Hong Shao Rou, or Chinese Red Braised Pork Belly, is such an incredibly indulgent dish. We’re talking slow-braised pork belly with the old Chinese red cook method. Each bite is pure indulgence. The fat turns silky and melts on the tongue while the contrast in texture from the meat stays tender and full of flavor. The glistening sauce clings with a beautiful sweetness, saltiness, and savoriness, with a bit of heat in perfect harmony. It’s the kind of dish that makes you savor the warming, textural contrast, and pure enjoyment of each bite. Plate on top of steamed rice and drizzle more of that sauce over everything. Garnish it with green onions, sesame seeds, and optionally some hot chilies for added heat.
What is Red Cooking
Red cooking is a very old Chinese cooking method and refers to the caramelization and use of Dark Soy Sauce with a long, slow simmer, that affects the final color of the food being cooked. Producing a beautiful reddish brown or deep mahogany-red tone.
The Red Cooking method is called Hong Shao. Which is a longer, deeper simmer for tough cuts (pork belly or beef shank).
Red Cooking Core
The core of Chinese Red Cooking uses Soy Sauce, Dark Soy Sauce, Sugar, Shaoxing Wine, Ginger, and Scallions or Green Onions. With Sugar being combined with Fat to caramelize, and then meat is added. Warming spices are always included but may vary. In general, Star Anise and Cinnamon are commonly used.
Core Red Cooking: Soy Sauce + Sugar + Wine + Aromatics + Warm Spice.
Red Cook Seasoning
The seasoning can be different. This is one of the most fascinating parts of Chinese Red Cooking. Because while the core technique is consistent, the seasoning profile shifts subtly by region and dish. Still, there’s a classic backbone of seasonings that nearly every authentic Hóng Shāo shares.
- Star Anise: Used in nearly all red braised meats
- Cinnamon: Used in nearly all red braised meats
- Clove: Used sparingly, adds a hint of richness
- Bay Leaf: Common in northern variations
- Orange or Tangerine: Classic Cantonese or southern
- Five Spice: Used in Hunan or Fujian versions.
- Black Cardamom: Used for Beef or Lamb versions.
Cooks often personalize their Hong Shao base with subtle extras.
- Garlic: Used in Hunan/Sichuan styles
- Rock Sugar: Gives a clear glaze and shine
- Chili or Doubanjiang (Chili bean paste): For a Sichuan red-hot version
- Black Vinegar: Balances sweet with tang
- White Pepper: Background spice and heat
- Oyster Sauce: Enhances Umami and Gloss (modern edition)
- Mushrooms: Deepen stock Flavor naturally
After reduction, the braising liquids become the signature glossy sauce.
What’s different about this recipe
This is not your typical Hong Shao Pork Belly. But after making this (quite a few times too), I had to share it, it is just so exceptional. Below is how this recipe is different from your typical Hong Shou Rou.
- Pork Belly is rendered instead of being boiled before frying. Because of this, sugar is added after cooking the pork and emptying the fat to caramelize the pork. Usually, pork is boiled, and oil & sugar are caramelized. Pork is added to further brown. Rendering it out first, allows for some fat to be extracted for other recipes, this stuff is gold. It also browns the pork and adds more flavor and color to the finished dish.
- The use of all the teriyaki sauce ingredients. Which include soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar. This also thickens a bit when reduced. Mirin is not traditionally included, and Shaoxing wine is typically used instead of sake. This recipe uses very little Shaoxing wine for the flavor and uses sake, which is lighter and is more aligned with teriyaki for the final sauce.
- Red Thai chilies are added for a multilayered heat. With more chilies for garnish if more heat is desired. This version is mildy spicy and further heat can be added by garnishing with Red Thai chilies. If you know you like it spicy, then additional chilies can be included in the overall dish.
Red Braised Pork Belly Ingredients
Pork Belly, Sugar, Braising Liquids (Regular Soy Sauce, Sake, Mirin, Dark Soy Sauce, Shaoxing Wine), Seasoning (Green Onion, Ginger, Bay Leaves, Star Anise, Red Thai Chilies, Cinnamon, Sichuan), Water.
Garnishing: Sesame Seeds, Tops of Green Onions, Red Chilies or Red Chili Flakes like Gochugaru. Other chilies can be used.
Pork Belly
Pick up 3 lbs or more of Pork Belly that has a nice 5 layering of Meat and Fat with Skin.
How to Dice Pork Belly
An easy way to dice the pork is to slice however many strips as there are lbs of meat. If you have a slab that is two pounds, slice the meat lengthwise to create 2 equal sized strips. With 3 lbs, slice into 3 strips, and so on.
Then slice each strip in half and repeat slicing in half to get 8 pieces.
This method is pretty consistent and results in about equal-sized pieces. Optionally, just dice the pork any way you see fit, but keep the diced pork at about 1 1/2 inches. This is because the meat is going to shrink considerably, and you want good mouthful-sized pieces for the final dish.
How much Pork Belly per serving
You will need about 1/2 lb to 1 lb (ca. 454 g) for each serving. This is because a lot of it will render out in fat and shrink the meat. This is also the main course, so you need a good amount of meat. 1 lb (ca. 454 g) is very filling and right there on too much. While 1/2 a lb is a decent size, it may leave you wanting just a bite or two more. Use 5-8 good size pieces per serving. 3 lbs of Pork Belly or slightly more is good for 3-4 servings.
So a 2 lbs Pork Belly would yield 16 pieces for 2-3 servings, at about 5-8 pieces per serving. 3 lbs, 24 pieces for 3-4 servings, and a 4 lbs Pork Belly would yield 32 pieces for 4-6 servings.
Clean Pork Flavor
Traditionally, the Pork Belly is boiled in water. This is to remove the funk smell from the pork. However, I much prefer to render the fat out instead of boiling for a few good reasons.
- First is the rendered fat that can be strained out and used in other recipes that require fat. This is a superior Fat with nothing added to it, just clean rendered animal fat.
- Another interesting reason is that frying the Pork in its own fat, also gets rid of the funk smell and elevates the Pork flavor. There is a very big difference between boiling or frying pork in its own fat, in terms of flavor. Plus, the fat takes on the Fried Flavor that just adds so much more to a dish than adding fat. In fact, there is no need at all to add any fat, it’s all there in the Pork Belly, and plenty of it.
- There is also a color difference in the final product between parboiling vs. rendering out. A textural difference as well. Parboiling causes a gelatinous fat that is a bit more chewy. Whereas my method of rendering it out first creates a very soft fat that melts in your mouth.
- Finally, everything is done right there within the wok in stages. The Pork goes in to render out the fat, elevating the flavor and color from browning and frying in its rendered fat. Excess fat is strained out to save for other recipes. Sugar is added to caramelize, which further browns it, and this is crucial to build the flavors up. Then the remaining ingredients go in, and you’re braising until ready to reduce into a sauce. It’s a very simple recipe that packs some serious flavor, it just takes a bit of patience.
How to parboil Pork Belly
Place the diced Pork belly in a pot and fill it with cold water to cover. Set over max heat and bring to a boil. Depending on whether you want to caramelize the pork or not.
- Caramelized Pork: Strain out the Pork Belly and rinse well with cold water. Place the Pork Belly back into the wok over medium heat and add the sugar. Instead of rendering out the fat, we are just going to caramelize the Pork in the Sugar for about 10 minutes and proceed with the recipe as stated.
- Straight to Braising: Skim the scum that rises to the surface so you can have a clean sauce. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and cover to braise for 1 hour or until the pork is very tender.
Parboil vs Rendering Pork Belly
You can parboil the Pork Belly if desired, and this is the traditional way. But rendering it out in the wok will also eliminate the pork funk and produce, I find, better results, I tested both ways.
This recipe seeks to render a lot of the fat out and really develop the flavor in the first stage. To which all the other stages can build on, and this is a lengthy process, about 1 hour. Whereas boiling is done in a few minutes. But you miss out on the flavors and color that rendering the fat and browning the meat offers. Plus the fat that is rendered out that can be used for other recipes.
Textural and Color Difference
It is important to note a textural difference and color as well. Boiling the Pork and then caramelizing it in Sugar, produces a wider contrast between the meat and fat. With the Fat being more chewier. While rendering out the fat, cooks or sears the outer part of the meat, producing a more meaty or flavorful texture with fat that melts in your mouth. I find it much more tender and very much prefer the rendering of the pork over parboiling for sure.
In the below images, the first one is where the pork was boiled, caramelized, and then braised and reduced. The second image is the Pork rendering the fat out, caramelizing, braising, and reducing. Same ingredients, same timing, different results. For me, the pork rendered for an hour instead of parboiling was way better. Not only in terms of color, but texture and flavor as well.
Rendering Pork Belly Fat
The Pork Belly is first cooked in a wok over medium heat to render out the fat and crisp up the pork a bit. The rendered fat is strained out and saved for other recipes that call for fat. It’s this very first stage that we really focus the attention on and will spend about 1 hour just rendering out the fat and getting a wonderful Maillard reaction on the Pork Belly. Adding the Sugar later will further build up the layers and really brown the pieces faster. Let it sit for a while and toss while rendering out the fat. Eventually the pork will start frying in its fat. As it browns, stir more often for even browning.
Straining the Fat
This is the very first thing we are after, just all natural rendered Pork Belly Fat to use in all kinds of recipes requiring Pork Fat. We get a decent amount too, about 1-2 cups worth. Just tilt the wok a bit and be careful that any pieces don’t fall out and drain into a ceramic bowl. If you don’t want any bits in it at all, you can empty it into a bowl through a fine sieve.
Caramelizing the Pork
With a bit of fat left behind and more still to come from cooking the Pork, sugar is added to caramelize and brown the pork even more. If you are using rock sugar, crush it and add it in. Rock Sugar will take a bit longer to caramelize than white sugar. Cook and stir while the sugar melts and starts to caramelize, browning the pork at the same time. This only takes about 10 minutes.
Red Cooked Seasoning
The seasonings for this dish are Green Onion, Ginger, Bay Leaves, Star Anise, Red Thai Chilies, Cinnamon, Sichuan. Other types of chilies can be used as well. Black or White pepper can also be used in place of Sichuan peppercorns, at half the amount (1/2 tsp or more depending on how spicy you want).
I have tried this dish with Five Spice instead of Star Anise, Cinnamon, and Sichuan added. While it is still good, I prefer the recipe not using Five Spice. I have also tried it with ground anise, this is more anise forward, but very good indeed. Feel free to experiment in this area, I often do.
Heat Level
This is typically not a spicy dish. However, I very much enjoy the heat that is included for this recipe. The heat in this recipe comes from the use of both Sichuan peppercorn and Red Thai chilies or green ones, but the red makes it pop more. You can add more or less of the Red Thai chilies to adjust the heat to your preference. Two Red Thai chilies are included in the braise and offer a light heat. You can also add black pepper to increase the heat a bit. More sliced Red Thai chilies can be sprinkled over the plate as a garnish to add the desired amount of heat. You can also use Red Chili Flakes or Gochugaru.
Braising Sauce
In this recipe, after the meat has browned and caramelized with the added sugar. The seasonings are added to toss briefly, followed by the liquids and water to cover. This is then covered, and the heat is reduced to about 4 to simmer. It is finished uncovered, removing the aromatics and seasoning and skimming off the fat to reduce the sauce until it sticks to the meat.
Removing Excess Fat
In order for the sauce to reduce and get a good sheen and thickness, excess fat that has settled on the surface needs to be removed after the initial simmering and when ready to reduce the sauce.
Use a spoon and lower it into the fat layer that has accumulated on the top and empty into a bowl. Repeat until most of it is gone.
As you continue to cook the pork, more fat will be rendered out. This will settle at the top and needs to be skimmed away. This can be saved as another fat source that can be used for squash, carrots, rice, and stir-fries.
Reduction
After the initial cook time, the wok is uncovered to allow for the liquids to reduce over medium heat. It is here the liquids will evaporate and develop a stronger flavor as well as thicken slightly and turn glossy. Gently mix and shake the wok back and forth to keep the sauce mixed and repeat more often as it reduces. If more fat starts to settle at the top, skim it off. Ensure you are mixing often to prevent the sauce from burning and more frequently as the sauce reduces.
Red Braised Pork Belly Cook time
This recipe requires patience and a buildup of layers at each stage. The total dish comes together in about 2 hours and 30 minutes and is broken down into the following stages.
- Rendered Pork Belly: 50 minutes over medium heat to render and brown the diced pork belly.
- Caramelization: 10 minutes to caramelize the sugar and brown the pork belly more.
- Simmering: 1 hour simmered over medium low heat while covered.
- Reduction: 30 minutes or more for reducing the sauce until it is slightly thickened, becomes glossy and clings to the meat. With the removal of excess fat on the surface.
Garnishing Red Braised Pork Belly
The colors from the Red Thai chilies or other form of chilies, contrasting with the Green Onions & Sesame Seeds, make for such a beautiful looking dish. While this is not typically a spicy dish, I truly enjoy the heat added with the Red Thai chiles added during simmering. Then additional heat can be added to suit your preference with more chilies or other chilies added on top.
Red Cooked Pork Belly Sides
Rice is my go to here, and works wonderfully with some of that sauce drizzled over too. Either Plain Steamed Rice with nothing more than water & rice or with the seasoning added to bring some flavor to the rice. You can also use a bit of that skimmed off fat in the steamed rice. This dish can also pair well with Stir Fried Bok Choy, Korean Cucumbers, or Miso Soup. An Egg roll or Dumplings can also be included.
Glutinous Rice
This is a very nice side dish as well and offers up a sticky rice that is sweet, bringing out the sweetness in the overall dish. Made the same way as steamed rice with equal amounts of rice & water placed into the rice cooker and cooked on the basic white rice setting.
It is then scooped and pressed into a serving bowl to shape it and inverted on the plate. You will have to leave the bowl there for a bit and wait for the rice to drop, because the rice is so sticky. But it’s so good to take a piece and soak up that sauce on the plate.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Pork Belly - Diced in 1 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/4 C Regular Soy Sauce, Sake & Mirin - each
- 1 Tbl Dark Soy Sauce & Shaoxing Wine - each
- 5 Tbl Sugar - or about 55 g of rock sugar
- 5 C Water - for when braising, or enough to cover
Seasoning
- 2-3 Whole Star Anise - seeds in each pod
- 2 inch Ginger - sliced
- 2 Stalks Green Onions - Green tops chopped off and saved for garnishing
- 2 Whole Bay Leaves
- 2 Whole Red Thai Chilies
- 1 tsp Sichuan Peppercorn - See notes for alternatives
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
Garnish
- 3-5 Whole Red Thai Chilies - Thinly sliced with or without seeds
- Tops of Green Onions - sliced
- As Desired Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- Rendered Fat: Place the Pork Belly into a Wok set over medium heat. Leave it be for 10 minutes, then occasionally stir while cooking for 50 minutes.
- Caramelization: Drain off the fat to reserve for other recipes. Add Sugar and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring often, as browning will now occur faster.
- Simmer: Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Bring to a simmer over max heat and then reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. After 1 hour, check that the pork is very tender and simmer longer if needed. Just before ready to reduce, steamed rice can be made at this stage so that it is ready when the pork is.
- Reduce: Once tender, uncover and skim the fat settling on the surface with a spoon. Remove the Bay Leaves, Green Onions, Ginger, Chilies, Star Anise and discard. Optionally, some Sichuan peppercorns can be removed with a slotted spoon.Turn the heat up to medium or slightly above and cook uncovered until the sauce is reduced, turns glossy, and is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Gently move the pieces around and shake the wok back and forth during reduction. As it reduces, shake the wok back and forth more often and keep skimming off the fat with a spoon if you see a layer of fat accumulating.
- Serving: Serve 5-8 pieces over Steamed Rice and drizzle the sauce over the meat and rice. Garnish with sliced Green Onions Tops, Red Chilies or Chili Flakes, and Sesame Seeds.