A delicious and easy Pork Ramen recipe that you can make in the slow cooker! A deep and flavorful broth, al dente ramen noodles, crispy shredded pork shoulder, with alll the vegetable topping and garnishes. The recipe looks long, but I’ve broken it down into manageable steps for you!
This post is sponsored by The National Pork Board, but all opinions are my own of course! Thanks for supporting the amazing brands that keep The Food Charlatan chugging along.
I have a business coach who helps me keep my head on straight. At our last meeting, I was telling her how overwhelmed I felt with all the things going on in my life. Toddler! Blog! Kid’s homework! Making kids do chores! Kids screaming about chores! Not strangling screaming kids! It’s a lot, you know?
I saw a meme the other day that said, “Having a two-year-old is like having a blender with no lid on in your house.” Truer words ne’er were spoken.
Anyway, coach told me to do a “brain sneeze,” where you get a piece of paper and write down all the to-do’s circling around in your brain. (Then I’m supposed to categorize and give them space on my calendar.)
So I sat down at the kitchen table and mentioned my brain sneeze plan to 4-year-old Valentine, who was doing a puzzle. I get out a crisp clean white sheet of paper. I poise my pen. I think for a moment. Then I realized I had to blow my nose and I’m sitting there with a tissue for a minute.
I look up to find Valentine watching me intently, with the hugest round eyes I’ve ever seen.
And that’s when I realized she was waiting for me to ACTUALLY sneeze my brains out. I’ve never seen a kid look so concerned, fascinated, and horrified all at once.
Well, here’s to getting the to-do list done right? Hopefully this time without traumatizing any children in the process??
Even with the crazy schedule, family dinner always makes the list. Here in our neck of the woods, fall is FINALLY making it’s debut! The cooler weather always makes my whole family want to cozy up with a bowl of soup, and what could be more satisfying than slurping up giant bowls of ramen together? Ramen that is topped with crispy pork no less??
This Japanese-style ramen recipe is made with a flavorful pork broth and topped with melt-in-your-mouth chashu pork shoulder. The sous vide feature of the Anova Precision Oven braises the pork shoulder to until it is ultra-tender and gives you an additional gift of tasty braising liquid to add to your broth.
How to make Easy Pork Ramen
Tell the truth. I know your first exposure to Japanese ramen was Top Ramen. Or was it Cup O’ Noodles? Raise your hand if this was the first thing you ever “cooked” as a 9-year-old. (My dad taught me to add frozen peas and an egg into my Top Ramen, see it’s just natural to add toppings! Even to Americans cooking the dumbed down version of ramen!)
But today’s recipe is definitely not dumbed down! This Pork Ramen recipe is a thousand times more delicious and flavorful than anything that packet of spices can give you.
We start off with a salty marinade to make our pork shoulder ultra-flavorful. I love using pork shoulder in this recipe because it is so versatile and easy to adapt for so many recipes. I always have one tucked away in my freezer. Once it’s done marinating, we are slow cooking the pork with veggies and liquid to make the most delicious broth. Next, we are sautéing more veggies and crisping up the shredded pork in a skillet. Top with a hundred garnishes and slurp your way to happiness! This recipe is a bit of a labor of love, but it’s 100% worth it! Let’s get started.
What kind of pork is used for ramen?
Let’s start off with this gorgeous cut of pork shoulder. I am partnering with the National Pork Board on this post! Pork is a staple in our kitchen, especially the magical pork shoulder. It is incredibly versatile (Try this Cafe Rio Pork! Or this Pulled Pork with Peaches!) and always results in melt-in-your-mouth tender meat. Plus it’s a great way to make sure my kids are getting enough protein! They are obsessed with this crispy pork!
You want to choose a pork shoulder that is nicely marbled with fat. Chop it into a few chunks to make sure the marinade can penetrate the meat well.
Most pork shoulders are about 3-4 pounds, but you only need 2 pounds for this recipe. If your shoulder is very large you can halve it and freeze for later, or if it’s on the small side (3 pounds-ish), you can use the whole thing for this recipe. You will have a higher proportion of crispy pork than you need at the end, but who’s going to complain about that?? Toss it on a salad for dinner tomorrow with all your other leftover toppings!
I like to marinate my pork shoulder in salt, brown sugar, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. This blend of ingredients gives the meat this amazing umami flavor! Let the pork sit in the marinade for at least a few hours if you have time, or even overnight. But a 30-minute marinade is better than nothing! Do what you have time for!
Add the pork and all the marinade to a 6-quart crock pot. A mini crock pot is not going to work for this recipe! We need a big pot for all that broth.
Ramen_Lord’s Chashu might be the Best Chashu Ever (Recipe)
FAQ
What cut of pork to use in ramen?
How to cook rolled pork shoulder for ramen?
Does pulled pork taste good in ramen?
What can I use instead of pork bones for ramen?
Does pork shoulder make good Ramen?
Pork shoulder makes a fine chashu, or roast pork, topping for ramen. Here, we show you two ways to get tender, flavorful results. It sometimes feels like everyone who loves ramen is obsessed with chashu, the roasted or braised slices of pork that seem to adorn almost every bowl.
Is it healthy to have ramen noodles?
Though instant noodles provide iron, B vitamins, manganese, they lack fiber, protein and other crucial vitamins and minerals. Additionally monosodium glutamate and high content of sodium may negatively affect health. Such as by increasing the risk oh cancers, heart disease and metabolic syndromes. Hence they are not recommended on a regular basis.
How do you cook pork shoulder Ramen?
Slice the prepared pork shoulder into 1/2 inch slices, seasoning each side with a generous amount of salt. Place on a cast iron pan on medium-high heat and brown for 2-3 mins on each side. Remove and set aside. Add 1/4 cup of tare to each serving bowl. Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of ramen broth to each of the serving bowls. Season with salt to taste.
Which pork is best for ramen?
Boneless rolled pork shoulder is the best cut of meat to use for this pork ramen, as it has the right amount of fat to ensure a flavourful silky broth with tender meat. Boneless leg of pork can be used too. There’s a little less fat and marbling in pork leg, so the broth won’t be quite as rich but it will still taste great.