Chinese Braised Pork Recipe

Braised shredded pork in a white bowl with green onions.

5 from 4 votes

Bursting with flavour, this fall-apart-tender Chinese Braised Pork Recipe is so easy & tasty! Make it in a pot on the stove, slow cooker or instant pot.

Prep Time10

Cook Time4

Total Time4 10

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: braised, chicken stock, chinese 5 spice, coconut aminos, dutch over, ginger, instant pot, pork, rice wine, seared, sherry, slow cooker, soy sauce, star anise, stove top

Servings: -8 servings

Calories: 428kcal

Author: Bethany Galloway

Ingredients

1.5 kg/3.3lbs Pork shoulder belly, butt or leg
1 tbsp sesame or olive oil
475 ml 2 cups chicken stock
355 ml 1.5 cups dry sherry or rice wine
120 ml coconut aminos or soy sauce see note 1 for soy sauce
3-4 " fresh ginger root sliced into 4 slices (just shorter than the length of your thumb)
2 tsp Chinese 5 spice see note 2 for substitution
1-2 bay leaves optional
1 tbsp cornstarch or tapioca starch to thicken braising liquid
2 green/spring onions finely sliced (garnish, optional)
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds garnish, optional

Instructions

Prep and cooking

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
When the oil is hot, place your cut of pork in the pan and sear it until it gets some colour and browned bits. Repeat this step on all sides of the pork. Feel free to cut the pork if it's too big.
In a large pot, large dutch oven, slow cooker, or in an instant pot add the rest of the ingredients (apart from the cornstarch, spring onions and toasted sesame seeds) to form the braising liquid.
Add the meat to the braising liquid and then cover the pot with a lid and cook. You may need to cut the meat to get it to fit in the pot.

The cooking time will depend on the appliance and cooking process you prefer, and are as follows:

Dutch oven or large pot: Simmer slowly on medium heat for 1.5-2 hours. Cook it at a lower heat if the liquid is boiling – you’re looking for a gentle simmer!
Slow cooker: Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4-5 hours.
Instant Pot: Cook on manual high pressure for 35 minutes. Then allow the pressure to release naturally before quick releasing the valve.

After cooking

When the pork is finished cooking, remove the meat from the braising liquid with a slotted spoon or tongs and allow it to rest while you make the gravy.
To make the gravy, add 2 cups of the braising liquid to a pot, avoiding the ginger, bay leaves, and fat on top if possible, and make a cornstarch slurry by adding 1 tbsp of cornstarch to a small bowl with a little of the liquid. Mix it well together, adding more and more liquid until it is pourable. Pour it back into the pot and mix it well over medium heat.
Slice or shred the pork and serve drizzled in the thickened gravy with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds if desired!

Notes

Soy sauce: If you opt for soy sauce instead of coconut aminos, add in 3-4 tbsp of honey. Coconut aminos are naturally sweet so the extra sweetener is not needed if using coconut aminos.
Chinese 5 spice: You can substitute 2-3 whole star anise if you don't have Chinese 5 spice on hand.
Leftover braising liquid: If you don’t use it all up as gravy over the pork, there are a few things you can do with the leftover braising liquid. First of all, I like to chill the leftover liquid after it’s cooled to room temperature. The accumulated juices tend to contain a lot of fat which can be delicious but also can leave a greasy taste in your mouth. So after the liquid has chilled overnight, I scrape off the fat which will harden in the fridge, and discard it. With the rest of the liquid, I like to make egg drop soup, or adding it to the broth for ramen is a great way to use it up. Sometimes I throw in some more coconut aminos and make marinated ramen eggs with it as well! They’re delicious as a snack or in homemade ramen.

Nutrition