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1
Lay the pork belly flat, flesh side up. Roll it tightly along its length into a compact cylinder. Tie with butcher's twine at 2 cm intervals, pulling each loop firm so the roll holds a uniform diameter. A loose roll will expand and lose shape during braising; the twine must create even compression along the full length. The cylinder should be consistent in diameter from end to end.
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2
Set a cast-iron pan over high heat. When the pan is very hot, place the rolled pork belly in the dry pan without oil — the belly's own fat renders immediately and browns the exterior. Sear on all sides, turning methodically, until the entire surface is deeply and uniformly browned. This Maillard development contributes flavour to both the pork and the braising liquid. The surface should be dark golden-brown with no grey patches remaining.
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3
Combine the shoyu, mirin, sake, sugar, ginger, and garlic (and onion if using) in a pot or deep braising vessel wide enough to hold the cylinder. The tare must be assertively seasoned at this stage — notably salty before the pork enters — as the meat will dilute it significantly over the course of braising. Taste and confirm the seasoning is more intense than is comfortable to eat alone.
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4
Lower the seared pork cylinder into the braising tare. Bring the liquid to 85°C — at or just below a bare simmer, with no rolling boil — and maintain this temperature for 2 to 3 hours. This is where the dish lives or dies: braising at a rolling boil will produce tough, dry meat; collagen conversion to gelatin, which creates the melt-tender texture of premium chashu, requires sustained, gentle heat below simmering point. Turn the cylinder periodically to ensure even exposure to the liquid. The pork is done when a probe inserted to the centre meets no resistance — the interior yields completely to gentle pressure.
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5
Remove the pot from heat. Allow the pork to cool in the braising liquid to room temperature, then transfer the entire vessel — pork submerged in tare — to the refrigerator overnight. Do not slice the pork warm: the fat is liquid when warm and clean slices are impossible. After overnight resting, the fat will have set firm, the cylinder will be cleanly sliceable, and the flavour will have equilibrated through the meat. The surface of the tare will show a solid cap of set fat — this confirms the rest is complete.
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6
Remove the chilled cylinder from the tare. Cut and remove the twine. Slice the cylinder cold into rounds of the desired thickness — the set fat and firm structure allow clean, uniform cuts. Reserve all braising tare: do not discard it. This concentrated, pork-collagen-enriched liquid is the most flavourful element of the preparation and functions as a seasoning base for ramen tare.
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7
Immediately before service, torch each cold slice with a kitchen torch, directing the flame at the fat cap until the fat blisters and begins to caramelise at the edges. The Maillard-caramelised fat edge is the flavour point. The contrast between the charred, heated exterior and the cool, braised interior is a deliberate technique. The slice is ready when the fat edge shows visible caramelisation and the aroma shifts from rendered fat to caramel.