Spicy Pork Belly Ramen Bomb
Spicy Pork Belly Ramen Bomb
Ingredients
For the Braised Pork Belly
- 2 pounds boneless pork belly, skin on or off, cut into 1 1/2 inch thick slabs
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
- 6 garlic, cloves, smashed
- 3 inches fresh ginger, sliced
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup mirin
- 1/2 cup sake
- 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
For the Gochujang Glaze
- 1/4 cup gochujang
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons water
For the Spicy Miso Broth
- 6 cups chicken or pork stock, low sodium
- 1/4 cup red miso paste
- 2 tablespoons gochujang
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 garlic, cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru, or more, to taste
For Assembly and Toppings
- 16 ounces fresh ramen noodles, 4 individual servings
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup kimchi, drained, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced, green parts only
- 4 nori, sheets, cut into quarters
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
For Ssäm-Style Serving (Optional)
- 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated
- 1/2 cup Ssäm Sauce, store-bought or homemade
- 1/2 cup Ginger Scallion Sauce, store-bought or homemade
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the Pork Belly: Pat the pork belly slabs dry with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons of neutral oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Sear the pork belly on all sides until deeply golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove pork belly and set aside.
⏱️ 15 min - 2
Deglaze the pot with a splash of water, scraping up any browned bits. Add the smashed garlic cloves and sliced fresh ginger to the pot and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Return the pork belly to the pot. Add 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup mirin, 1/2 cup sake, 3 cups water, and 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 3 hours, or until the pork belly is fork-tender. Flip the pork belly every hour to ensure even cooking.
⏱️ 180 min - 3
While the pork belly braises, prepare the Gochujang Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup gochujang, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Set aside.
⏱️ 5 min - 4
Prepare the soft-boiled eggs: Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil. Carefully lower 4 large eggs into the boiling water using a slotted spoon. Boil for exactly 6 minutes and 30 seconds for a jammy yolk. Immediately transfer eggs to an ice bath for 5 minutes to stop the cooking. Peel the eggs gently under cold running water, then slice in half lengthwise.
⏱️ 15 min - 5
Once the pork belly is tender, carefully remove it from the braising liquid and transfer to a cutting board. Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl, discarding solids. Skim off any excess fat from the surface of the liquid. You should have roughly 2 cups of rich braising liquid. Set aside.
⏱️ 10 min - 6
Preheat your oven to 400°F (or use a broiler). Cut the braised pork belly into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush generously with the prepared Gochujang Glaze. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or broil for 3-5 minutes, until the glaze is caramelized and bubbly, and the pork belly is slightly crispy.
⏱️ 15 min•🌡️ 400°F - 7
Prepare the Spicy Miso Broth: In a large pot, combine 6 cups chicken or pork stock and the reserved 2 cups of braising liquid. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a separate small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup red miso paste, 2 tablespoons gochujang, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, and 1 teaspoon gochugaru until smooth. Add this mixture to the simmering broth and whisk until fully incorporated. Keep warm over low heat.
⏱️ 15 min - 8
Cook the Ramen Noodles: Bring a separate large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 16 ounces of fresh ramen noodles and cook according to package directions, typically 2-3 minutes, until al dente. Drain well.
⏱️ 5 min - 9
Assemble the Ramen: Divide the cooked ramen noodles among 4 large ramen bowls. Ladle the hot spicy miso broth over the noodles. Arrange the glazed pork belly slices, kimchi, soft-boiled egg halves, and nori sheets on top of the noodles. Garnish with thinly sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
⏱️ 5 min - 10
For Ssäm-Style Eating: Serve additional kimchi, Ssäm Sauce, Ginger Scallion Sauce, and butter lettuce leaves on the side. Guests can wrap pieces of pork belly, kimchi, and sauce in lettuce leaves for an interactive, flavorful bite alongside their ramen.
Kitchen Tools
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Spicy Pork Belly Ramen Bomb
Ingredients
For the Braised Pork Belly
- 2 pounds boneless pork belly, skin on or off, cut into 1 1/2 inch thick slabs
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
- 6 garlic, cloves, smashed
- 3 inches fresh ginger, sliced
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup mirin
- 1/2 cup sake
- 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
For the Gochujang Glaze
- 1/4 cup gochujang
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons water
For the Spicy Miso Broth
- 6 cups chicken or pork stock, low sodium
- 1/4 cup red miso paste
- 2 tablespoons gochujang
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 garlic, cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru, or more, to taste
For Assembly and Toppings
- 16 ounces fresh ramen noodles, 4 individual servings
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup kimchi, drained, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced, green parts only
- 4 nori, sheets, cut into quarters
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
For Ssäm-Style Serving (Optional)
- 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated
- 1/2 cup Ssäm Sauce, store-bought or homemade
- 1/2 cup Ginger Scallion Sauce, store-bought or homemade
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the Pork Belly: Pat the pork belly slabs dry with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons of neutral oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Sear the pork belly on all sides until deeply golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove pork belly and set aside.
⏱️ 15 min - 2
Deglaze the pot with a splash of water, scraping up any browned bits. Add the smashed garlic cloves and sliced fresh ginger to the pot and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Return the pork belly to the pot. Add 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup mirin, 1/2 cup sake, 3 cups water, and 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 3 hours, or until the pork belly is fork-tender. Flip the pork belly every hour to ensure even cooking.
⏱️ 180 min - 3
While the pork belly braises, prepare the Gochujang Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup gochujang, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Set aside.
⏱️ 5 min - 4
Prepare the soft-boiled eggs: Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil. Carefully lower 4 large eggs into the boiling water using a slotted spoon. Boil for exactly 6 minutes and 30 seconds for a jammy yolk. Immediately transfer eggs to an ice bath for 5 minutes to stop the cooking. Peel the eggs gently under cold running water, then slice in half lengthwise.
⏱️ 15 min - 5
Once the pork belly is tender, carefully remove it from the braising liquid and transfer to a cutting board. Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl, discarding solids. Skim off any excess fat from the surface of the liquid. You should have roughly 2 cups of rich braising liquid. Set aside.
⏱️ 10 min - 6
Preheat your oven to 400°F (or use a broiler). Cut the braised pork belly into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush generously with the prepared Gochujang Glaze. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or broil for 3-5 minutes, until the glaze is caramelized and bubbly, and the pork belly is slightly crispy.
⏱️ 15 min•🌡️ 400°F - 7
Prepare the Spicy Miso Broth: In a large pot, combine 6 cups chicken or pork stock and the reserved 2 cups of braising liquid. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a separate small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup red miso paste, 2 tablespoons gochujang, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, and 1 teaspoon gochugaru until smooth. Add this mixture to the simmering broth and whisk until fully incorporated. Keep warm over low heat.
⏱️ 15 min - 8
Cook the Ramen Noodles: Bring a separate large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 16 ounces of fresh ramen noodles and cook according to package directions, typically 2-3 minutes, until al dente. Drain well.
⏱️ 5 min - 9
Assemble the Ramen: Divide the cooked ramen noodles among 4 large ramen bowls. Ladle the hot spicy miso broth over the noodles. Arrange the glazed pork belly slices, kimchi, soft-boiled egg halves, and nori sheets on top of the noodles. Garnish with thinly sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
⏱️ 5 min - 10
For Ssäm-Style Eating: Serve additional kimchi, Ssäm Sauce, Ginger Scallion Sauce, and butter lettuce leaves on the side. Guests can wrap pieces of pork belly, kimchi, and sauce in lettuce leaves for an interactive, flavorful bite alongside their ramen.