Rafute (Okinawan Glazed Pork) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 lbs pork belly
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 inches ginger, sliced
1 cup bonito stock or 1 cup dashi stock (if unavailable, use reserved pork stock)
1 1 cup substitute Bourbon or 1 cup Scotch whisky
1 cup sugar
1 cup shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
1/2 cup mirin (Japanese rice wine)
1 teaspoon red food coloring (optional)

Preparation

Place pork, skin side up, on the rack of a broiler pan, and broil until skin is browned.
Rinse pork under warm running water, scraping off any charred areas with a knife.
Place the whole piece of pork in a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, and cook 40 minutes.
Remove pork and reserve broth.
Allow the pork to cool, then slice into 1/2\" thick, 2\" x 2\" squares.
Combine other ingredients, except mirin, in a thick, wide, shallow pot, and bring to the boil.
Lay the pork pieces in this sauce and cook, covered, for about 11/2 hours over low heat.
If during this time the pan seems dry, add a little of the reserved pork stock.
As pork tenderizes, add mirin and cook a further half-hour uncovered, until pork is melt-in-the-mouth tender and evenly glazed with sauce.
When warming leftovers, do not add water or soup stock- instead, use sake (or bourbon/whisky), which is said to keep pork tender and juicy.