog since 2011) and my family loves it. It’s not that difficult to make at all, but you may need to be around in the kitchen while simmering the meat. The final reward is phenomenal and it’s totally worth your time!
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Chashu (Japanese Braised Pork Belly)
Video
Ingredients
For a Rolled Chashu Log (serves 8–10)
- 1 pork belly block (2–2½ lb, 907–1134 g; roughly 8 x 9 inches, 20 x 23 cm each; remove the rind from your pork belly)
- 1 Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion) (green part only; substitute with 1 leek or 2–3 green onions)
- 4 slices ginger
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil (for searing)
- 1 cup sake
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 2 cups water
- ⅔ cup sugar
For a Non-Rolled Chashu Block (serves 3; this is my original recipe posted on May 2011)
- ½ Tbsp neutral oil (for searing)
- ¾ lb pork belly block (for 1 lb (454 g) of meat, see Notes)
- 1 Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion) (green part only; substitute with 1 leek or 2–3 green onions)
- 4 slices ginger (from 1-inch, 2.5-cm knob)
- ⅓ cup sake
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ⅔ cup water
- 3 Tbsp sugar
Instructions
FOR ROLLED CHASHU (Scroll down for the NON-ROLLED version)
- Before You Start: Please note that this rolled Chashu recipe requires an overnight resting time of 8 hours.
DAY 1
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Pork Belly
- Roll up your 1 block of pork belly (2–2½ lb or 907–1134 g). Make sure one or both ends have a “bacon-like“ appearance, showing the varying layers of meat and fat. If your slab comes with the rind, remove it or ask your butcher to do it for you.
- Run some butcher twine under the far end of the log. Tie a double knot to secure the rolled end tightly. Make sure you leave a tail of about 3 inches (7.5 cm) of twine at the end.
- Next, tightly wrap the twine around the spot you just tied another 2 or 3 times to secure the starting point of the roll. Then, pull the twine to the opposite end of the pork belly roll. Tightly wrap the twine around that end 2 to 3 times to secure it.
- Next, start wrapping the twine around the roll back toward the starting point. Space each wrap ⅓ inch (1 cm) apart. Make sure you wrap the roll as tightly as possible.
- Once you reach the starting point, run the twine under some of the end wraps; this hooks the twine in place so you can reverse direction. Next, run the twine under 4 or 5 wraps going away from the starting point. Then, double back toward the starting point, running your twine under the wraps until you reach the original double knot.
- Find the 3-inch tail of twine that you left when you started. Tie a double knot with the tail and the long end of the twine, and cut the excess.
To Cut the Aromatics
- Cut the green part of 1 Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion) and set aside; reserve the white part for another use. Cut 4 slices ginger (unpeeled).
To Sear the Pork Belly
- Heat 1 Tbsp neutral oil in a cast-iron skillet (or regular frying pan) over high heat. Add the tied pork belly to the skillet.
- Sear the pork belly one side at a time, rotating it to make sure all sides are golden brown.
- It’ll take about 10–15 minutes all together.
To Prepare the Braising Liquid
- While the pork is searing, prepare the braising liquid. Put 1 cup sake, 1 cup soy sauce, 2 cups water, and ⅔ cup sugar in a heavy-bottomed pot (I used a Dutch oven) that will fit the chashu. Then, add the Tokyo negi (green part) and 4 slices ginger.
To Simmer the Chashu
- Transfer the seared chashu roll to the Dutch oven.
- Bring the liquid to a boil over medium heat.
- Once boiling, skim off the foam and scum. Then turn the heat to low/simmer.
- Put an otoshibuta (drop lid) on top to press the ingredients down and limit the evaporation. You do not need to use a regular lid to control the evaporation. If you don’t have an otoshibuta, you can make one with aluminum foil (here’s how to make the otoshibuta).
- Simmer on low heat, and cover with the otoshibuta at all times for the next 2 hours, turning the chashu every 30 minutes.
- After 2 hours, the braising liquid has reduced a bit. Turn off the heat to let the chashu roll cool a little bit.
To Rest the Chashu Overnight
- Once the meat is slightly cooled, transfer it to a container or a plastic food vacuum-sealing bag, such as one for the FoodSaver system. (If you‘re doubling or tripling this recipe, put each chashu roll in its own bag.) Strain the leftover cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer.
- Add ½ cup of the cooking liquid into the bag. If using a container, add about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of the braising liquid to the bottom and cover.
- If using the FoodSaver bag, seal it with a FoodSaver sealer. Tip: Fold a piece of paper towel to plug the entry of the FoodSaver bag. This paper towel will absorb any extra moisture when you seal.
- Tip: I also made quick Ramen Eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago) with the leftover liquid. Simply cook and peel soft-boiled eggs, add them to a bag with ½ cup of the cooking liquid, and close. Cover the cooking liquid, and store the chashu, ramen eggs, and the cooking liquid in the refrigerator.
DAY 2
- Open the bag of chashu.
- Cut the twine with kitchen shears and remove the twine pieces completely.
- Slice the chashu into ¼-inch pieces and keep the end piece for Chashu Fried Rice!
- Place the chashu slices on a ceramic plate. Sear and enhance the flavor with a kitchen butane torch. You can also use a broiler in the oven. Enjoy them immediately or serve on your ramen.
- Scoop up and discard the solidified fat from the cooking sauce.
- Strain the sauce over a fine-mesh sieve to make sure the solidified fat is left behind. Pour the sauce into a mason jar or container and seal. The sauce will last for a month in the refrigerator. I use it for drizzling over the chashu and for making stir-fried dishes, marinades, and ramen eggs.
To Store
- You can store the chashu in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or 1 month in the freezer. I usually divide the rolled chashu into thirds and freeze 2 portions separately (for ramen right away, and Chashu Fried Rice and Chashu Bowl for later). Ramen Eggs should be consumed in 3–4 days if they are soft-boiled eggs and 7 days if hard-boiled eggs. The eggs get saltier the longer you keep them in the marinade, so remove them from the sauce when they have the right taste.
FOR NON-ROLLED CHASHU
- Gather all the ingredients. For small blocks of pork belly (about 1 lb) like I‘ve used here, you don’t need to roll them up before cooking, and the simmering time is just 1 hour (instead of 2 hours). Tip: To cook 1 lb (454 g) of pork belly, see the ingredients list in the Notes section at the end of the recipe card.
- Heat a cast iron skillet (or regular frying pan) over high heat. When the pan is hot, add ½ Tbsp neutral oil. Sear ¾ lb pork belly block fat-side down first, then flip over to sear the other side; this will take about 10 minutes.
- While searing, prepare a heavy-bottomed pot (or regular pot) that will fit the chashu. To the pot, add the green part of 1 Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion), 4 slices ginger (unpeeled), ⅓ cup sake, ⅓ cup soy sauce, ⅔ cup water, and 3 Tbsp sugar. Once you‘re done searing the meat, add it to the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil, skimming the scum and foam. Then, turn the heat to low/simmer.
- Put an otoshibuta (drop lid) on top to press the ingredients down and limit the evaporation. If you don’t have an otoshibuta, you can make one with aluminum foil (here’s how to make otoshibuta). Simmer on low heat for 1 hour, turning the chashu every 15 minutes and keeping an otoshibuta on at all times.
- After 1 hour, there is ½ inch of liquid left in the pot. Now, you have 2 options. Option 1: If you’re serving it right away, remove the otoshibuta and further reduce the sauce on low heat until the sauce thickens and you can see the bottom of the pot when you draw a line through the sauce with a spatula. Option 2 (recommended): Transfer the chashu to a container or bag with a little bit of cooking sauce and refrigerate overnight. Strain the leftover cooking sauce, transfer to a jar, and refrigerate.
- To serve, slice the chashu into ¼-inch (6 mm) pieces. Sear and enhance the flavor with a kitchen butane torch. If you stored the chashu overnight and don’t want to sear the chashu, you can reheat it by soaking it in hot cooking sauce.
Notes
- 1 lb pork belly block (454 g)
- 1 negi (long green onion) (substitute with 1 leek or 2-3 green onions)
- 1 knob ginger
- ½ Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc.)
- ½ cup sake (120 ml)
- ½ cup soy sauce (120 ml)
- 1 cup water (240 ml)
- ⅓ cup sugar (75 g, 5 Tbsp)
Nutrition
Editor’s Notes: This post was originally shared in May 2011. The first video was added in September 2014 with new images. New video and images are added in May 2019.
Hi Nami,
So I am trying to make some kind of pork topping for Ramen, but nobody in my family enjoys fatty meats. All the fatty parts would have to be cut off before serving. Can this dish be made with a different cut of meat, like pork shoulder or country style ribs?
Hi Kathrin! You “can” but it’ll be less flavorful and tender. Try it with pork shoulder and let me know how it goes! 🙂
Hi Nami,
I’ve tried both the rolled and unrolled versions of this recipe and both times I’ve found the liquid to evapourate too quickly! The first time was probably due to not using a heavy based pan and not being able to control a simmer properly. This resulted in the cooking liquid burning and ruining the attempt obviously! This time I had a heavy based pan and was doing the unrolled version. The liquid amount for the 340g piece of pork seems to be nowhere near enough? It looked quite low before I even started cooking and by 35 minutes if I hadnt of stopped the process would have burnt again!
Was wondering if you had any suggestions to overcome the issues I’ve been having.
Hi Ollie! My first question is… do you use an Otoshibuta? You really need it. It’s not just the lid, but it presses down the meat, limits evaporation, and helps the simmering liquid circulate while coating the meat constantly. It’s REALLY important. In my step 4 picture of instructions (the slab one), you see the same amount of liquid as yours?
Another guess is that your pot is too big for your meat so the liquid is spread out (more evaporation surface)? If so, use a smaller one, which brings the liquid to be higher and covers more meat. I make this all the time, so I know the liquid should not be the issue if you use the same amount of meat. Hmmm what else can you do… maybe increase the portion of sauce a bit more if you still have the issue… Hope this helps!
Hi Nami,
Yeah I use an otoshibuta. When doing the slab my liquid looked a lot less than yours. I also thought it maybe my pan being too big for what I was cooking. The next time I make the recipe is using rolled pork belly again. I think with the pan I have now it’ll probably be a better success. I only have another 3 slabs to do if I want to, so if I do them next time Ill either increase the amount of liquid or use a smaller pan and see what happens!
Thanks for the help as always. 🙂 The chashu I made last time although the liquid almost evaporated was still cooked through but probably not as tender as it could have been. Still delicious in my first bowl of shouyo ramen! 😀
Hi Ollie! Thank you for your response! Please keep me posted, and good luck with your next batch! 🙂
Excellent recipe. Easy to follow and very tasty with minimal ingredients required.
Hi Min! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
Should I dilute the cooking sauce before using it to make ramen eggs?
Hi Long! You can, if you want to marinate for a longer time. Or you can marinate for a short time in this cooking sauce. 🙂
[…] Check out the JOC recipe for Chashu […]
[…] start with the chashu. I was losing sunlight to shoot my photos, so I didn’t have the time to slow braise or roast the pork for a few hours as your typical ramen shop would. Instead, I gave my hunk of pork […]
Dear Nami
This recipe is just awesome. I have made it for the third time and it always turns out perfect. The taste is no less than those found in an authentic Japanese Restuarant. My family including my 2 fussy young kids could finish 200g of meat at each seating. The best part are: it is so easy and fuss free to make (minimal cleaning of the kitchen) and I can freeze into portions for later use. Thank you thank you sooo much for sharing this recipe.
Hi Cynthia! Wow you made it for the 3rd time! I’m so happy!! Haha your children are awesome. Hope they enjoy the Chashu Fried Rice that I posted recently (I use the leftover chashu). My kids love it! Thank you for your kind feedback. xoxo
[…] my slow-cooked chashu pork belly, based on JustOneCookbook’s recipe with some […]
This went really, horribly badly for me. I had two beautiful slabs of non rolled pork belly. At the third turning in the sauce, both were burnt to the bottom of the pan in a hot sticky mess. Not anywhere near enough liquid even with the drop lid and a pot lid.
All the fat is gone from the meat, one side is fully burnt, now trying to save my pot and drop lid from being ruined. I was watching it closely, it was simmering happily, and then very suddenly turned on me. Super disappointed. Not at all clear what is supposed to happen.
Hi Marble! Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. From reading your comment, I felt like your heat was too strong. If you simmer, this should not happen. One thing I also noticed is that you cover the drop lid AND pot lid. When you use a drop lid, you do not need to close the pot lid. When you also use a pot lid, that’s when you need to save the cooking sauce. In this recipe, you need to reduce the sauce to thicken slowly. If you cover with the pot lid, you can’t evaporate the sauce. However, it looks like your sauce was completely gone and ended up burning. This seems like your heat was too strong and the sauce was overboiled. If you use the lower heat, the liquid will not evaporate for a long time and you are supposed to check to make sure you have enough sauce at the bottom of the pot. Hope this helps!
[…] wok-charred rice gets an amazing blast of umami from savory-sweet chashu pork and fluffy egg. The homemade chashu pork was made in advance for ramen, but I’ve allocated a portion just for fried rice! It’s […]
Hi, Nami. I made 500g of chashu (non-rolled) for ramen dinner at home last week and everyone loved it! I think I must have done something wrongly though; although I simmered the pork belly for almost 2 hours, it still wasn’t fork-tender and the flavours did not seep much into the meat. It was still delicious, but I think I need more practice to get it perfect! Also there was much more than half-inch of liquid left in the pot after the 2 hours. Perhaps my fire was too low? Would this affect how the meat soaks up the liquid? The liquid was bubbling gently throughout though. I also made Ajitsuke Tamago (absolutely delicious!) with the leftover liquid, but am still left with quite a bit of the liquid. Can I marinade cod steaks with the liquid? If so, how should I go about doing this? Thank you for your advice.
Hi Elaine! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! Hmmm… I’m not too sure, but maybe you could simmer a bit longer especially you had enough liquid to cook more. You could use the leftover liquid for cod steak. Make sure it’s boiled and cool down first before using it.
Hello Nami,
I really enjoy your helpful recipes. I already subscribe to your e-newsletter for the most up to date info. So far, I have tried Instant Pot curry and Cold ramen. I would really like to try making this Chashu and make Miso ramen. If I were to make this Chashu on Instant Pot, how long should I pressure cook it for?
Thanks again for great recipes.
Julie
Hi Julie! Thank you so much for trying my recipes! I thought of making this in the instant pot, but you will need to cover the pork with sauce and this recipe won’t be enough so you have to make more sauce. I haven’t give it a try yet as I don’t want to waste the cooking sauce. Since I haven’t tested, I’m not sure what’s the right cooking time. Sorry…
Thank you the reply 🙂
I just made on Sunday together with the marinated eggs. Thank you for sharing your recipe. My husband loved the taste and wanted to have chashu don tonight!
I made the non-rolled version because I didn’t have any kitchen twine on hand. But this will not be the last time I will make this so I will surely try the rolled one next time. Greetings from the Philippines 🙂
Hi Max-C! I’m so happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed chashu! Thank you for trying this recipe! I hope you like the rolled version too. 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback.
I am going to attempt making this dish today! I really hope I don’t mess it up because it looks SO GOOD!!
I don’t have access to the green onion you use, my local Asian market doesn’t seem to carry them, and another site said I could use either scallions or leeks. So I will try it with both. LOL
I am very happy to have found this recipe! Chashu is one of my favorite ramen toppings!
Hi Vikki! Hope this recipe came out well. And what you did was right. I’d use both, or just more green onions in this recipe. Thank you for trying it out! 🙂
Hi Nami!
It came out AMAZING!! I am SO happy I tried it! I was a bit too intimidated to try it before. This is going to be a regular dish here! Thank you so much for posting it!
Hi Vikki! I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
[…] low-carb/keto friendly, chashu can be!! With some simple adjustments using JOC’s excellent traditional chashu recipe, and adding some of LCA’s personal touches, we created this Keto Chashu Pork Belly dish! […]