Buta-bara (豚バラ, pork belly skewers)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Bamboo skewers, or metal skewers
• •Charcoal grill, gas grill, or ridged cast-iron grill pan
• •Small saucepan for tare
• •Pastry brush for glazing

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the skewers

   Soak the bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes. Bamboo scorches quickly over direct heat, and the soaking gives you enough protection to cook the pork without the handles blackening before the belly is done.

2. 2

   Cut the pork

   Cut the pork belly across the layers into pieces about 1 inch wide and 1 inch thick. Keep them even. The fat and lean need time to cook together, and uneven pieces leave you with one dry edge and one stubborn lump. Wipe away surface moisture with a paper towel so the pork browns instead of steaming in its own wetness.

   If the pork is soft and slippery, chill it for 15 minutes before cutting. Cold fat cuts cleanly, and clean pieces thread and grill more evenly.
3. 3

   Make tare

   For tare, combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small pan. Simmer gently for 6 to 8 minutes, until slightly glossy but still pourable. You're reducing it just enough to cling to the pork. Boil it hard and the sugar can turn harsh before the sauce has balance.

4. 4

   Thread the pork

   Thread 4 to 5 pieces of pork onto each skewer, piercing through the center and leaving a little space between pieces. Snug is fine, packed tight is not. Heat must reach the sides, or the fat stays pale and the meat cooks unevenly.

5. 5

   Salt before grilling

   Sprinkle the skewers with the salt just before they go on the grill, using about 1 teaspoon for all the skewers and saving the rest for finishing. Salt too early and it draws out more moisture than you need. Salt at the last moment and it seasons the surface while helping the fat take color.

6. 6

   Grill steadily

   Heat a charcoal grill, gas grill, or ridged grill pan to medium-high. Grill the skewers for 10 to 14 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, until the edges are browned and the fat looks glossy and partly rendered. Move them away from flare-ups. Pork belly likes heat, but flames leave soot and bitterness, not better flavor.

   The sign to watch is the fat. It should look clear and shiny at the edges, with the meat browned in patches. Pale fat means it needs more time.
7. 7

   Glaze if using

   For tare skewers, brush the pork lightly during the last 2 minutes only, turning once or twice so the sauce sets into a soy-dark gloss. Add tare too early and the sugar burns before the fat has rendered. The sauce belongs at the finish, like a coat, not a blanket.

8. 8

   Finish and serve

   Serve shio skewers with a final pinch of salt, lemon wedges, and a small dish of shichimi tōgarashi if you like. Serve tare skewers with one last thin brush of sauce. Eat them while the surface is glossy and the center is still tender.

Chef Tips

• •Buy pork belly that smells clean and fresh, with pale pink meat and firm white fat. If the fat looks gray or the meat smells sour, change the dish. Sauce will not rescue it.
• •Charcoal gives the best edge because dripping fat meets live heat and returns as clean grill aroma. A gas grill or ridged cast-iron pan works, but keep the heat steady and turn often.
• •For a dinner party, make half shio and half tare. The salt skewers show the pork plainly, and the tare skewers give a darker, sweeter finish without pretending to be a different dish.
• •Do not crowd the plate. Three skewers set at a slight angle look better than a heap of twelve. Leave it room, and the pork keeps its dignity.

Advance Preparation

• •The tare can be made up to 1 week ahead and kept refrigerated. Warm it gently before brushing so it coats the pork evenly.
• •The pork can be cut and threaded up to 8 hours ahead. Keep the skewers covered in the refrigerator, then salt only just before grilling.
• •Soak bamboo skewers earlier in the day, drain them, and keep them wrapped in a damp towel until cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 175g)