Hong Shao Rou Recipe (Red Braised Pork Belly)

Hong Shao Rou is one of my favorite Chinese pork belly dishes of all time. Seriously. It’s sticky, caramelized pork belly that’s been braised until fork tender in a flavorful, aromatic sauce.

My favorite part about this recipe is that the pork just becomes increasingly more tender and flavorful as the braising process goes on. The fat on the belly transforms into a silky, velvety texture that’s incredibly rich, balanced out by the more leaner, meatier parts of the belly.

Ingredients and Substitutions

*The Recipe Card below includes all the full measurements for these ingredients!

Pork Belly: Go for thick chunks of belly with a good amount of fat and meat. I usually like whole slabs and try to cut them myself to control the sizing. If you prefer leaner cuts, pork shoulder or butt may also work, but they might require longer simmering time to become tender.

Rock sugar: These provide a lighter, mellow sweetness to the overall dish, which you can find in most Asian groceries. You may also substitute this with white or brown sugar.

Scallions, bay leaf, star anise, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns: The spices are what makes this dish taste phenomenal! Sichuan peppercorns have a unique spicy/numbing effect on the tongue (called mala), but you may also use standard black peppercorns.

Dark soy sauce, shaoxing wine, soy sauce: A combination of dark and regular soy sauce gives the dish its signature dark red color, with a deeper, complex umami. Otherwise, you may also just use regular soy sauce, though the flavor and color will be lighter.

Instructions

*The Recipe Card below includes all the full detailed instructions! 

Blanch the pork belly by bringing the pork to a boil and skimming off any scum that float to the surface. Remove the liquid.

Fry the pork until it starts to brown. Add in the crushed rock sugar, and cook until it caramelizes around the pork.

Add in the aromatics, spices, sauces, and just enough water to cover the pork. Bring this to a boil, then let simmer with a lid for at least 1 hour

Once tender, bring the liquid to a boil an reduce the sauce into a sticky glaze. Serve warm with rice. Enjoy!

Cooking Tips

Blanch your pork belly: Quickly boiling meats and skimming off the scum that float to the surface is a common practice used in many recipes of Asian cuisine. It not only helps to keep your final sauce clear, but it also aids in removing any unpleasant smells or tastes in the pork as a result of their impurities being released throughout the cooking process.

Caramelize your sugar: Caramelizing your sugar gives the braising liquid its signature sweetness and deep amber/red color. Be sure to watch the sugar carefully as it can easily burn and turn your dish bitter!

Allow the pork belly ample time to braise: You’ll need some patience for this recipe to ensure a tender, flavorful hong shao rou. I’d recommend at least simmering for 1 hour, giving the belly enough time to absorb the liquid and render out some of its fat. If you’re hardcore, you could even go for longer (maybe 2-4 hours), and you’ll see just how incredibly tender and flavor-packed the pork belly can become.

Here’s a couple more comforting, home-cooked meal recipes you might enjoy:

• Orange Chicken
• Shrimp Sinigang
• Steak Donburi
• Chicken Adobo

Hong Shao Rou (Red Braised Pork Belly)

Recipe by Ian

5.0 from 24 votes

Course: MainCuisine: Chinese

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

2

hours 

30

minutes

Total time

2

hours 

45

minutes

Hong Shao Rou is one of my favorite pork belly dishes of all time. Seriously. It’s sticky, caramelized pork belly that’s been braised until fork tender in a flavorful, aromatic sauce.

Cook Mode

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Ingredients

• ~2 lbs pork belly, cut into 1.5″ cubes

• 3 tbsp crushed rock sugar (can substitute with white or brown sugar)

• 3 stalks scallions (white part)

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 star anise

• 2 slices ginger

• 1/2 tsp sichuan peppercorns, optional

• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 2 tbsp shaoxing wine

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

Directions

• Place the pork belly in a large pot or wok filled with water. Bring this to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming off any scum that float to the surface. Once all the scum has been removed, drain the boiling liquid.
• In the same pot, fry over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes or until the pork starts to brown on all sides and some of its fats begin to render.
• Add in the rock sugar. Toss to evenly coat the pork in the sugar and continue cooking until the sugar begins to caramelize and turn amber in color (be sure to stir occasionally to avoid burning).
• Add in the bay leaves, star anise, scallions, ginger, and sichuan peppercorns. Stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes until the aromatics are fragrant.
• Pour in the shaoxing wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and just enough water to barely cover the pork belly. Bring this to a boil, then let simmer with a lid for at least 1 hour, up to 3 hours for the most tender texture.
• Once the pork is tender, remove the lid. Turn the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil in order to reduce the sauce into a thick, sticky glaze. Be sure to stir occasionally to avoid scorching the bottom.
• Once the liquid becomes thick and syrup-like in consistency, remove the pork belly off the heat. Serve over warm rice and top with more sauce. Enjoy!

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