Niibuta
Niibuta is a Japanese simmered pork shoulder and I made this for Friendsgiving in 2024 to much success. It’s a relatively low maintenance meal but offers huge dividends. This recipe isn’t an original; it’s from the “Donabe” cookbook by Naoko Takei Moore and Kyle Connaughton. We’ve taken a lot of inspiration from their recipes and we’re forever indebted to their knowledge and expertise!
Ingredients
For the Pork:
2.5 lbs pork shoulder
1 cup (240ml) sake
3 green onions
3 cloves garlic
1.5 Tbsp sliced ginger
.5 tsp black peppercorns
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Sauce
1/4 cup (60ml) sake
1/4 cup (60ml) raw brown sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) soy sauce
1/2 cup (120ml) pork broth (strained)
2 tsp corn starch or potato starch
1 Tbsp water
Halve the pork shoulder, score lightly and rub with salt. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or in a plastic bag and let it sit for an hour, best if refrigerated overnight but make sure to return to room temp before cooking.
Place pork in a donabe with all aromatics and sake. Cover with enough water to cover the surface of the meat. Cook on high heat and once the broth boils, turn down the heat and skim off any scum that rises to the top. Cover and simmer on low for 45-60 minutes. Turn off heat and let the pork sit in the broth for 1 hour.
Combine sake, brown sugar, soy sauce, and pork broth in a sauce pan and set over medium high. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Mix the cornstarch and water to create a slurry and drizzle slowly in the sauce to thicken. The sauce is thick enough when it coats the back of a spoon. Just add a little more pork broth/water to loosen if you accidentally over thicken.