Sho Spaeth is the lead writer and editor at ChefSteps.com. He is also the author of Homemade Ramen, a James Beard Award–nominated cookbook.

Sho Spaeth

“Chashu” is a Japanese “loan word” from the Chinese “<a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/classic-char-siu">char siu</a>,” and while both refer to pork roasts, they’re completely different preparations. Chashu is used as an umbrella term for the sliced pork served with ramen. It can be roasted, braised, or cooked sous vide to a tender, blushing pink; it is, sometimes, simply boiled in the <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/ultimate-ramen-stock">stock</a> used for making ramen. This roast pork belly chashu is simple but assertively seasoned. Cured overnight and roasted low and slow, it is tender but still has enough structural integrity and chew so that it doesn’t get lost in a bowl of <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/ultimate-shoyu-ramen">shoyu ramen</a>.