Southern-style Red-Braised Pork Belly

Name: Southern-style Red-Braised Pork Belly
Ingredients: Note: If possible, please sharpen the knife as much as you can.; Tools: pot (clay pot preferred, aluminum pot second, pressure cooker also OK, best not to use iron or copper pots); Main ingredient: pork belly; Supporting ingredients: oil, rock sugar, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, bay leaves, star anise, ginger, salt, scallion, boiling water, cold water, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns

This red-braised pork belly tutorial is a foolproof recipe for beginners. Paired with rice it's so delicious you can't stop, fragrant and sticky, with an irresistible color, rich but not greasy.

Difficulty ★★★★Updated 1/25/2026

Ingredients and Tools

Note: If possible, please sharpen the knife as much as you can.
Tools: pot (clay pot preferred, aluminum pot second, pressure cooker also OK, best not to use iron or copper pots)
Main ingredient: pork belly
Supporting ingredients: oil, rock sugar, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, bay leaves, star anise, ginger, salt, scallion, boiling water, cold water, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns

Measurements

Pork belly: about 2 jin
Oil: 100-150ml, can be salad oil, lard, or peanut oil
Ginger: 6 slices
Rock sugar: about 15 pieces
Granulated sugar: 30g
Dark soy sauce: 15ml
Cooking wine: 20ml
Cold water: just enough to cover the ingredients, prepare according to pot size
Boiling water: just enough to cover the ingredients, prepare according to pot size
Bay leaves: 4 pieces
Star anise: 3 pieces
Salt: 2-3g
Sichuan peppercorns: 10g

Steps

Cut pork belly into large chunks (about 4.5cm)
Slice the ginger (each slice about 3mm thick)
Bring boiling water to a boil
Cold water can be tap water
Use the white part of the scallions; cut into short segments (small scallions are best, large scallions also OK)
Cut the garlic in half through the middle, do not smash it, otherwise it will be hard to scoop out and will affect flavor when reducing the sauce at the end
It is recommended to take out half the scallion and ginger first, then put the remaining ginger, scallion whites, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and bay leaves into a bowl in advance and set aside
Put the cut pork belly into a pot of cold water, add cooking wine and 2/5 of the scallion and ginger, boil for 15 minutes to remove the smell, then take out and wash clean;
Make caramel color, note to use operation 2 mentioned there to make the caramel color.
Pour the prepared ginger, scallion whites, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, and pork belly into the pot and stir-fry on high heat; once fragrant, pour in boiling water to cover all the meat and simmer for 50 minutes-60 minutes
If using a pressure cooker, 40 minutes;
Add 10ml cooking wine;
Cover the lid and bring to a boil; every 25 minutes open the lid and skim off the oil and foam floating on the surface;
When the water level is reduced to 3/5 of the height between the top of the meat and the bottom of the pot, turn to medium heat, and scoop out all aromatics except the meat and water, and start reducing the sauce;
Open the lid, and when the sauce is almost gone and thick, remove from the pot (be sure not to reduce it dry);