Sweet and Sour Red Braised Pork Belly

glistening. lacquered. perfect.

I don’t know about you, but if I see a platter of glistening pork belly placed on the dinner table I’ll be reaching for it immediately. Lunar New Year is less than 2 weeks away, so here’s a stunner of a recipe for your LNY menu consideration.

Pork belly is something that I always associate with special occasions (with the exception of bacon). It meant a trip to either the local Chinese chop shop to get the best piece of crispy roast pork belly hanging in the window display or to your favorite butcher to find the most even and perfect slab of center cut pork belly to bring home and cook yourself. It’s special, fatty, and indulgent and all you need is a few a hearty slices in your bowl to feel satisfied.

Shanghai-style Red Braised Pork Belly or Hong Shao Rou is one of my favorite preparations for pork belly. It’s unbelievably simple and you can’t really mess it up. The braising liquid is a savory and tang from a mix of shaoxing wine, soy, and vinegar. My version takes some inspiration from Filipino Pork Adobo with the addition of vinegar (apple cider vinegar in this case) in the braising liquid for some acidity. Generally, when I’m cooking anything fairly fatty or heavily rich I always appreciate some some tang to add some brightness to the dish. The tiniest splash of dark soy sauce will give the pork a beautiful caramel like color. Chinese rock sugar also melts down into the sauce lending color and sweetness (if you don’t have rock sugar, brown sugar will work as a fine substitute). After about an hour in the pan, the braising liquid reduces into this deliciously sweet and sour sauce that’s a little sticky and coats the pork belly slices in the most beautiful amber lacquer.

I love to eat this pork belly with a mound of rice or stuffed into some steamed buns or gua bao. For some added freshness, you can wrap the pork belly and some thin rice noodles in a crisp lettuce wrap for a bo ssamm-like experience. No matter how you enjoy it, the meat should be incredibly tender and the fat should virtually melt in your mouth. It’s so good, you’ll want to find more special occasions to seek out the perfect pork belly.

Sweet and Sour Pork Belly

Serves 4 to 6

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1 1/2 lbs pork belly

2 teaspoons neutral oil

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup apple vinegar

1/2 cup shaoxing wine

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp dark soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp red chili flakes

3 big chunks (about 85g) of rock sugar or sub with 1/4 cup brown sugar

Sear the Pork Belly: Cut the pork belly into 1 1/2 x 1 1/2” pieces (varies depending on how thick your pork belly is), about 1/2” thick. Heat the neutral oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the pork belly and sear until the underside is deeply golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the pork belly and sear the other side until deeply golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.

Start the Braise: In a metered measuring cup or bowl, mix to combine water, vinegar, shaoxing wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and chili flakes. Slowly pour the braising liquid into the pan. Add the rock sugar and bring the braising liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer. Cover with a lid, leaving a small gap for steam to escape. Continue to braise the pork belly until 75% of the liquid has cooked off and the pork is very tender, 50 minutes, and flipping the pork halfway through. Keep an eye on the pork during this process, if the liquid is reducing too quickly then add a little more water into the pot.

Reduce and Glaze: Remove the lid and allow the remaining liquid to reduce and caramelize into a sticky glaze, 5 to 10 minutes. Flip the pork to coat in the glaze.

Serve and Eat: Transfer the pork to a platter and let it cool for a few minutes. Top with green onions and serve. 

• Serving ideas: for Lunar New Year or any big celebratory dinner, this pork belly would be served alongside other dishes, like vegetables, noodles, and of course rice. You can also serve this stuffed into a steamed bun or tucked into a lettuce wrap with some pickled vegetables and thin rice noodles.