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1
Place the pork bones in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a full boil and cook for 10 minutes. Drain, then rinse each bone under cold running water to remove all grey impurities and blood. Return the blanched bones to the cleaned pot and cover with 4 litres of fresh cold water. The broth is clean when the rinse water runs clear.
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2
Bring the pot to a rapid, rolling boil and maintain it without reduction for a minimum of 8 hours and up to 18. Do not lower the heat to a simmer: the violent agitation is the mechanism that breaks collagen, fat, and protein into a stable white emulsion. This is where the dish lives or dies — a gentle simmer produces clear stock; only the rolling boil produces the characteristic milky-white nigori. Skim the surface only in the first 30 minutes; thereafter, leave the boil undisturbed. The broth is ready when it is opaque, milky white, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
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3
While the broth holds at its boil, prepare the chashu. Roll the pork belly tightly, tie with kitchen twine at 2 cm intervals, and braise in a covered vessel with soy, mirin, and enough water to half-submerge the roll. Cook over a low heat until the internal flesh yields without resistance when pressed. Remove, allow to cool in the braising liquid, then slice into rounds of approximately 5 mm. The fat layer should be gelatinous and translucent.
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4
If preparing mayu, char the garlic cloves in a dry pan over high heat until fully blackened on the exterior. Transfer to a small vessel, add the sesame oil, and blend to a smooth dark paste. Set aside. The paste carries a bitter, smoky aroma characteristic of Hakata add-ins.
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5
Season the finished tonkotsu broth with salt. Ladle approximately 350 ml per portion into warmed bowls and allow the broth to rest briefly; it should hold a faint tremor of heat on the surface rather than a full boil.
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6
Cook the Hakata noodles in a separate pot of rapidly boiling unsalted water. For kata (firm), remove at the minimum time stated on the packet — the noodle should still carry a slight resistance at the centre when bitten. Drain immediately without rinsing and drop into the broth bowl.
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7
Arrange toppings on the noodles: two to three slices of chashu, a portion of menma, sliced negi, one or two half-sheets of nori standing upright at the bowl's edge, a small mound of beni shoga to one side, and a pinch of sesame seeds. If using mayu, add a small spoonful to the surface of the broth. The beni shoga must remain distinct and unsubmerged — its acidity is the counterpoint to the fat richness of the broth. Serve immediately.
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8
When the noodles are nearly finished, order or prepare a kaedama: a single portion of freshly cooked noodles dropped directly into the remaining broth in the bowl. The residual broth, now slightly concentrated, constitutes the second course. The bowl is spent when the broth is gone.