Japanese Chashu (Braised Pork Belly) 日式叉燒

Japanese chashu is commonly found in Japanese ramen.  It's basically braised pork belly and it's really soft and melt in your mouth.  It's easy to make but just take a little prep time.

Ingredients:
2 lbs        Slab of boneless pork belly (skin on)
2 cups      Water
1 cup       Soy Sauce
1/2 cup    Dark Soy Sauce
1 cup       Japanese Mirin
1 cup       Sake
1/2 cup    Sugar
4 stems    Green Onion
1 whole    Garlic
5 slices     Ginger
2               Star Anise
2 Tbsp      Salt
1 roll         Butcher's Twine

Method:

1. Put the pork belly on a cutting board, then score the meat side of the pork belly
2. Rub salt all over the meat side of the pork belly
3. Roll up the pork belly lengthwise and tie it tight with the butcher's twine like a jelly roll
4. In a heavy pot, heat up all the other ingredients over medium high until boil and sugar dissolved
5. Add the rolled up pork belly into the pot with the braising liquid
   
6. Turn up the heat until the braising liquid is boiling again, then cover the pot and turn down the heat to simmer for at least 2 hours (or until the pork belly is tender when you insert a knife)
7. Transfer the fully cooked pork belly into a container with the braising liquid, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or overnight)
   
8. When ready to reserve, remove pork belly from the refrigerator and then slice into thin round pieces
9. To serve, you can just put the chashu slices on top of the ramen.  For better flavor, brush each slice with some soy sauce and use a kitchen torch to lightly torch the top to create grilled flavor 

Enjoy!