What is Butadon?
Butadon (豚丼) is a simple yet delicious pork rice bowl dish. We slice the pork belly, fry it in a homemade caramel soy sauce, and the result is similar to teriyaki but with a deeper complexity. The high sugar content creates perfect caramelization – crispy edges with a juicy center.
The best part about this dish is that you don’t need paper-thin pork for it, unlike a lot of other Japanese pork dishes. All you need is a regular slab of pork belly, shoulder, or butt!
This Tokachi specialty from Hokkaido is usually grilled over charcoal, which gives it that classic smoky flavor we all love. But let’s be real, not everyone has a charcoal grill at home. That’s why I’ve adapted this recipe for the frying pan, using a special caramel sauce technique to capture that essence.
Give it a try and bring a taste of Tokachi into your home!
Pork Cut Recommendations and Alternatives
Traditionally, Tokachi-style butadon uses pork loin or pork belly, both readily available and budget-friendly options.
| Cut | Characteristics | Final Result |
|---|---|---|
| Pork Loin | • Leanest option • Can dry out easily • Requires careful cooking | Clean flavor, meat-forward taste More challenging to master |
| Pork Belly | • Thick fat layer for richness • Very forgiving to cook • Sauce adheres well | Rich, indulgent finish |
| Pork Shoulder | • Well-marbled with fat • Forgiving and easy to work with • Stays juicy | Balanced richness Beginner-friendly |
| Pork Butt | • Heavily marbled • Very forgiving cut • Great flavor depth | Very rich and flavorful Nearly foolproof |
Although loin is the primary choice for restaurants, belly, shoulder, and butt are much more forgiving and harder to overcook, making them ideal for home cooking.
While it won’t be the same, you can use another protein as an alternative:
- Chicken Thigh – Can taste too light for butadon. Add garlic for the missing pork richness.
- Beef – Creates a completely different flavor profile. It will be a sukiyaki-like flavor. Also, the sauce doesn’t cling as well to the meat.
If I have to choose between these two, I would choose chicken thighs for sure! While these alternatives work, pork remains the optimal choice for authentic butadon flavor and texture.
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Butadon at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
If you prefer to watch the process in action, check out my YouTube video of this Butadon recipe for a complete visual walkthrough!
Slice the white part of a Japanese leek into hair-thin threads—this is “shiraganegi,” the garnish that adds both texture and a subtle onion perfume.
Soaking brings out the leek’s sharp sulfur notes while firming the strands. Ten minutes is plenty—any longer and they start absorbing water, turning floppy instead of snappy.
Trim the pork belly (or other cuts) into slices that are about 4-5 mm (a little less than ¼-inch) thick. If you want to make it easily with pre-cut meat, I recommend getting pork labeled “for samgyeopsal (Korean pork BBQ)” at an Asian supermarket.
Pat the slices dry, then sprinkle a bit of salt. Let them sit for about 5 minutes.
Stir one-third of the measured water into the turbinado sugar in a small, light-colored saucepan—seeing the color change is key.
Warm over medium heat, swirling (never stirring) until the syrup turns the shade of amber. Quickly add the remaining water; it will hiss, so stand back.
At 160 °C (320 °F), sucrose breaks into caramelization products that smell like toasted nuts and butter. Stop at deep amber for complexity without burnt bitterness.
Reduce the heat, pour in soy sauce, sake, mirin, and honey, and simmer just until slightly thickened to a runny syrup-like consistency. Be careful not to let it get too thick.
Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for later.
Put the pork in a bowl, add pepper and potato starch, and mix to make a very thin coating. This will help the glaze coat evenly later.
Heat a large frying pan on medium-high, and once hot, add a drizzle of oil. Place the pork flat in the pan, and try to keep it to one layer.
Let the first side brown undisturbed—this is where flavor happens—then flip.
Immediately after flipping the pork, wipe away any excess rendered fat using kitchen paper.
Pork fat contains flavorful fatty acids like oleic acid, and leaving a moderate amount enhances the richness. However, too much fat can make the dish overly rich and make the sauce oily, so wipe off any excess fat to achieve a good balance.
Pour the caramel sauce around the pan.
Keep the heat at medium; you want the glaze to thicken just enough to cling, not scorch. Move the pork around the pan and flip occasionally until the sauce has thickened and evenly coated both sides.
Remove the pan from the heat and move on to assembling the dish. If you want to really go for that charcoal flavor, you can even blowtorch the pork on a torch-safe surface.
Scoop hot Japanese short-grain rice into serving bowls.
Drape the glossy pork slices on top, and crown with drained shiraganegi, a handful of bright-green peas or edamame, and some benishoga (optional).
If you’re feeling adventurous, squeeze in a bit of fresh lemon juice for a quick burst of freshness, dust with shichimi for a spicy kick, or slide on a soft-set egg and let the yolk mingle with the glaze.
Enjoy!
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsEssential Tips & Tricks
- Use a pan big enough for one flat layer.
- Swirl, don’t stir, the sugar syrup and stop when it turns deep amber; darker than that means bitter.
- Chill the shredded leek in ice water for 10 minutes only; any longer can make it soggy.
- Taste before serving and brighten with a squeeze of lemon if the sweetness feels heavy.
With these simple tips in mind, you’re set for success every time you make Butadon.
Meal Prep & Storage
This pork rice bowl can work for short-term meal prep if you separate the elements; however, because the glaze loses its glossy finish over time and the fat can congeal, it isn’t ideal for long storage.
- Full Dish Prep: Cook the pork and glaze as instructed, let both cool completely, then transfer the meat and sauce to one airtight container and the rice to another. Reheat the pork and sauce together within 2 days; add a teaspoon of water while warming to loosen the glaze.
- Component Prep: Combine the pork with the uncooked sauce ingredients in a freezer bag, press out the air, and freeze flat. Thaw overnight in the fridge and finish the sear-and-glaze step just before serving.
- Storage Guide: Use containers with tight-fitting lids. Chill food within 90 minutes of cooking, keep in the refrigerator, and consume cooked leftovers within 48 hours.
Serving Suggestions
FAQ
Butadon originates from a region in Hokkaido called “Tokachi” (十勝). It’s well known for its high-quality pork and locally grown rice. When served together, it creates the most comforting rice bowl dish. Pig farming started in the early 1900s in the Tokachi region, and the pork was simply steeped in sugar and soy sauce and then cooked on a grill, creating a charred effect. Although grilling is preferred, my recipe only requires a frying pan, and I can promise you it’s still delicious. Butadon is now a regional dish that Tokachi is extremely proud of; if you ever get a chance to go there, you should definitely try it out!
Keep the pan moving so the glaze doesn’t pool and scorch on one spot. If it does taste bitter, a splash of mirin can mellow the flavor, but burnt aromas won’t disappear—prevention is key.
Professional kitchens rely on charcoal grills and “aged” sauce continuously topped up. At home, you can mimic the effect by briefly torching the finished pork or adding a literal drop or two of liquid smoke if you wanna get adventurous.
I hope you enjoy this Butadon recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Donburi Recipes
- Katsudon (Crispy pork cutlet and steamed egg)
- Gyudon (Thinly sliced beef and onions simmered in a dashi sauce)
- Oyakodon (Delicious pan-fried chicken and steamed egg)
- Tanindon (Japanese Pork and Egg Rice Bowl)
Check out Donburi Recipes Roundup for more Japanese rice bowl recipe ideas!
Tokachi Butadon (Hokkaido Pork Rice Bowl)
Ingredients
- 10 cm Japanese leek (naganegi) white part
- 1 tbsp turbinado sugar or light brown
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 ½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 1 tsp sake
- 1 tsp mirin
- 1 tsp honey
- 300 g slab skinless pork belly or pork shoulder/butt
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 1 tsp potato starch or cornstarch, for light dusting
- 2 tsp cooking oil canola, rice bran, etc.
- 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice
- green peas or edamame (precooked)
- red pickled ginger (benishoga) optional
My recommended brands of ingredients and seasonings can be found in my Japanese pantry guide.
Can’t find certain Japanese ingredients? See my substitution guide here.
Instructions
- Cut 10 cm Japanese leek (naganegi) (white part) horizontally to the core and peel off outer layers.
- Press the layers flat on a cutting board and cut thinly in the same direction as the grain to make strings.
- Place the strings of leek in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes, then drain.
- Measure out 4 tbsp water. Take a saucepan and add 1 tbsp turbinado sugar and about 1/3 of the water. Place the pan on the stove and heat on medium, swirl the pan around occasionally for even heating (avoid mixing).
- Once it turns golden, add the rest of the water and swirl it around. (Be careful of splashing, protect your skin with oven mitts and long sleeves.)
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the 1 ½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 1 tsp sake, 1 tsp mirin and 1 tsp honey.
- Continue to heat until it reaches a thin syrup-like consistency, then turn off the heat and set aside for later.
- Cut 300 g slab skinless pork belly into thick slices about 4-5mm thick (a little less than 1/4 inch).
- Place it in a bowl and add 1 pinch salt and pepper and 1 tsp potato starch. Mix until evenly covered.
- Heat a frying pan on medium-high, once it's hot, add 2 tsp cooking oil. Place the pork slices in the pan (try and keep it to one layer) and fry until golden brown on one side.
- Flip the pork slices and use a piece of kitchen paper to wipe the excess rendered fat out of the pan.
- Pour the sauce all over the pork slices.
- Move the pork around in the caramel sauce and continue to heat until it has thickened and clings to the surface of the pork. Once done, remove from the heat.
- Dish up 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice in serving bowls and arrange the pork slices on top. Garnish with the shiraganegi, green peas (or edamame) and red pickled ginger (benishoga). Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Choose fattier cuts like pork belly, shoulder, or butt for a juicier, beginner-friendly bowl; loin dries out fast without precise timing.
- Stop the caramel at deep amber (≈320 °F / 160 °C); darker syrup turns bitter and masks the glaze’s sweetness.
- You can blowtorch the glazed pork for 10 seconds to mimic charcoal aroma without a grill.
- Storage: cool pork and sauce, store together, keep rice separate; refrigerate within 90 minutes and eat within 48 hours, or freeze uncooked pork plus sauce up to 1 month.
- Serving ideas: Daikon Salad, Mushroom Miso Soup, Pickled Cucumber, Pickled Napa Cabbage.
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