Tonkotsu Ramen with Torched Pork Belly

Name: Tonkotsu Ramen with Torched Pork Belly
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 720 min
Total time: 765 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 4 lb pork trotters, split; 3 lb pork neck bones; 1 1/2 lb skinless pork belly, rolled and tied; 1/2 cup soy sauce; 1/2 cup mirin; 1 head garlic, halved; 3 inch fresh ginger, sliced; 6 large eggs; 1/4 cup shio or shoyu tare, or 3 tbsp soy sauce plus 1 tbsp salt; 6 portions fresh thin ramen noodles; 1/4 cup beni shoga (red pickled ginger); 4 scallions, thinly sliced

A creamy, bone-rich pork broth boiled for hours until opaque, poured over thin noodles and topped with rolled braised pork belly charred with a torch, a jammy egg and red pickled ginger.

4.9 407 cooks rated this

Prep: 45 min
Cook: 12 hr
Serves: 6
Level: Hard

Free recipe Jump to method

Tonkotsu broth comes from Fukuoka, and its milky look is created by a hard rolling boil that emulsifies pork fat and collagen into the stock. A gentle simmer gives you a clear broth instead, so keep the heat up and top off with water. Use trotters for body and neck bones for flavor. The pork belly is braised separately in soy and mirin, chilled, sliced, and charred right before serving. Plan this across two days: broth and chashu first, then the eggs and assembly.

Ingredients

Serves 6

Method

Cover the trotters and neck bones with cold water, boil 10 minutes, then drain and scrub off any dark bits. This keeps the broth clean.
Done
Return the bones to a large stockpot with the garlic, ginger and 5 quarts water. Boil hard, uncovered, for 12 hours, adding water every hour to keep the bones submerged, until the broth is thick, white and reduced to about 3 quarts. Strain.
Done
While the broth cooks, put the tied pork belly in a small pot with the soy sauce, mirin and 2 cups water. Cover and simmer 2 1/2 hours, turning every 30 minutes. Chill the pork in its liquid overnight.
Done
Boil the eggs for 6 1/2 minutes, chill in ice water, peel, and marinate in 1 cup of the chilled pork braising liquid for at least 4 hours.
Done
Slice the cold pork belly 1/3 inch thick. Char each slice with a kitchen torch or under a very hot broiler for 1 to 2 minutes until blistered at the edges.
Done
Bring the broth to a boil. Put 2 tsp tare in each warmed bowl, cook the noodles for 60 to 90 seconds, drain well, and divide among the bowls.
Done
Ladle about 1 1/2 cups boiling broth into each bowl. Top with pork belly, a halved egg, pickled ginger and scallions, and serve immediately.
Done

Hand lifting the lid of a red Dutch oven on a stove — Checking the braise under the Dutch oven lid

Hand seasoning a pot of broth beside a pan of browned meat — Seasoning the broth beside a pan of browned meat

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