Buta Kakuni (Japanese braised porkbelly)
May 18, 2008 | 20 Comments
Pork belly is one of those unctuous guilty pleasures that you know will kill you some day, but you can’t resist taking another bite. Unlike “pork butt”, porkbelly actually comes from the belly of the pig and has layers of glorious fat. Salted and smoked, this cut is called “bacon”… need I say more?
Cooked over low heat for a long period of time, much of the fat renders out (which you skim off) and the collagen in the tough bits breaks down into gelatin making the entire thing dissolve in your mouth on contact. While I love porkbelly how ever it’s prepared, it’s so rich that I like simple preparations the best.
In Japan, buta kakuni is served as an appetizer along with some beer or sake. Literally translated it means “stewed square cut pork”. While it’s traditionally cut into cubes, I actually like leaving it in longer strips then slicing it before serving.
The dried sardines and pork make a flavorful broth while the ginger and garlic evens out any overly fishy or porky tones. The braising liquid has a small amount of soy sauce for added umami and “that Japanese taste”, but it’s mostly seasoned with salt with just a touch of sugar to balance it all out.
This goes great with some stir fried greens (flavored with the braising liquid), but I also love having slices of this over udon noodles with some of the braising liquid in the dashi.
small handful of dried sardines (about 2 tablespoons)
5 1/4″ thick rounds of ginger
2 cloves of garlic crushed with a heavy object
1 C water
1/4 C mirin
1 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs sake
2 tsp soy sauce
3/4 tsp kosher saltpork belly cut into 2″ strips
Choosing the right pork belly is important. The meat part should be well marbled, and there should be even layers of fat between the layers of meet (you don’t want thicker meat layers or thicker fat layers).
Wrap the dried baby sardines in a cheese cloth and tie with some kitchen twine to make a “bouquet garni” of fish (if you can find them you can also use a fillable disposable tea bag). You can leave them loose, but it’s a lot easier to fish them out of the stock if you do this.
Pick a small dutch oven (or other heavy bottom pan with a tight fitting lid) that will snugly fit the pork in a single layer. Combine all ingredients except the pork belly in the pot, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes to release stock from fish.
Remove the bouquet garni and throw it out. Add the pork belly (make sure there is enough broth to cover the meat), cover and cook over low heat for 2 to 3 hours or until the meat falls apart and the fat is silky smooth.
Ideally you’ll want the pork to sit in the broth overnight putting it in the fridge after it cools off. This will do 2 things: it gives the meat a chance to absorb more flavor and it will give you a chance to easily skim off the rendered fat.
Gently reheat, slice and serve with some of the braising liquid and some steamed bok choy.
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Category: Asian Recipes | Japanese Recipes | Pork
Tags: Braised, buta, kakuni, Pork, porkbelly, slow cooked, sweet soy sauce, tender
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20 Responses to “Buta Kakuni (Japanese braised porkbelly)”
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Braised pork belly…yum yum. Thanks for introducing this new way of braising them. I’m more used to the Chinese concoction that uses the five spices such as star anise, cinnamon etc. Sometimes, they even have sliced pork belly as steamed bun fillers….
mmmm, pork fat…looks delicious, sounds delicious, love the simplicity of the recipe too.
yummy. that looks well good
My theory to justify my love for pork belly is that the collagen is good for the skin, so this is actually healthy!
Wow, I haven’t had a good piece of pork belly since that cassoulet I made last winter. I would really love it with udon too.
That looks so good!
i just had some yogurt and granola for lunch. then i read this post, and NOW I AM DYING.
[...] Polls « Buta Kakuni (Japanese braised porkbelly) [...]
tigerfish, I love the Chinese preparation as well (I usually throw some boiled eggs into the braising liquid and let it absorb the flavours overnight). This is a much lighter preparation.
Thanks Laura and diva!
Tommy, hahaha that’s what I tell figure conscious people to get them to try it. Once they take a bite, it’s all downhill from there.
Heather, I’ve been looking for a good cassoulet recipe, I’ll have to give yours a shot when it gets cooler.
Thanks Kevin,
Michelle, I’m sure you’ll get plenty of pork this weekend;-)
This sounds wonderful! What is it about that tiny touch of fish that just makes things better?
[...] C dashi 1 C braising liquid from buta kakuni (fat skimmed) 1-2 Tbs soy sauce (depending on how salty the braising liquid is) 2 bundles udon [...]
Leave it to the Japanese to take something so sumptuous and fatty and make it elegant and damn-near healthy looking. Your version looks terrific. Nice work!
if you’re not gay or married, or under 40 - will you please MARRY ME RIGHT NOW?
Maggie. In a word, umami:-)
Thanks Angela, I wish I could say it is healthy, but that would be a lie:-) It does taste pretty light given the amount of fat though.
Claudia, I’m flattered, but I’m 31 and married. Maybe next time;-P
[...] so I started thinking of other ways I could cook this. One of my favourite Japanese dishes is Buta Kakuni (braised pork belly). It’s a great way to prepare fatty cuts of meat and duck legs definitely [...]
The pork’s been braising for only 30 minutes but the smell is already maddening. I’m probably going to have to leave the house to keep myself from eating undercooked pork.
[...] Buta Kakuni (Japanese braised porkbelly) [...]
[...] Pork Kakuni. It’s the bacon cut of pork braised in dashi for 4-5 hours in a cool oven. Most of the fat renders out and what your left with is tender meat loaded with collagen that just melts in your mouth. Gilli from So So Simple Food: [...]
[...] or kombu being used for lighter stocks. Niboshi dashi is commonly used in stock for udon, kakuni, and red miso soups. It can also be stewed with soy sauce, mirin and sugar to make tsukudani which [...]
[...] to the fact I’ve never made one before, I rushed it. I was gunning for something like pork belly kakuni, but with layers of braised pork and foie gras, mimicking the layers of meat and fat in pork [...]