I just made a fool-proof Chinese Braised Pork Belly that falls into glossy, sticky slices so good I’m seriously considering eating it with my hands and skipping the rest of dinner.
I am obsessed with this Chinese Braised Pork Belly, plain and brutal and utterly addictive. I love how the glossy sauce clings to each chunk of pork belly, the kind you find in the best Pork Belly Recipes but simpler, not precious.
I adore the contrast of soft fat and chewy meat. Shaoxing wine and a hit of star anise make it taste like it’s been simmering forever, though it’s not fussy.
But that sticky, savory-sweet mess? Yeah, I dream about it.
Messy, loud, and totally unapologetic. Bring rice, bring people, but mostly bring me a bowl.
right now please.
Ingredients
- Pork belly, skin on: rich, soft fat, melt-in-mouth comfort meat.
- Neutral oil: keeps things from sticking, little flavor interference.
- Light soy sauce: salty backbone, bright umami note.
- Dark soy sauce: gives color and a deeper caramel hint.
- Shaoxing wine: adds depth and a slight tangy warmth.
- Rock or brown sugar: sweet caramel, glossy sticky finish.
- Fresh ginger: sharp bite that cuts the richness.
- Scallion whites: oniony aromatics, simple savory lift.
- Star anise: warm, slightly licorice perfume, cozy aroma.
- Cinnamon stick: woody warmth, rounds out the spices.
- Water or chicken stock: keeps meat tender, adds subtle savory base.
- Salt: wakes up everything, use sparingly at first.
- Hard boiled eggs (optional): soak up sauce, fun extra richness.
- Garlic (optional): mellowed garlic warmth, not overpowering when crushed.
Ingredient Quantities
- 800 g pork belly, skin on, cut into 2.5 cm cubes (about 1.75 lb)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 tbsp rock sugar or packed brown sugar
- 4 slices fresh ginger, smashed
- 2 scallions, white parts only, smashed
- 2 whole star anise
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 250 ml water or low sodium chicken stock (about 1 cup)
- Salt, to taste (start with 1/2 tsp)
- Optional: 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled
- Optional: 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
How to Make this
1. Pat pork belly dry and cut into
2.5 cm cubes, trim nothing if you like extra silkiness; season lightly with a pinch of salt.
2. Heat 1 tbsp neutral oil in a wide heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add pork cubes skin side down first and brown on most sides, about 6 to 8 minutes total; you want color not a full cook. Work in batches if crowded, otherwise the meat will steam.
3. Push pork to one side, lower heat a bit and add 2 tbsp rock sugar or packed brown sugar. Let it melt and bubble until it turns a deep amber and smells caramelized, about 2 to 3 minutes, then stir to coat the meat. Be careful, sugar burns fast.
4. Add 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 2 tbsp light soy sauce and 1 tbsp dark soy sauce. Stir and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. The liquid will sizzle and the color will deepen.
5. Toss in 4 smashed ginger slices, 2 smashed white scallion parts, 2 whole star anise, 1 small cinnamon stick and optional 2 crushed garlic cloves. Pour in 250 ml water or chicken stock, bring to a gentle boil.
6. Lower to a low simmer, cover slightly ajar, and simmer gently for 60 to 75 minutes until pork is tender and most of the fat has softened. Check every 15 minutes and turn pieces so they braise evenly.
7. If using, add 2 peeled hard boiled eggs about 20 minutes before the end so they soak up flavor. Skim off excess oil that rises to the top with a spoon for a cleaner sauce.
8. Uncover and increase heat to medium to reduce sauce until it thickens and clings to the pork, spooning the glossy sauce over the meat often. This should take 8 to 12 minutes; don’t walk away or it will burn.
9. Taste and add salt starting with 1/2 tsp if needed, finish by spooning the sticky sauce over the pork. Serve hot with steamed rice. It’s rich comfort food, so small portions go a long way.
Equipment Needed
1. Wide heavy pot or Dutch oven for browning and braising
2. Sharp chef’s knife for cutting the pork into 2.5 cm cubes
3. Cutting board (preferably plastic or wood you dont mind staining)
4. Tongs or a slotted spoon to turn and move the pork pieces
5. Wooden spoon or heatproof spatula for scraping up browned bits
6. Measuring spoons and a 250 ml measuring cup for liquids and sugar
7. Small bowl to hold the seasoned pork while you heat the pot
8. Large spoon or small ladle and a skimmer to remove excess oil and baste the meat
FAQ
Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou/红烧肉) Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Pork belly: swap for pork shoulder (cut into chunks) for a leaner, more shreddable result, or for a vegetarian twist use firm tofu pressed and pan seared to hold up in the braise.
- Light soy sauce: use tamari or a low sodium soy to reduce salt, or coconut aminos if you need gluten free and a slightly sweeter note.
- Shaoxing wine: substitute dry sherry or a mix of 1 tbsp rice vinegar plus 1 tbsp water if you want the acidity without alcohol.
- Rock sugar: use packed brown sugar or granulated sugar in the same amount, or honey for a floral sweetness but add it near the end so it doesnt scorch.
Pro Tips
1. Brown in batches and keep the pan hot enough for color not cooking; crowding the pork makes it steam and you lose that crisped skin texture.
2. Watch the sugar like a hawk when melting; it goes from amber to burnt in seconds. Pull the pot off heat for a few seconds if it starts to smoke, then return and deglaze with the Shaoxing wine.
3. Simmer very gently and turn pieces every 15 minutes so the meat braises evenly; a rolling boil will make the pork tough and the sauce cloudy.
4. Chill briefly or tilt the pot and spoon off excess fat before the final reduction so the glaze clings instead of floating on top.
5. Add peeled hard boiled eggs with about 20 minutes left and pierce them a few times so they soak up color and flavor; for deeper color, crack the shells slightly before simmering.
Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou/红烧肉) Recipe
I just made a fool-proof Chinese Braised Pork Belly that falls into glossy, sticky slices so good I’m seriously considering eating it with my hands and skipping the rest of dinner.
4
servings
1091
kcal
Equipment: 1. Wide heavy pot or Dutch oven for browning and braising
2. Sharp chef’s knife for cutting the pork into 2.5 cm cubes
3. Cutting board (preferably plastic or wood you dont mind staining)
4. Tongs or a slotted spoon to turn and move the pork pieces
5. Wooden spoon or heatproof spatula for scraping up browned bits
6. Measuring spoons and a 250 ml measuring cup for liquids and sugar
7. Small bowl to hold the seasoned pork while you heat the pot
8. Large spoon or small ladle and a skimmer to remove excess oil and baste the meat
Ingredients
-
800 g pork belly, skin on, cut into 2.5 cm cubes (about 1.75 lb)
-
1 tbsp neutral oil
-
2 tbsp light soy sauce
-
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
-
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
-
2 tbsp rock sugar or packed brown sugar
-
4 slices fresh ginger, smashed
-
2 scallions, white parts only, smashed
-
2 whole star anise
-
1 small cinnamon stick
-
250 ml water or low sodium chicken stock (about 1 cup)
-
Salt, to taste (start with 1/2 tsp)
-
Optional: 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled
-
Optional: 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
Directions
- Pat pork belly dry and cut into
- 5 cm cubes, trim nothing if you like extra silkiness; season lightly with a pinch of salt.
- Heat 1 tbsp neutral oil in a wide heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add pork cubes skin side down first and brown on most sides, about 6 to 8 minutes total; you want color not a full cook. Work in batches if crowded, otherwise the meat will steam.
- Push pork to one side, lower heat a bit and add 2 tbsp rock sugar or packed brown sugar. Let it melt and bubble until it turns a deep amber and smells caramelized, about 2 to 3 minutes, then stir to coat the meat. Be careful, sugar burns fast.
- Add 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 2 tbsp light soy sauce and 1 tbsp dark soy sauce. Stir and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. The liquid will sizzle and the color will deepen.
- Toss in 4 smashed ginger slices, 2 smashed white scallion parts, 2 whole star anise, 1 small cinnamon stick and optional 2 crushed garlic cloves. Pour in 250 ml water or chicken stock, bring to a gentle boil.
- Lower to a low simmer, cover slightly ajar, and simmer gently for 60 to 75 minutes until pork is tender and most of the fat has softened. Check every 15 minutes and turn pieces so they braise evenly.
- If using, add 2 peeled hard boiled eggs about 20 minutes before the end so they soak up flavor. Skim off excess oil that rises to the top with a spoon for a cleaner sauce.
- Uncover and increase heat to medium to reduce sauce until it thickens and clings to the pork, spooning the glossy sauce over the meat often. This should take 8 to 12 minutes; don't walk away or it will burn.
- Taste and add salt starting with 1/2 tsp if needed, finish by spooning the sticky sauce over the pork. Serve hot with steamed rice. It's rich comfort food, so small portions go a long way.
Notes
- Below you’ll find my best estimate of this recipe’s nutrition facts. Treat the numbers as a guide rather than a rule—great food should nourish both body and spirit. Figures are approximate, and the website owner assumes no liability for any inaccuracies in this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 200g
- Total number of serves: 4
- Calories: 1091kcal
- Fat: 109.5g
- Saturated Fat: 38g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Polyunsaturated: 11g
- Monounsaturated: 43.8g
- Cholesterol: 140mg
- Sodium: 1530mg
- Potassium: 600mg
- Carbohydrates: 7.5g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Sugar: 6g
- Protein: 18.5g
- Vitamin A: 20IU
- Vitamin C: 0mg
- Calcium: 50mg
- Iron: 1.4mg
