Homestyle Braised Pork Belly (Bazi Rou 把子肉)
This Homestyle Braised Pork Belly (Bazi Rou) recipe creates melt-in-your-mouth, tender pork belly in a rich, savory beer-based sauce. Incredibly fragrant and perfect with rice!
Equipment
- Large Wok or Dutch Oven (heavy-bottomed pot)
- Slotted Spoon
- Measuring Spoons and Cups
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs pork belly, skin-on, cut into 1-inch thick slices (approx 700g)
- 4 green bell peppers, cut into large chunks
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
- 0.5 bottle lager beer (about 1.5 cups / 350ml)
- Water, as needed (about 1-2 cups)
Sauce
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce (e.g., Kikkoman or Pearl River Bridge)
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp sweet bean sauce (甜面酱) (see notes for subs)
Aromatics
- 2 star anise
- 1 small cinnamon stick (or a small piece of cassia bark)
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns (optional, but adds fragrance)
- 4-5 dried red chilies (optional, for mild warmth)
- 3 slices ginger
- 1 whole garlic clove, smashed
- 3 scallions, white parts only, cut into 2-inch lengths
Instructions
- Prep: Have all your ingredients prepped and ready: pork sliced, eggs peeled, peppers chunked, aromatics and sauces measured.
- Sear Pork: Place the pork belly slices in a cold, dry wok or Dutch oven. Turn the heat to medium and cook, turning, until golden brown and the fat has rendered (5-7 minutes). Remove pork with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.
- Fry Eggs & Peppers: Add the peeled hard-boiled eggs and green pepper chunks to the hot pork fat. Fry on medium-high heat, moving them around until the eggs are golden and blistered ("tiger skin") and the peppers are lightly charred (3-4 minutes). Remove and set aside.
- Fry Aromatics: Leave ~1 tbsp of fat in the pot. Add all the aromatics (star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, peppercorns, chilies, ginger, garlic, scallion whites). Stir-fry on medium heat for 30 seconds until very fragrant.
- Add Pork & Sauces: Return the seared pork to the pot. Add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sweet bean sauce. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes to coat the pork and caramelize the sauces.
- Braise: Add the fried eggs (but not the peppers yet). Pour in the beer and enough water to almost cover the pork. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 50 minutes.
- Add Peppers: Uncover the pot, add the green peppers back in. Continue to simmer (uncovered) for another 10 minutes.
- Reduce Sauce: Turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring gently, to reduce the sauce until it's a thick, glossy gravy that coats the pork (about 5-10 minutes). Crucially: Do not over-reduce! Leave plenty of sauce for the rice.
- Serve: Serve hot over steamed rice, spooning plenty of the extra sauce over everything.
Notes
- Sweet Bean Sauce: If you can't find sweet bean sauce (甜面酱), you can substitute with 1 tbsp of Hoisin sauce, though the flavor will be slightly different (sweeter).
- Pork Belly: Do not use lean pork. The skin-on pork belly is essential for the "melt-in-your-mouth" texture.
- Sauce: This dish is meant to be saucy! The name "Bazi Rou" is often associated with "Gai Fan" (rice bowls), where the sauce is a key component. Don't be afraid to leave it saucy.