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A classic pot roast – with a splash of soy sauce

This Soy-Braised Pork Pot Roast comes as tender as it gets through a slow braise in a savory bath of soy sauce and shaoishing wine, with a rich heartiness from carrots and potatoes.

Most classic American pot roast recipes call for the oven, but this recipe just needs a stove with a few flavors borrowed from traditional Chinese flavors.

An Asian-inspired twist on the American classic.

You’ll want to try this recipe for an easy simmered and stewed, one-pot tender richness, especially on those cold, chilly days.

Just as Juicy from the stove

Most pot roast recipes call for stewing in ovens, but I grew in an Asian household. And if you know anything about Asian households, it’s that ovens provided additional storage space in the kitchen. Yup, ovens pretty much lied dormant in our kitchen growing up.

We did most of our roasting and stewing of deep flavors on the stove. But fear not, all that slow-braising creates just as much, if not more depth in flavor.

Plus, if you’re like me (a minimalist in the kitchen), this means one less kitchenware to have to purchase. No Dutch oven needed. Just bust out your best go-to pot.

Recipe Notes

TOTAL TIME: 1.5 – 2 hours

SERVES: 4-6

EQUIPMENT: A large stock pot. Any large pot will do.

iNGREDIENTS

Pork – Pork butt works best. 1 lb and cut up into quarter-inch cubes. Pork butt comes boneless and with just the right amount of fat, perfect for slow-cooking. You can also use pork shoulder. (Fun fact: ever wondered the difference between pork butt vs pork shoulder?)

Carrots – 5-6 good-looking full-sized carrots. Chopped into big chunks, about 1/4-inch. No need to skin. Keep them on. Just give them a good rinse and scrub. (I used tri-colored carrots for this recipe, but it really makes no difference what kind of carrots you use)

Potatoes – Red or white potatoes work best. 3-4, chopped into big chunks. No need to skin.

Onion – Brown or White. 1 entire onion, chopped into big chunks.

Garlic – 3 cloves, diced.

Tomatoes – 2, chopped into big chunks (using fresh instead of paste)

Rock Sugar – 1 small rock/chunk. Or if you don’t have that handy, about 1/2 tsp of white sugar will do.

Bay Leaves – 2

Soy Sauce – 3 tbsp. Dark Soy Sauce is best for its depth of flavor. But regular/light soy sauce is fine too.

Shaioshing Wine – 1 big swivel of a splash (about 1/4 cup). You can replace with rice wine.

Worcestershire Sauce – 2 tbsp

Water – 1 cup

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iNSTRUCTIONS

1. Turn on stove to medium-high heat.

2. Brown the pork – Drizzle some oil into the large pot, enough to coat the bottom, and toss in the pork butt chunks. Sautee it around and let it cook until golden brown. Keep lid on. (about 10 minutes)

3. Splash in the shaoxing wine. Scrape around the bottom with a wooden spoon to deglaze some of that browned burnt goodness from the pork. Let the wine evaporate for a quick minute or two.

4. Toss in the chopped onions, garlic, and bay leaves. And pour in the soy sauce and worcestershire sauce, water, and sugar. Give it all a stir. Place lid back on to let simmer while you cut up your vegetables. (about 20 minutes)

5. Toss in carrots and tomatoes. Give the pot another stir to fold in the carrots and tomatoes. Place lid back on and let simmer on medium heat, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing burns on the bottom. (Simmer for about 1 hour)

6. Add potato chunks and stir into the rest of the pot. Taste if you’d need a little more of soy sauce, worcestershire, water or a dash of sugar. Now’s your chance. If it’s looking a little dry, add another 1/2 cup of water and add more soy sauce, sugar, and worcestershire to taste. There should be a nice saucy consistency. Place lid back on and continue to simmer on medium heat for another 30 – 45 minutes.

7. Simmer until pork is tender. Let it simmer for longer if you want the pork extra tender — it’s okay if some of the carrots and potatoes melt away. They all go into building the rich flavors of the broth. 🙂

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Kitchen Notes

For extra veggies and texture – add celery! Just a few stalks (2-3). Celery adds a great depth of flavor to the broth – and fiber!

Wine – Use rice wine if you can’t find shaoxing wine. Or your favorite white wine.

The slow simmer is what makes the meat extra tender. All the flavors get their time to meld together while the meat breaks down. So simmer for a little longer if you want extra tenderness (just make sure you add the potatoes a little later so they don’t completely dissolve!)

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Why You’ll Love this Recipe

Most classic pot roast recipes call for roasting in the oven, but that requires a dutch oven pot. But with this recipe, all you’d need is a good ol’ go-to large soup pot.

Set a twist to the classic pot roast recipe with Asian-inspired flavors! You’d be surprised how much soy sauce and shaoxing wine can elevate the flavors of this classic dish.

All you need is a large soup pot!

Want More?

If you love braised, slow-stewed and simmer meats, try our Braised Pork Spareribs & Daikon. It’s a favorite amongst kids and … hungry people.

Balance with some vegetables and pair with a side of the roasted butteriness of our Roasted Sweet Potato Brussel Sprouts with a Lemon Honey Vinaigrette.

What Did You Think?

Did you try this recipe? Leave us a comment below or share with someone who might get a kick out of this simple, tasty dish.

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Wabi Sabi in the kitchen

Cooking feeds the soul, not just the stomach.  

Imperfectly Wabi Sabi recipes are focused on creating simple, cozy comfort foods by blending family tradition, creative ways to “use what we got” – food scraps, left-overs, and all – and by using  what’s in season from our very own regenerative Garden.  

There’s no wasting around here.  Only garden-to-table and family tradition wrapped tastefully together.  Happy Wabi Sabi eats.

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