This recipe for Okinawa Shoyu Pork produces the sweetest and most tender pork belly you could imagine. While I’m not a vegetarian, I rarely cook meat at home. But sometimes, I get a craving for Asian style meat dishes and I just have to make some!
Because I don’t cook meat dishes very often, when I do, I want to make sure that I use very special recipes. This Okinawa Shoyu Pork is exactly that – special! In this recipe, I draw on my Asian roots to create a tender and tasty pork dish. The pork belly in this recipe turns out really tender and the sugar, soy sauce and mirin based sauce it cooks in is just the right mix of sweet and salty. You should be able to find all of ingredients listed here at an Asian supermarket, or in the Asian foods section of larger supermarkets. If my local butcher doesn’t have pork belly, I substitute it with pork loin and it turns out just as good!
To make Okinawa Shoyu Pork, you will need the following ingredients:
Place the pork belly into a large pot like a Dutch oven, and cover it with about 1-inch of water.
Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer for about 2 minutes and then discard the water.
Add new water to the pot, again covering the pork with about 1-inch of water.
Bring to a boil again over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and allow the pork to simmer for about an hour until the meat has softened.
Take the pork belly out of the water and place it on a large chopping board. When it has cooled slightly, slice off the skin and throw it away.
Cut the pork belly into slices around 1-inch wide and set the meat to one side.
Mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, 1/2 cup water, mirin, ginger, and garlic together in a separate pot, and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
Add the sliced pork meat to the sauce and bring it to the boil again.
Turn the heat down to low. Place a large sheet of aluminum foil on top of the meat and sauce.
Simmer for 30-45 minutes until the meat is tender. Turn the pork occasionally when cooking to ensure it cooks evenly.
This pork is great served with rice and steamed Asian vegetables.
This Okinawa Shoyu Pork is a perfect recipe to satisfy my rare meat cravings. The result is a sweet yet slightly salty Asian style pork dish. I love it and I’m sure you will too! Make sure you come back to leave a review here if you make it.
