Japanese Chashu Pork Belly (For Ramen)

Main ingredients

• 500g pork belly, skin on

Braising liquid

• 1/4 cup shoyu
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1/2 cup sake
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 scallions, chopped into 4" lengths
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the blade of a knife
• 2 large shallots, peeled and halved
• 1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and roughly sliced
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat water bath to 62°C.
2. Combine ingredients for braising liquid in a saucepan.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half.
4. While liquid is reducing, roll pork belly tightly and tie with butcher's twine at 1/2-inch intervals.
5. Transfer braising liquid to a bowl set in an ice bath and stir to chill.
6. Place pork and chilled braising liquid in an appropriately sized bag and deal with a chamber vac (or use a freezer safe zip-top bag and seal using the water displacement method).
7. Place pork in water bath and cook for 24h.
8. Remove from bath, allow to cool in an ice bath, then chill for at least 4 hours in the fridge (for easier slicing).
9. Remove pork belly from bag, discarding aromats but saving bag juices for another use (can be made into a sauce or a tare of sorts for your ramen!), slice into 3mm-thick rounds.
10. Finish pork with a blowtorch or over a grill, or just allow to reheat gently in ramen broth.