Japanese Kakuni Braised Pork Belly and the Art of Long Cooking

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg pork belly, skin on, cut into 5–7 cm cubes
• For the blanch
• 2 litres water
• 3 green onion tops
• 1 slice fresh ginger
• For the first braise
• 300 ml sake
• 500 ml water
• For the second braise
• 80 ml soy sauce
• 80 ml mirin
• 2 tbsp sugar
• Optional
• 4 eggs, soft-boiled, shells removed
• Optional finish
• 1 tsp rice vinegar, to balance braising liquid

Method

1. 1
   Place the pork belly cubes in a pot with 2 litres of cold water, the green onion tops, and the ginger slice. Bring to a simmer and hold for 30 minutes. Discard the water, remove and discard the aromatics, and rinse each piece of pork under cold running water. The water should run clear and the pork surface should show no trace of grey scum or blood.
2. 2
   Return the rinsed pork to a clean, heavy pot. Add the sake and water. Bring to the gentlest possible simmer — small, infrequent bubbles only. Set an otoshibuta (drop lid) directly on the surface of the pork. Braise for 60–90 minutes. The pork is ready to proceed when a skewer meets noticeable but yielding resistance: it should enter without force but the cube should still hold its shape.
3. 3
   Add the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to the pot. This is where the dish lives or dies: the soy must not enter until the pork has already begun to yield, or surface proteins will tighten and even heat penetration becomes impossible. Replace the otoshibuta. Continue at the same very gentle simmer for a further 60–90 minutes. Maintain the merest tremor at the liquid surface throughout; any rolling boil will produce tough, stringy pork and a cloudy liquid.
4. 4
   If using eggs, add the peeled soft-boiled eggs to the pot during the final 30 minutes of the second braising stage. They are ready when the exteriors have turned a deep, even amber — the same lacquered tone as the pork skin.
5. 5
   Test the pork by pressing the skin side gently with the back of a spoon. It should give way without resistance; the fat layer should be fully translucent and offer no opacity. Remove the pork and any eggs. Reduce the braising liquid over medium heat until it reaches a glaze consistency — it should coat a spoon and fall in slow, heavy drops. Skim accumulated fat. Add the rice vinegar if using. Return the pork to the pot and turn each piece to coat thoroughly over gentle heat. The surface should show a lacquered amber glaze with visible sheen.
6. 6
   Rest the finished kakuni overnight in its reduced braising liquid, refrigerated. Reheat gently before service. The flavours will have integrated fully and the collagen will have re-gelled around the meat. The skin should melt against the tongue with no resistance; the meat should yield completely without structural assistance.