Beer-braised pork belly ramen is a scrumptious Japanese-inspired noodle dish that’s made with a homemade ginger-flavored broth and tender beer-braised pork belly.
Ramen is one of those dishes that if I see it on a menu at a restaurant, I have to order it. It’s one of those dishes that you don’t see everywhere, and unless you live in a highly urbanized area or have a fantastic Japanese restaurant nearby, chances of you finding it are slim. When we lived in the Denver area, there was a fantastic restaurant downtown that made the best ramen, and I seriously miss it sometimes.
The best ramen I ever had though was at this super quirky restaurant in Telluride, there. Yes, the restaurant is called there, and every time we visit Telluride, we eat there (pun not intended) multiple times. Their menu is super eclectic, and their ramen is OUT OF THIS WORLD.
This beer-braised pork belly ramen is inspired by a recipe I had at there. While our small town has a wide range of eclectic restaurants, we don’t have a restaurant that serves a good ramen dish. I also don’t find that driving the 2 1/2 hours to Denver to enjoy one of my favorite ramen dishes is completely practical. I’ve come to terms with the fact that if I want good local ramen, I’m going to have to make it myself. This is OK. Ramen is super easy, and you really can do whatever you want with it. Our butcher sells fabulous pork belly, and since pork belly is my favorite meat to serve in a ramen noodle bowl, I could think of no other route to go.
This beer-braised pork belly ramen is perfect you guys, and if you are obsessed with this authentic noodle dish as much as I am, you HAVE to make it one of these days. It’s a super comforting bowl of food and pairs so well with a good pilsner. Try it soon! You won’t be sad!
Beer-Braised Pork Belly Ramen
Servings:
4 -6Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Beer-Braised Pork Belly
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork belly
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 2 stalks of celery chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1 bottle of beer I used a pilsner
Broth
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 2 stalks of celery chopped
- 1 bunch of green onions loosely chopped (about 6-7)
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 10 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup ponzu sauce
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
Ramen
- sliced beer-braised ramen
- 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
- 8 ounces dry ramen noodles cooked per manufacturer's instructions
- 4 soft-boiled eggs sliced in half (recipe here)
- 1 cup sliced green onions
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Rub the mixture all over the pork belly, pressing it in to adhere. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork belly and sear it on all sides until brown, about 15 minutes total. Add the carrots, celery, garlic and beer. Season with salt and place i in the oven, uncovered. Bake for about 2 hours or until the pork belly is tender.
- Once your pork belly is in the oven, prepare your broth. Combine all of the ingredients for the broth in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Bring it to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours. After the broth has simmered, strain it through a colander into a bowl and return it to the stockpot to keep warm until you are ready to serve.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Cover it loosely with a foil and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Slice it once it has rested.
- Assemble your ramen noodle bowls, by layering pork belly, carrots, ramen noodles and green onions in 4-6 shallow bowls. Pour the broth on top and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
14 Responses
This looks so tasty! I actually have leftover pork belly from earlier in the week so maybe I can make this broth to pair with it! Yum, thanks for sharing!
Ramen is just the best! That broth looks absolutely incredible :)
Mmmm! Sophisticated ramen is the BEST! And the pork belly really makes this dish!
It’s been ages since I had a good ramen! I need to try this!
Beer Braised Pork Belly?! Now that is a ramen!
Okay, this is absolutely out of this world, Julia! I’m giving you fair warning I’ll be knocking on your door in a couple of months to slurp a bowl of this with you!
Well this looks delightful. I think this looks delicious and I would love a plate.
OMG I am such a huge fan of pork belly, this dish is amazing!
I was searching Pinterest for beer braised pork shoulder, but I got distracted by this recipe. I have been wanting to experiment with pork belly AND ramen. This is perfect. I can’t wait to try it! Gorgeous pictures!