Thick-Cut Pork Japanese-Style Roast
Sear the pork until fragrant and coat it thoroughly in a sweet and savory sauce. This is a foolproof dish that pairs perfectly with both alcohol and white rice.
Ingredients (serves 1-2)
Pork shoulder loin (thick-cut for tonkatsu): 2 slices (approx. 200g-250g)
Salt: 2 pinches
Flour: 1 teaspoon
Seasonings
Salad oil: 1 teaspoon
Soy sauce: 1 1/2 tablespoons
Mirin: 1 1/2 tablespoons
Sake: 1 tablespoon
Sugar: 1 teaspoon
Instructions
Preparation: Take the pork out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 15 minutes. Make a few small cuts with the tip of a knife at the boundary between the lean meat and the fat (to prevent curling). Sprinkle salt on both sides and lightly coat with flour just before cooking.
Searing: Heat the salad oil in a frying pan over medium heat and arrange the pork slices. Cook without moving them for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, then flip once browned. Reduce to low heat, cover with a lid, and steam-cook for another 3 minutes (based on a meat thickness of around 2cm. If thicker, extend the steaming time by 30 seconds to 1 minute).
Coating with sauce: Remove the lid and wipe off any excess fat with a paper towel. Add the combined seasonings all at once, return to medium heat, and reduce the sauce while spooning it over the meat.
Signs of doneness
If clear juices come out when you pierce the meat with a bamboo skewer, it is cooked through. It is finished when the sauce turns into large bubbles and coats the surface of the meat in a smooth glaze.
Recovery
When the sauce has reduced too much and become too salty: Add 1-2 teaspoons of sake (or water) just before turning off the heat, and shake the pan to thin it out.
When the center is still pink: Do not re-sear over an open flame. Bring the remaining sauce to a boil over low heat, turn off the heat, place the meat with the cut side down, cover, and let sit for 30 seconds. The heat and steam from the sauce will gently cook it through.
3 points to avoid failure
Don't forget to score the connective tissue: If you don't make cuts at the boundary between the lean meat and the fat, the meat will curl during cooking, leading to uneven browning.
Turn the heat to low after flipping: If you keep it on high heat, only the surface will burn and the center will remain raw.
Do not over-reduce the sauce: Turn off the heat as soon as it turns into large bubbles. If you reduce it too much, it will burn and become bitter.
Why does just dusting with flour result in a juicy finish? I have written about the precise location for scoring and how to apply this to chicken breast and beef in the section below. I am releasing this for free in honor of Father's Day.
The reason it turns out juicy
This is the core of it
If you sear thick-cut meat all at once over high heat, the surface will shrink suddenly and push out the internal moisture. The reason for turning the heat to low and covering the pan after flipping is to trap the steam and transfer heat slowly. By not heating it too rapidly, you create a state where moisture is less likely to escape.
Dusting lightly with flour serves the same purpose. The starch on the surface absorbs moisture to create a gel-like film, which prevents meat juices from escaping while making it easier for the sauce to coat the meat later.
This is also the reason for scoring the boundary between the lean meat and the fat. Lean meat shrinks easily when heated, while fat and connective tissue loosen; if you do nothing, the difference in contraction causes the meat to curl, creating parts that don't make contact with the pan and resulting in uneven cooking. By making shallow cuts only at the boundary, the meat stays flat and receives heat evenly.
Two other dishes you can make with the same concept
Moist Japanese-Style Chicken Breast Steak
Butterfly a chicken breast (1 piece, approx. 250g) to even out the thickness, then score it and dust with flour in the same way. Since chicken breast loses moisture easily, shorten the steaming time after flipping to 2.5 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it sit covered for 3 minutes to cook the center through with residual heat.
Beef Steak with Grated Ginger and Black Pepper
Replace the pork with beef chuck eye steak. Omit the sugar from the seasoning, add 1 teaspoon of grated ginger and 1/2 teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper, and finish by adding 5g of butter. The butter adds aroma and richness, so add it at the final stage of reducing the sauce and shake the pan to coat.
Quick answers for specific situations
When the meat is over 3cm thick: Extend the steaming time after flipping by 1-2 minutes. Always check that clear juices come out when pierced with a bamboo skewer.
When cooking with an induction stove: Since heat transfer differs from gas, adjust the time until browned while watching the progress. The process of covering and steaming remains the same.
When preparing the day before: Do not add salt or flour until just before cooking. If you coat with flour too early, it will absorb moisture and the coating will become soggy.
When eating after it has cooled: Wrap the cooked meat in aluminum foil and let it rest for 5 minutes; this allows the juices to redistribute, keeping the meat moist.
When packing for a bento box: Reduce the sauce thoroughly to remove moisture before packing. If moisture remains, it will transfer to other side dishes.
3 things you must not do
If you continue cooking on high heat after flipping, the surface will burn while the center remains raw. Always lower to low heat after flipping.
If you skip cutting the connective tissue, the meat will curl during cooking, leading to uneven browning. Just make shallow cuts along the edges.
If you stir too much immediately after adding the sauce, the moisture will evaporate before it can reduce, making it prone to burning. Spoon the sauce over the meat while letting it reduce slowly.
The ideal outcome for this recipe
Cooking order: Bring to room temperature → Cut connective tissue → Flour → Brown on medium heat → Steam-cook on low heat → Reduce sauce
Signs of doneness: Clear juices when pierced with a bamboo skewer
Sauce finish: Turns into large bubbles and coats the meat like a glaze
Return to this if you get lost.
When to use this approach
"Create a barrier with flour, prevent moisture loss by steam-cooking on low heat, and determine doneness by the change in the sauce's bubbles." This concept can be applied to all thick-cut meat sautés.
Pork chops, chicken teriyaki, yellowtail teriyaki. All can be approached with the same structure. Rather than memorizing recipe measurements, simply having the perspective of how to retain moisture will stabilize the results of all your pan-seared dishes.
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