Pressure Cooker Korean Soy-Glazed Pork Belly

By Kay Chun

Updated Feb. 10, 2021

Pressure Cooker Korean Soy-Glazed Pork Belly
Julia Gartland for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)
Total Time
1¼ hours
Rating
4(944)
Comments
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This hearty braise requires minimal ingredients and makes use of a pressure cooker to reduce hours of work into just 45 minutes of hands-off cooking. The pork belly soaks up the Korean-inspired marinade of soy sauce, garlic, ginger and scallions, and a good dose of black pepper balances the sweet-salty flavors. To finish, the cooking liquid is reduced into a silky sauce that glazes the meat. Serve the tender pork in crisp fresh lettuce cups to balance the richness of the meat. Leftovers can be chopped and reheated in tomato sauce for a quick and tasty Bolognese sauce.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • ¾cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2scallions, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
  • ¼cup turbinado sugar (or 3 tablespoons granulated sugar)
  • 2tablespoons minced fresh garlic
  • 2tablespoons minced fresh ginger
  • 3dried shiitake mushrooms
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 3½pounds skin-on pork belly, sliced lengthwise 1-inch-thick then cut into 4-inch pieces
  • Steamed rice, lettuce cups, kimchi and gochujang, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

2221 calories; 211 grams fat; 77 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 98 grams monounsaturated fat; 23 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 44 grams protein; 1852 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a pressure cooker, combine soy sauce, scallions, sugar, garlic, ginger, mushrooms and 1 teaspoon black pepper, and mix well. Lightly season pork belly with salt and pepper, and add to cooker. Toss pork in the sauce, massaging the sauce into the meat. Arrange pork in an even layer on top of the sauce. Lock pressure cooker lid in place and set steam vent to sealing position. Select high pressure and cook for 30 minutes. Let pressure release naturally.

  2. Step 2

    Transfer pork and mushrooms to a large plate. Carefully pour liquid into a fat separator or large bowl and degrease. Return liquid to the pressure cooker. Using the sauté function, simmer until reduced to about ½ cup, 10 to 15 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, thinly slice the mushrooms. Once the liquid is reduced, add the pork and mushrooms to the cooker and simmer, stirring, until warmed through and evenly coated in the sauce, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and spoon the sauce on top.

  4. Step 4

    Serve with steamed rice, lettuce cups, kimchi and gochujang. Cut pork into bite-size pieces, wrap and enjoy.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
944 user ratings
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Comments

Veej

I don't have a pressure cooker. Can anyone suggest how to cook this in a slow cooker?

Sam

3.5 lbs. of pork belly is A LOT of very rich meat. It fed my family of 3, and we have tons of leftovers. I'd say this recipe feeds 6, maybe 8. The sauce is delicious. Next time I'll cut the meat amount and up the mushrooms -- and maybe use a much less fatty cut than pork belly. (Also, as often with a InstantPot recipe, it takes more time than given. It always takes a while for the cooker to get up to pressure, and the "natural release" took almost 20 minutes. So allow more time than given.)

Ryan

Amazing 5/5 recipe, one of my favorites on here. I did make some modifications based on comments: Skipped salt/pepper on the meat and reduced the soy sauce to 1/2 cup based on the “too salty” complaints. Pan seared the pork under high heat before it went into the cooker. Also skipped the shitaki and added about 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil. After the pork finished in the cooker, I broiled it to crisp it up a bit, and cooked button mushrooms in the sauce. Served with homemade kimchi. Delicious.

Stephen

We tried this with a pound of the pork belly and the full sauce. It badly burnt the bottom of the pressure cooker. A solid layer of burnt stuff with no liquid left. There was absolutely no sauce left - the pork was burned but tasty. Maybe because there was 1/3 of the fat coming off the meat as there pie called for three pounds of the pork belly not one. Anyhow - it’s a hot mess. If we try this again will add at least a half cup of chicken stock maybe more and a big teaspoon of the Korean red pepper paste for a bit of heat and depth flavour.

John

Really good. I skipped the salt on the pork and was still on the salty side.

Midori

Wow the sauce was SOOO salty when reduced. Kept adding water. And used about half a jar of plum sauce to try to even out the salty with sweet while adding some flavor instead of just sweet. Would FOR SURE have used way more mushrooms. It was like .25 to 1 ratio when eating, so what was the point??

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