Okinawan Braised Pork Belly (ラフテー, Rafutē)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy pot
• •Wooden drop-lid (otoshibuta), or a circle of parchment with a small center hole
• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth
• •Skimmer or shallow spoon for lifting fat

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dashi

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. Put it in the 3 cups cold water and bring it up slowly over low heat, about ten minutes. Pull the konbu when the water trembles and small bubbles climb the sides. Bring the water to a gentle boil, add the katsuobushi all at once, take the pot off the heat, and leave it alone for two minutes. Strain through cloth and let it drip without pressing. Measure 2 cups for the braise.

   Boiled konbu turns the stock bitter and slick, and squeezed bonito flakes give up strong oily flavors. The rule is simple because the thing you're guarding is simple: clarity.
2. 2

   Blanch the pork

   Set the pork belly in a heavy pot and cover it with cold water. Bring it to a steady simmer and cook for 10 minutes, then drain, rinse the pork under warm water, and wash the pot. This first water carries off blood, scum, and loose fat. Leave them there and the finished sauce turns muddy before it ever has a chance to shine.

3. 3

   Pre-simmer gently

   Return the pork to the clean pot, cover with fresh water, and add 4 slices of ginger. Keep it at a quiet simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until a skewer enters the skin with gentle resistance. Don't hurry it with a hard boil. The skin and connective tissue need time to soften, while the lean streaks need protection from rough heat. Lift the pork out and reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

4. 4

   Cut the belly

   Let the pork cool until you can handle it, then cut it into 6 to 8 large pieces, about 2 inches across. Keep the pieces generous. Small cubes give up too much fat and look tired by the time the sauce is right. Use a sharp knife and cut cleanly through the skin so each piece keeps its face.

5. 5

   Start the braise

   In a wide heavy pot, combine the 2 cups dashi, 1 cup reserved pork cooking liquid, awamori, kokutō, and the remaining 4 slices of ginger. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the pork pieces skin-side up, then rest a wooden drop-lid, otoshibuta, directly on the surface. Simmer quietly for 30 minutes.

   Awamori and sugar go in before the soy so their fragrance and sweetness can settle into the pork before salt tightens the surface. No otoshibuta? Cut a circle of parchment with a small hole in the center.
6. 6

   Add the shōyu

   Add 1/4 cup of the shōyu and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup and continue simmering for 45 to 60 minutes, basting now and then, until chopsticks slip through the skin and meat with little resistance. Keep the liquid barely moving. A hard boil breaks fat into the sauce and makes it greasy instead of glossy.

7. 7

   Rest in broth

   Take the pot off the heat and leave the pork in its braising liquid for at least 1 hour, or cool and refrigerate it overnight. This is not idle waiting. As the meat relaxes, the seasoning settles inward, and if you chill it, the extra fat firms on top and lifts away cleanly.

8. 8

   Gloss and serve

   Skim off any excess fat, then warm the pork gently in the braising liquid. Lift the pieces to a serving dish and reduce the liquid for 5 to 10 minutes, just until it lightly coats a spoon. Spoon the glossy sauce over the pork. Finish with fine ginger threads and a small dab of karashi if you like. Serve with plain rice.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for skin-on pork belly with an even thickness. Skinless belly will still braise well, but it won't give you the same tender amber cap. For rafutē, the skin is part of the dish, not decoration.
• •Use awamori if you can. Sake is a sensible stand-in when awamori is truly out of reach, but say plainly that the fragrance changes. The Okinawan spirit is not a minor seasoning here.
• •Kokutō, Okinawan black sugar, gives the sauce a dark mineral sweetness. Dark brown sugar can stand in, but don't use a neutral white sugar and expect the same depth.
• •Rafutē is better the next day. The fat firms, the seasoning settles, and the cook looks wiser than they worked. This is one of the pleasant tricks of simmered food.
• •If the pork is not tender when the time is up, keep simmering. Don't raise the heat. Tough pork in a rich sauce is still tough pork, only more expensive-looking.

Advance Preparation

• •The dashi can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated. Warm it gently before using.
• •The pork can be blanched and pre-simmered 1 day ahead. Chill it in its cooking liquid, then reserve 1 cup of that liquid for the braise.
• •Finished rafutē keeps 3 days refrigerated in its braising liquid. Reheat gently, then reduce only the liquid you need for serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 190g)