' Torched Pork Belly - The Quail and Olive
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Recipes

Torched Pork Belly
12/30/2025

Course: Main

This falls into the lucky foods category of animals that root forward. Many European countries include pork in their New Year's Eve or New Year's Day traditions. And I love the tableside presentation of letting diners torch their own servings. This has a Japanese spice flavor profile. Use whatever spice blend you like, but the Roasted Garlic Olive Oil is a must!
 

INGREDIENTS

Cashu

  • 3½ pound pork belly block
  • 1 Tablespoons Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese Seven Spice), divided
  • 2 Spring onions or 1 leek, trimmed and thickly sliced
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
  • 1" knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 Tablespoon Roasted Garlic Olive Oil [Buy Now]
  • 1 cup sake
  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 2 cups water
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons Champagne Mimosa vinegar [Buy Now]
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • Also needed: 100% cotton twine, Dutch oven or other heavy lidded pot, culinary torch

Serving

  • Rice
  • Assortment of pickles or fermented sides

 

PROCEDURE

  1. Place the pork belly, rind side down, on a work space. Sprinkle the top with 1 Tablespoon Shichimi Togarashi. Roll the pork belly into a cylinder, with the ends showing the varying layers of meat and fat. Run some cotton twine to secure the pork into its cylindrical shape. Rub the remaining 1 Tablespoon Shichimi Togarashi on the outside of the roll.
  2. Heat the Roasted Garlic Olive Oil in your pan (I used a Dutch oven). Add the rolled pork belly to the pan. Sear the pork belly on all sides and the ends. It should take about 12 to 15 minutes to go all the way around.
  3. Add in the aromatics - Spring onion or leek, garlic, and ginger - and pour in the sake, soy sauce, water, Champagne Mimosa vinegar, maple syrup, and sesame oil. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and cover.
  4. Let the pork belly braise for 3 hours, turning the roll every half hour or so. After 3 hours, the pork should be a deep mahogany color and the liquid reduced. Let the meat cool slightly before handling it. Once the meat is slightly cooled, transfer it to a lidded container and pour the sauce over the top. Let the meat rest, in its cooking sauce, overnight.
  5. After the meat has rested overnight, you can scoop out the solidified fat from the cooking sauce and discard it. Reserve the sauce for future uses. It's a great addition to stir-fries and marinades. Or you can use it as a dipping sauce for the Chashu.

 

Printable Recipe

 
Post By:   Culinary Cam
 
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