This Braised Pork Belly Miso Ramen is a thing of delicious wonder, friends. We’ll start with slices of pork belly seared and then braised until extra tender. Then we move onto an easy broth situation that comes together quickly with tons of umami-filled flavor. Bring it all together and top it with ramen favorites like soft-boiled eggs, bean sprouts, scallions, a fish cake, and nori. It’s the best homemade ramen!

braised pork belly miso ramen in bowl with soft boiled eggs, scallions, and seaweed

A bowl of ramen is a comfort food staple that truly does it for me. And nah, I ain’t talking about one of those cheap ramen packs that we’re all familiar with, ha. I mean a real deal bowl of handcrafted, authentic ramen. The broth tastes like it’s been simmering for hours, the noodles are fresh, perfectly bouncy, and flavorful, and the toppings are legit. As the true ramen aficionado that I proclaim to be, I am so long overdue for sharing a ramen recipe with you.

Braised Pork Belly Miso Ramen 🍜

This ramen recipe starts with good ole succulent, tender pork belly. We’re gonna cook the pork belly in a super simple yet flavor-filled braise first. Next up, the broth is straightforward as can be and also utilizes some of the pork belly braising liquid for maximum, umami-loaded goodness! This homemade braised pork belly miso ramen recipe is wildly good and sooo easy to make, y’all.

⇢ If you love asian-inspired eats, don’t miss these Chinese Restaurant Wings, this bomb Cumin Beef Stir Fry, and these Miso Ginger Soy Salmon Rice Bowls!

braised pork belly miso ramen in bowls with soft boiled eggs and chopsticks on striped linen

Back To Basics: What Is Ramen?

Great question! Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup of Chinese origin. It’s widely known that ramen was imported by the Chinese and developed into Japan’s street food/soul food culture. Ramen noodle shops gained popularity in Japan with bowls of Chinese-style noodles, flavored broth, and toppings. There are an infinite amount of variations when it comes to ramen. Some of the most popular types of ramen include tonkotsu, miso, shoyu, and shio to name a few.

This braised pork belly ramen recipe has a nice miso-forward vibe to it 🤌🏾.

ingredients for braised pork belly miso ramen laid out on beige surface

Ingredients Needed For This Braised Pork Belly Miso Ramen Recipe:

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)

  • Sesame oil: This oil is super fragrant and flavorful.
  • Pork belly: I recommend fully cooked or fresh pork belly. My favorite fully cooked pork belly is from Trader Joe’s (you just have to crisp it up). Fresh pork belly requires an extra step before cooking…more on that further below.
  • Garlic & ginger: Adds a ton of extra aromatic flavor.
  • Soy sauce: Gotta have this fermented, umami salt bomb.
  • Mirin: This is a sweet, kinda tangy rice wine.
  • Brown sugar: Just a touch for a pop of sweet molasses flavor.
  • Five spice powder: This spice, my goodness. It’s a blend of cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise, and white pepper. It’s so fragrant and rich!
  • Chicken broth: Our liquid base for the ramen broth.
  • White miso paste: We’re making miso ramen, so yeah.
  • Ramen noodles: Last but not least, we need dat ramen!
  • Optional toppings: Soft-boiled eggs, chopped scallions, sliced fish cakes, bean sprouts, nori (dried seaweed) & sesame seeds- for ramen topping, as desired.
slices of braised pork belly on oval platter

How To Make This Ramen Recipe- Part I: Braised Pork Belly

(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)

  1. Sear pork belly. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. When hot, working in batches, add a few pork belly slices into the skillet. Cook the pork until a deep brown sear forms, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer the browned pork onto a clean plate, and repeat the process until all the pork is browned. Then set the browned pork aside and reduce the heat to medium.
  2. Build the braise. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste until nice and fragrant, about 1 minute. Then add the soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, and five spice powder- stirring until well combined. Then add the sliced pork belly back into the skillet along with any residual juices. Add in a little water just until the slices are nearly submerged under the liquid. 
  3. Braise pork. Reduce the heat to low and let the pork belly braise for 30-45 minutes until extra tender- checking the pork every so often.

BBR hot take: Pork belly is like bacon’s cousin but with a meatier texture. Chashu pork (or Japanese braised pork belly) is the authentic name for the style of pork belly that’s going on here. With the pork belly having a chance to braise in flavors like soy sauce, mirin, garlic, ginger, and five spice powder, the pork belly is melt-in-your-mouth delicious! It’s so succulent and tender and soaks up all the braising liquid like a sponge, making this pork belly miso ramen sing!! 👅

black hands with chopsticks and brown ladle scooping up noodles in bowl of miso ramen

Part II: Finishing & Serving Ramen

  1. Prep ramen & broth boils. About 15 minutes before the pork is done, prep the ramen prep + broth, and do a bit of multitasking. On a separate burner, bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a stock pot for the noodles. On another burner, bring the broth to a boil in a large pot. In a medium bowl, combine the miso paste and ½ cup water, stirring to combine until the miso paste has fully dissolved. Then add the miso liquid into the pot with the broth and stir well to combine. Let the broth simmer while you boil the ramen noodles.
  2. Finish ramen. Boil ramen noodles in the stock pot of water according to your package directions. Then strain the noodles and place them into serving bowls. Back to the pork belly, transfer braised pork slices onto a plate- do not discard braising liquid. Add some of the braising liquid into the simmering broth, stir to fully combine, then remove from heat.
  3. Assembly & serving. Ladle the desired amount of broth into the serving bowls of ramen and briefly toss noodles to combine. Then top bowls of ramen with sliced pork belly, soft-boiled eggs, chopped scallions, sliced fish cake, bean sprouts, nori, and sesame seeds- as desired. Whew!
closeup of pork belly miso ramen with soft boiled eggs and chopsticks in bowl

Tips + Tricks, FAQs & Ramen Recipe Notes

Here’s some extra recipe information that I know you’ll appreciate:

  • Fresh pork belly: When using fresh pork belly, I recommend boiling the fresh pork first. Simply fill a large pot with water and add the fresh pork belly. Boil for about 30-45 minutes and then drain. This step is a good measure to render out some of the fat, remove any impurities, and tenderize the meat. Then slice pork belly and proceed with the recipe as directed.
  • Ramen noodles: Friends, you can use any ramen noodles that are accessible to you. Although, if you can score some fresh ramen noods, I highly recommend it because the flavor is better. I’m obsessed with the fresh, handcrafted ramen noodles from Sun Noodle– I grab them in Whole Foods (they’re in the refrigerated section near the tofu)…chef’s kiss!
  • Soy sauce eggs: Regular soft-boiled eggs are just fine, however, soy sauce eggs are so fuggin good! Here’s how to whip up a batch: Gently lower 4 cold eggs (straight from the fridge) into a pot of boiling water and boil for 6-7 minutes. Then transfer the eggs to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Carefully peel off the shells and place the eggs into a ziplock bag. Add in ⅓ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup mirin, and 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (for a deeper color- optional). Then seal the bag and place the bag into a small container for stabilization and cover. Keep eggs stored in the fridge to marinate for at least 6 hours or up to 3 days. Discard (or save to re-use!) marination liquid, slice eggs in half, and top warm bowl of ramen with soy sauce marinated eggs.
  • Ramen Toppings: As I mentioned earlier, soft-boiled eggs, chopped scallions, sliced fish cakes, bean sprouts, nori (dried seaweed) & sesame seeds are some of my favorite ramen go-to’s. However, you can also top/serve with corn, kimchi, chili oil, mushrooms, sliced ginger, bok choy, menma, and whatever else you might like! It’s your bowl, customize it the way you want.

Sourcing Authentic Ramen Ingredients

The best place to grab authentic ramen ingredients is your local asian market!

black hands with chopsticks swirling ramen noodles

This Pork Belly Miso Ramen is truly a favorite in my home. If you’re a ramen fanatic, you will be utterly obsessed with this one! Be sure to tag @butterbeready in your BBR recipe creations, I sure love to see it when you do. Until next time! 🤟🏾

More dishes with big flavor:

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braised pork belly miso ramen in bowl with soft boiled eggs, scallions, and seaweed

Braised Pork Belly Miso Ramen

★★★★★ 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Quin Liburd
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Soups & Stews
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
Print Recipe

Description

This Braised Pork Belly Miso Ramen is a thing of delicious wonder, friends. We’ll start with slices of pork belly seared and then braised until extra tender. Then we move onto an easy broth situation that comes together quickly with tons of umami-filled flavor. Bring it all together and top it with ramen favorites like soft-boiled eggs, bean sprouts, scallions, a fish cake, and nori. It’s the best homemade ramen!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • ¾ lb fully-cooked or fresh pork belly, sliced into 1-inch-thick slices- (see notes for using fresh pork belly)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic paste
  • 1 tablespoon ginger paste
  • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • ½ cup mirin
  • 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon five spice powder

For ramen broth & serving:

  • 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • ¼ cup white miso paste
  • 4 bricks/servings ramen noodles (we love Sun Noodle!)
  • Soft-boiled eggs, chopped scallions, sliced fish cakes, bean sprouts, nori (dried seaweed) & sesame seeds- for ramen topping, as desired.

Instructions

  1. Sear pork belly. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. When hot, gently swirl the skillet around to evenly coat the bottom. Working in batches, careful not to overcrowd, add a few pork belly slices into the skillet. Cook the pork until a deep brown sear forms, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer the browned pork onto a clean plate/small baking sheet and repeat the process until all the pork is browned. Then set the browned pork belly slices aside and reduce the heat to medium.
  2. Build the braise. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste until nice and fragrant, about 1 minute. Then add the soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, and five spice powder- stirring until well combined. Then add the sliced pork belly back into the skillet along with any residual juices. Add in a little water (about ⅓ – ½ cup) just until the slices are nearly submerged under the liquid. 
  3. Braise pork. Reduce the heat to low and let the pork belly braise for 30-45 minutes until extra tender- checking the pork every so often to flip the slices for even cooking.
  4. Prep ramen & broth boils. About 15 minutes before the pork is done, let’s work on the ramen prep + broth, and do a bit of multitasking. On a separate burner, bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a stock pot for the noodles. On another burner, bring the broth to a boil in a large pot. In a medium bowl, combine the miso paste and ½ cup water, stirring to combine until the miso paste has fully dissolved. Then add the miso liquid into the pot with the broth and stir well to combine. Let the broth simmer while you boil the ramen noodles.
  5. Finish ramen. Boil ramen noodles in the stock pot of water according to your package directions- careful not to overcook. Then strain the noodles and place them into serving bowls. Back to the pork belly, transfer braised pork slices onto a plate/serving platter- do not discard braising liquid. Add about ⅓ cup (or more) of the braising liquid into the simmering broth, stir to fully combine, then remove from heat.
  6. Assembly & serving. Ladle the desired amount of broth into the serving bowls of ramen and briefly toss noodles to combine with the broth. Then set up a little ramen assembly line and top bowls of ramen with sliced pork belly, soft-boiled eggs, chopped scallions, sliced fish cake, bean sprouts, nori, and sesame seeds- as desired. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Fresh pork belly: When using fresh pork belly, I recommend boiling the fresh pork first. Simply fill a large pot with water and add the fresh pork belly. Boil for about 30-45 minutes and then drain. This step is a good measure to render out some of the fat, remove any impurities, and tenderize the meat. Then slice pork belly and proceed with the recipe as directed.
  2. Soy sauce eggs: Gently lower 4 cold eggs (straight from the fridge) into a pot of boiling water and boil for 6-7 minutes. Then transfer the eggs to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Carefully peel off the shells and place the eggs into a ziplock bag. Add in ⅓ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup mirin, and 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (for a deeper color- optional). Then seal the bag and place the bag into a small container for stabilization and cover. Keep eggs stored in the fridge to marinate for at least 6 hours or up to 3 days. Discard (or save to re-use!) marination liquid, slice eggs in half, and top warm bowl of ramen with soy sauce marinated eggs.
  3. Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.

Keywords: pork belly, ramen, miso ramen, braised pork belly, soy sauce eggs, pork belly ramen, homemade ramen recipe