Tender bites of braised pork are combined with onions and garlic in a sweet and spicy ginger sauce. Top with thinly sliced green onions and serve over white or brown rice.
Impress your taste buds with this delicious braised pork recipe, featuring a step-by-step guide on how to make tender and flavorful pork. This pork is great served over white or brown rice with a side of stir-fried green beans, perfect for a cozy night in or entertaining guests.
What is Braised Pork?
The act of braising meat is a two-step process. First, the pork is seared and browned in hot oil in a large Dutch oven or skillet. Then, a liquid like wine or broth and, if desired, spices and vegetables are added. The dish is covered and placed in the oven to cook low and slow or simmered over the stovetop. After a few hours, you will have deliciously tender pork and flavorful drippings that you can either reduce or thicken with a bit of cornstarch into a gravy or sauce.
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Pork: shoulder or pork butt. Please don’t use a lean cut; you need some fat so it cooks tenderly.
- Olive oil: or vegetable oil
- Onions: preferably sweet yellow onions
- Chicken broth: preferably low sodium; beef broth will work, too
- Soy sauce: again, low sodium is best
- Mirin: or honey; I prefer mirin, but it can be hard to find
- Grated ginger: fresh or ginger paste
- Chili paste: also known as sambal oelek
- Cornstarch: to thicken the sauce
How to Make Braised Pork
This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.
First, brown the pork in a bit of oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove the pork to a plate. Heat a little more oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat until they are soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, cooking for a minute while stirring. Stir in the chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove the brown bits.
Put the browned pork back into the pot with the liquid and onions. Cover and bake in the oven for a couple of hours. Then, carefully drain most of the liquid off the pork into a saucepan. Stir in the soy sauce, mirin (or honey), rice vinegar, ginger, chili paste, and sesame oil, and bring it to a low boil.
Mix the cornstarch with 1-2 tablespoons of cold water and whisk it into the simmering liquid. Simmer the mixture until thickened. Pour the mixture into the pot with the pork and stir gently to coat. Cover the pot and return it to the oven, cooking for 30 minutes. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.
Preparation Tips
- Use a piece of pork that has marbled fat in it, like a pork butt (also known as a Boston butt) or a pork shoulder. Trim the large amounts of fat and cartilage away and cut it into large bite-size pieces. The fat is what makes it tender and gives it flavor.
- Don’t overcook the pork, as it will fall apart quickly. My picture shows that mine was getting a little too close.
- If you like a lot of sauce, double it, but remember that the salt and calorie count will increase.
What to serve with Braised Pork
I love to serve it with white or brown rice, garlic mashed potatoes, baked mac and cheese, or roasted sweet potatoes. To balance out the meal, I also like to serve it with stir-fried green beans, Asian slaw, or Asian cucumber salad.
More Pork Recipes
Braised Pork
Ingredients
- 6-8 lbs pork butt or pork shoulder trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 yellow onions cut in half and then cut in half inch slices
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons mirin or honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger or ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon chili paste
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the pork in a single layer and brown. Work in batches, adding oil when needed. Remove the pork to a plate.
- Heat a little more oil in the pot and cook the onions over medium-low heat until they are soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, cooking for a minute while stirring. Stir in the chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove the brown bits.
- Add the browned pork back into the pot with the liquid and onions. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours,
- Carefully drain most of the liquid off the pork into a saucepan. Stir in the soy sauce, mirin (or honey), rice vinegar, ginger, chili paste, and sesame oil, and bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Mix the cornstarch with 1-2 tablespoons of cold water and whisk it into the simmering liquid. Simmer the mixture until thickened. Pour the mixture into the pot with the pork and stir gently to coat. Place it back into the oven uncovered and cook for 30 minutes.
- If desired serve over rice and garnish with green onions.
Notes
- Use a piece of pork that has marbled fat in it, like a pork butt (also known as a Boston butt) or a pork shoulder. Trim the large amounts of fat and cartilage away and cut it into large bite-size pieces. The fat is what makes it tender and gives it flavor.
- Don’t overcook the pork, as it will start to fall apart quickly. You can see from my picture that mine was getting a little too close. I had to take an important phone call.
- If you like a lot of sauce, double it, but keep in mind that the salt and calorie count will increase.
Mary
I loved serving this over rice and with the scallions. Your recipe was delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Mary!
Kerrigan
Great pork recipe. I served it over mashed potatoes with a side of roasted broccoli. Absolutely delicious! This is a new family favorite!
Beth Pierce
So glad that you and your family love it, Kerrigan!
AJ
This was delicious and so full of flavor!! I had never cooked braised pork before, but this turned out perfect and everyone loved it. Thanks for sharing!!
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, AJ!
Janelle H
Onions, Garlic and Ginger are three things I absolutely love! Thank you for this recipe. My husband and I really enjoyed it!
Laurie H
Oo yum! This was an amazing dinner, I made this with a side of mashed potatoes. It was very filling and packed with flavor.
Ree Ann
I absolutely love this braised pork. Even my picky kids loved it. So delicious as so many of your recipes are.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Ree Ann!
Tammy Dean
I love the flavors of this dish! So comforting and delicious…homemade takeout is the best! This will be on repeat in my kitchen!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Tammmy! I am so glad that you liked it!
Melissa Dixon
This looks so good. I need to get some of the ingredients butt then I am going to make this because it sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Melissa! Enjoy!
Melanie E
I don’t recall ever trying braised pork before. What a great meal option to try. I don’t often cook with pork meat so this would make a lovely change for the hubby.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Melanie! Enjoy!
Susan T
Great braised pork recipe. It was very flavorful and delicious served over ramen noodles with a side of your stir fried green beans! Thanks for the recipe, Beth!
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Susan!
Samantha D
We do love pork and have cooked it in many different ways but never had braised pork before. This sounds great and will be trying this recipe
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Samantha! Enjoy!
Lavanda
Can’t wait to try it out with some brown rice and stir-fried green beans on the side. T
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Lavanda! Enjoy!
Karen
oh my oh my this looks soooooo good! I never had braised pork before. I love your recipe and can’t wait to make it. Thank you so much.
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Karen!
Catalina W
I made the Braised Pork for dinner, and it was a huge success! The slow cooking process made the pork melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the flavors were spot on. My family couldn’t get enough of it.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Catalina! We love it too! It is a family favorite!
Erin J
I cant get over how well my braised pork turned out! The meat was so tender and the flavors were outstanding! This will definitely making a comeback on our table!
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked it, Erin!