Ingredients
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3 lbs pork belly
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1 clove garlic, crushed
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2 inches ginger, sliced
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1 cup bonito stock or 1 cup dashi stock (if unavailable, use reserved pork stock)
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1 cup substitute Bourbon or 1 cup Scotch whisky
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1 cup sugar
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1 cup shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
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1/2 cup mirin (Japanese rice wine)
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1 teaspoon red food coloring
Instructions
- Place pork, skin side up, on the rack of a broiler pan, and broil until skin is browned.
- Rinse pork under warm running water, scraping off any charred areas with a knife.
- Place the whole piece of pork in a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, and cook 40 minutes.
- Remove pork and reserve broth.
- Allow the pork to cool, then slice into ½" thick, 2" x 2" squares.
- Combine other ingredients, except mirin, in a thick, wide, shallow pot, and bring to the boil.
- Lay the pork pieces in this sauce and cook, covered, for about 1½ hours over low heat.
- If during this time the pan seems dry, add a little of the reserved pork stock.
- As pork tenderizes, add mirin and cook a further half-hour uncovered, until pork is melt-in-the-mouth tender and evenly glazed with sauce.
- When warming leftovers, do not add water or soup stock- instead, use sake (or bourbon/whisky), which is said to keep pork tender and juicy.