Pork Belly Ramen Recipe

Trim and season

Pat pork belly dry with paper towels. Rub kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper all over.

Sear

Heat vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, sear the pork belly on all sides until deeply browned, about 3–4 minutes per side. Transfer pork to a plate.

Build braising liquid

In the same skillet or a wide Dutch oven, add sliced ginger, smashed garlic, and white parts of scallions and cook 1–2 minutes until aromatic. Add mirin, soy sauce, sake, brown sugar and 500 ml water, stirring to deglaze and dissolve sugar.

Braise slowly

Return pork belly to the pot, fat side up. Bring liquid to a simmer, then cover and cook in a preheated oven at 150°C (300°F) for 2.5–3 hours, or simmer gently on the stovetop for the same time, until pork is fork-tender and easily pierced. Turn pork once halfway through.

Reduce and glaze

Remove pork from braising liquid and tent with foil. Place the braising liquid in a small saucepan and reduce over medium-high heat until syrupy, about 8–12 minutes. When pork is cool enough to handle, slice into 8 even pieces and brush with the reduced glaze. Optional: briefly torch or broil the slices to caramelize the glaze, 1–2 minutes.

Roast bones and aromatics (optional, for deeper flavor)

Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Place bones, onion halves, and carrot on a roasting tray and roast 25–30 minutes until browned. This step is optional but adds depth.

Make stock

Place roasted or raw bones into a large stockpot with 3 liters of cold water. Add halved onion, carrot, smashed garlic, smashed ginger, kombu, and dried shiitake. Slowly bring to a very gentle simmer over medium heat. Do not boil aggressively — maintain a low simmer and skim any scum from the surface for the first 30–40 minutes. Simmer gently for 3–4 hours for a rich stock.

Strain stock

After simmering, remove from heat. Take out kombu, mushrooms, bones and vegetables; strain the liquid through a fine mesh into a clean pot. Discard solids or reserve meat for another use.

Finish broth

Keep about 1.2–1.5 liters of strained stock for the ramen broth. Warm a ladle of stock in a small bowl and whisk in white and red miso paste until smooth (do this off the heat to preserve miso probiotics and flavor). Return miso mixture to the pot of warm stock. Add 2 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs mirin and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil. Taste and adjust salt or miso amount as needed. Keep warm but do not boil.

Prepare toppings

If you haven't prepared soft-boiled ajitsuke tamago, use eggs cooked 6–7 minutes in boiling water, then chilled in ice water and marinated in a mixture of 60 ml soy sauce, 60 ml mirin and 60 ml water for at least 2 hours or overnight. Slice scallions, drain menma and warm bean sprouts briefly in boiling water for 30 seconds, then drain.

Cook noodles

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add ramen noodles and cook according to package instructions (usually 90 seconds to 3 minutes for fresh; follow timing for dried). Stir to separate. Drain quickly and divide noodles among 4 bowls.

Ladle broth and assemble

Ladle about 350–375 ml of hot miso broth over the noodles in each bowl. Arrange 2 slices of glazed pork belly per bowl. Add half a soft-boiled egg, a handful of bean sprouts, 2–3 tablespoons menma, a quarter sheet of nori, sliced scallions, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Drizzle chili oil if desired.

Serve

Serve immediately while hot. Provide extra soy sauce or chili oil at the table. Leftover broth keeps refrigerated up to 3 days; pork belly keeps 3–4 days refrigerated.