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Japanese Pork Bowl (Butadon)

Updated: 05.22.25 | Marc Matsumoto | 21 Comments

4.79 from 14 votes
With thick slices of rich pork enrobed in a caramelized sweet and savory sauce over a bed of rice, Tokachi-style Butadon is a mouthwatering Japanese pork bowl that can be made at home with this easy to follow recipe.
Recipe Video
Make this mouthwatering Japanese pork bowl with smoky grilled pork with this easy Tokachi Butadon Recipe.

Tokachi Butadon (Japanese Pork Bowl)

Created in the city of Obihiro, which is in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido, Tokachi Butadon(十勝豚丼), is a hearty grilled pork bowl that was initially created as a satisfying meal for hungry farmers. Much like unagi, the pork for this Butadon is traditionally made by grilling and glazing thick slices of fatty pork with a sweet and savory sauce. For my version, I've adapted the recipe so that you can make this classic Japanese Pork Bowl without a grill while still getting the caramelized glaze and smoky char-grilled flavor. 

Jump to:
  • Tokachi Butadon (Japanese Pork Bowl)
  • Why This Recipe Works
  • Ingredients for Japanese Pork Bowl
  • How to Make Japanese Pork Bowl
  • Other Rice Bowl Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Comments

Why This Recipe Works

  • The pork is first seared in a pan. This not only cooks the pork through, but it also evaporates moisture around the surface of the pork, which helps the sauce to adhere to it.  
  • By cooking the sauce to a temperature of 230 degrees F (110 C), most of the water has burned off, and the sugars have started to caramelize. This makes the glaze thick enough to coat the pork in a thick layer in one go, so you don't have to baste it repeatedly. 
  • Using a kitchen torch to finish off this Japanese pork recipe caramelizes the Butadon sauce around the meat's exterior while slightly charring the edges. This gives the pork a crisp texture around the edges while lending a smoky flavor that you can't get using a pan alone. 
Tokachi Butadon is an easy grilled Japanese pork bowl serve on a bed of rice.

Ingredients for Japanese Pork Bowl

  • Rice - This wouldn't be a donburi without the rice, and the rice used in Japan is short-grain. It has a higher ratio of amylopectin to amylose, which gives it a soft, sticky texture that compliments the sweet and savory grilled pork. 
  • Pork - Due to the high temperatures involved and the two-stage cooking process, it's essential to use a cut of pork with a high fat content. Otherwise, the meat will get dried out and chewy by the time you have the right amount of caramelization on the outside. Many Japanese pork recipes call for pork belly, and it's my favorite for Tokachi Butadon, but a well-marbled pork shoulder will work as well.  
  • Sake - Contrary to popular belief, the role of sake here is not to add alcohol, but rather to impart umami into the sauce (otherwise, you just have sweet soy sauce. You can read more about cooking with sake here). The fermentation process the rice undergoes to make sake produces a high concentration of amino acids (such as glutamate), which creates the taste of umami. Other fermented beverages such as wine and beer contain some amino acids, but they're at a lower concentration. Also, both of these beverages have other flavors and tastes (such as tartness and bitterness) that will throw off the taste of your sauce. If you're concerned about the alcohol content of the sauce, you don't have to worry. Ethanol turns to vapor at 78 degrees C. The sauce gets cooked to 110 degrees C, so the alcohol will have burned off by the time you eat it. 
  • Soy sauce - There's no need to get fancy here. I just used regular Kikkoman. That being said, the formulation of Kikkoman for the Japanese market and foreign markets is apparently different, so if you can find it, I recommend getting the imported stuff from Japan.
  • Mirin - I've long avoided using mirin in my recipes because most of the mirin available outside of Japan is fake. It's cheap alcohol with flavorings, corn syrup, and MSG. However, if you can get real mirin, it adds a beautiful depth of flavor and mellow sweetness to the Butadon sauce. How do you tell if your mirin is real or not? Check the ingredients. Real mirin should not contain any salt, sugar, corn syrup, flavorings, colorings, or MSG. That being said, if you can't find mirin, you can make a suitable substitute by mixing 2 parts Shaoxing wine or sake with 1 part sugar.
  • Sugar - I like using unrefined evaporated cane sugar butadon recipe because it lends some caramel and molasses notes. You can also use light brown sugar. 
  • Garnish - These pork bowls are typically garnished with green peas, edamame, or shiraganegi (the white part of welsh onions shredded into thin strings). I prefer using scallions because they add a pop of color while imparting a nice fresh flavor to the fatty pork.
Tokachi Butadon is a grilled Japanese pork bowl glazed with caramelized soy sauce.

How to Make Japanese Pork Bowl

The first thing you want to do is cook some Japanese short-grain rice. I have a tutorial for cooking perfect Japanese short-grain rice here. It covers a lot of information about rice, and includes a method for cooking it on the stove that will yield perfect results every time.

Next, you want to make the Butadon sauce for the pork bowl. Add the sake, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and a smashed clove of garlic to a pot and bring this to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a low boil, but keep a close eye on it so that it doesn't boil over. The sauce is done when it's the consistency of maple syrup, and it hits a temperature of 230 degrees F (110 C). 

For the pork, slice it into ¼-inch thick pieces against the grain, and sprinkle it evenly with salt. 

Get a frying pan nice and hot over medium-high heat and add the pork in a single layer. If you're using pork belly, you'll want to flip it over every few seconds to keep it from curling, but for other cuts of pork, you can let it brown on one side before flipping it. 

Once the pork is cooked through and lightly browned on both sides, transfer it to a plate. Repeat this process if needed until you've cooked all of the pork. 

Remove the pan from the heat and drain off the oil. Use paper towels to soak up any remaining oil in the pan. This is important as the oil not only adds unnecessary fat, it can also prevent the glaze from sticking to the pork. 

Put the pan back on the heat and add ¼ cup of the Butadon sauce to the pan. Return the pork to the pan, and flip the pieces over repeatedly until they're well glazed. 

Set a wire rack on a flame-proof tray and transfer the pork onto the rack. 

Use a kitchen-torch to torch one side of the pork until the glaze is caramelized, and the pork is lightly charred around the edges. 

To assemble the pork bowl, split the cooked rice between two bowls and drizzle a few spoonfuls of sauce over the rice. 

Arrange the grilled pork on top of the rice and garnish your Butadon with chopped scallions. 

Other Rice Bowl Recipes

  • Oyakodon (chicken and egg bowl)
  • Gyudon (beef and onion bowl)
  • Chicken Katsudon (chicken cutlet bowl)
  • Tanindon (beef and egg bowl)
  • Kakuni (Japanese Braised Pork Belly)
What is Tokachi Butadon?

Tokachi Butadon(十勝豚丼) literally means "Tokachi-style pork bowl," and the name is a reference to the region in central Hokkaido where the dish originated. It was created by a shop named Panchou in the city of Obihiro in the 1930s as a hearty meal to help farm laborers power through the day. 

Inspired by unagi donburi, the shop owner wanted to make a high-energy meal for his customers, but unagi was not available locally at the time. Instead, he substituted a similarly rich cut of pork and grilled and glazed it in a savory-sweet sauce before serving it over a bowl of rice.

Until 2003, this grilled pork bowl was the standard-bearer for Butadon in Japan, but the BSE related ban on US beef imports that year caused national gyudon chains to start using pork instead of beef in their rice bowls. Since these were made using paper-thin slices of pork simmered with broth and onions, it was a dramatically different dish. To differentiate them, the original grilled style of Butadon was renamed after the region from which it came.

How do you pronounce Tokachi Butadon?

To-ka-chi Bu-ta-don has six syllables, and each one is pronounced as follows:

to like toad
ka like copy
chi like cheek
bu like boo
ta like top
don like donut, not “dawn”

What's the best cut of pork to use for this pork bowl?

The tastiest is pork belly because it holds up to the high temperature cooking the best; however, a whole bowl of pork belly can get a little heavy. That's why I usually go half and half with pork belly, and another well-marbled cut, such as pork shoulder. 

Can I use other types of meat to make Butadon?

You could use this sauce and method to make a rice bowl from other types of meat with a high fat content such as skin-on chicken thigh and well-marbled beef. That being said, you couldn't call it Butadon, since there's no pork in it.

Can I finish the pork in a broiler?

If you put the rack to the top position, you can get similar caramelization and browning. The problem is the amount of time it takes to get the browning. A torch will caramelize and brown almost instantly, while it will take a minute or more to get a similar result in the broiler. Since the pork is already fully cooked, this extra time can make it tough. For those of you thinking you could get around this by cooking the pork less in the pan, this won't work because the higher moisture content of the partially cooked pork will cause the glaze to loosen, and it won't adhere properly.

📖 Recipe

Tokachi Butadon is an easy grilled Japanese pork bowl serve on a bed of rice.

Japanese Pork Bowl (Tokachi Butadon)

By: Marc Matsumoto
4.79 from 14 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 15 minutes mins
Yield 2 servings
YouTube video

Equipment

12-inch Non-stick Frying Pan
12-inch Non-stick Frying Pan
cooling rack
cooling rack
Butane Torch
Butane Torch
Instant Read Thermometer

Units

Ingredients 

Butadon Sauce

  • ½ cup sake
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ⅓ cup mirin
  • 40 grams evaporated cane sugar (~¼ cup light brown sugar)
  • 1 large clove garlic (smashed)

Butadon

  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 450 grams pork belly
  • 1 scallion (green parts chopped for garnish)
  • 2 servings cooked short-grain rice

Instructions

  • Add the soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, and smashed clove of garlic to a pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to keep the pot from boiling over, and cook the sauce until the bubbles become big and glossy and the sauce has reached a temperature of 230 degrees F.
    Making butadon sauce.
  • Sprinkle the pork evenly with the salt.
    Salting pork belly and pork shoulder slices.
  • Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat until very hot and then add the pork in a single layer (you may need to do this in batches). Fry until the pork has slightly browned on one side, and then flip it over and fry the second side.
  • Transfer the pork to a plate and repeat until all of the pork has been fried.
    Pan frying pork belly for making Japanese butadon.
  • Wipe out the oil from the pan after the last of the pork has been fried.
    Wiping out the oil from the pan before glazing the pork.
  • Add ¼ cup of the sauce to the pan and reduce until the sauce is very thick and viscous and then return the pork to the pan. Flip the meat around several times until it is glazed with the sauce.
    Glazing pork belly for Butadon.
  • Transfer the pork to a wire rack set over a heat-proof tray. Use a kitchen torch to brown the glaze and meat until it is lightly charred around the edges.
    Torching pork belly for making Japanese Pork Rice Bowl.
  • To assemble the pork bowls, add a portion of rice to two large bowls. Drizzle a tablespoon or two of sauce around the rice. Arrange the grilled pork on top of the rice. Garnish with scallions.
    Grilled Japanese Pork Belly on a bowl of rice.
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Nutrition Facts

Calories • 1410kcalCarbohydrates • 44gProtein • 28gFat • 119gSaturated Fat • 44gCholesterol • 162mgSodium • 3906mgPotassium • 539mgFiber • 1gSugar • 30gVitamin A • 60IUVitamin C • 2mgCalcium • 23mgIron • 3mg

Comments

    4.79 from 14 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Aoki says

    July 19, 2024 at 12:08 pm

    5 stars
    This was an excellent recipe. I didn't have a torch so I put the meat under the broiler... be careful, it only needs a little time under the broiler! Watch every second. I used the meat I had which was thin pork belly (not a good choice) and pork loin (better!). THank you for this marvelous recipe. Would chicken or beef work too?

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      July 19, 2024 at 9:51 pm

      Hi Aoki, This does work a little better with slightly thicker pork but I'm glad you were able to find a cut that works for you. Thank you for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed this!

      Reply
  2. Raisins says

    March 19, 2024 at 9:35 pm

    Hi Marc

    Thank you for this lovely recipe, I wonder if it would be the same outcome if I marinate the pork and the sauce and freeze for easy meal prep?

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      March 20, 2024 at 9:23 am

      You're welcome! I wouldn't recommend it with regular pork because home freezers freeze food so slowly it causes ice crystals to develop (which gives meat a spongy texture). Pork belly will work better because of the high fat content.

      Reply
  3. Kay Pea says

    August 24, 2023 at 1:47 pm

    5 stars
    I had a pork butt thawed in the fridge that I had planned to grill, but the weather has been terrible outside. I came across this recipe and decided to give it a try.

    I don't know how I managed to miss that there is no oil needed on the pan, because I wound up frying my pork slices in bacon fat. I think that made the dish a little too salty. Clearly my fault and not the recipe's fault.

    My slices were definitely not as pretty and even as yours, but the flavor of the dish was out of this world. It came together in a short amount of time, too! I was too hungry and skipped the blowtorch part, but I will definitely do that next time!

    Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us!

    Reply
    • Marc says

      August 24, 2023 at 11:04 pm

      Pork butt doesn't have as much fat as pork belly so I think you'd need a little oil/fat in the pan to get things started, but bacon fat could definitely make this too salty. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it anyway! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!

      Reply
  4. Veronica says

    January 10, 2022 at 9:16 am

    5 stars
    Yummy!

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      January 10, 2022 at 1:20 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
  5. Taylor says

    November 04, 2021 at 12:33 am

    Hi, this is probably a very silly question but for the "Japanese short-grain rice" is it okay to use Nishiki brand Medium Grain Rice? It gets very sticky and I don't know if that is the right texture for this recipe? Many thanks!

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      November 04, 2021 at 8:49 am

      Hi Taylor, that's not a silly question at all. The short answer is yes it will work. The difference between short grain rice and long grain rice (other than their shape), is that they contain different ratios of the two starches: amylose and amylopectin. Due to the different structures of these starches, having more amylopectin results in rice that is more sticky and pliable while having more amylose results in more brittle rice that's not very sticky. Short grain rice has more amylopectin which is why it is sticky, and long grain rice contains more amylose. Japanese food is always served with short grain rice because historically this is the type of rice that grew best in Japan. Medium grain varietals such as the one Nishiki brand uses grow best in the US, they contain a ratio of amylose to amylopectin that's somewhere in between short grain and long grain. Medium grain rice is not very popular in Japan because they don't have the same level of stickiness and pliability as short grain rice, but that's what I used when I was living in the US, and it will work fine.

      Reply
      • Taylor says

        November 05, 2021 at 10:39 pm

        Thank you so much for the super informative response!

        Reply
  6. Vil says

    July 31, 2021 at 6:24 pm

    5 stars
    I made this for my family just a few hours ago. It was loved by everyone including myself. Chopping up some green onion and pickled red ginger on top is so good its Required, as well as searing the pork Very well. It gives great flavor. For special occasions or nights when you have a whole bottle of sake left over from making this. Its just amazing. But don't eat it too often because its Very rich, and very indulgent.

    (note: Please use Good Japanese rice like Nishiki for this. the rice is half of the dish and anything but a quality Japanese rice drags the whole dish down a lot.)

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      August 01, 2021 at 10:01 pm

      Hi Vil, I'm glad to hear you and your family enjoyed this! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and let me know!

      Reply
  7. Jason says

    November 13, 2020 at 11:40 am

    5 stars
    I made the butadon yesterday. It is very tasty and I will be making it again. I really enjoyed the combination of the sauce and the onion and ginger.
    Thanks again for the great recipes.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      November 13, 2020 at 12:16 pm

      Hi Jason, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  8. tei says

    September 18, 2020 at 1:50 am

    You may want to add that one should put some oil on the pan to fry the pork.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      September 18, 2020 at 9:55 am

      Hi Tei, if your pan is hot enough you should not need to add any oil as the pork belly will render out a lot of fat.

      Reply
  9. Dan says

    September 17, 2020 at 7:28 pm

    Good representation of the local butadon here in Obihiro. I might suggest a little Japanese Sansho if you have it. A touch in the sauce and a pinch on the finished product. It cuts the oiliness of the pork beautifully with a little added zing.

    Most locals probably go for sliced pork loin in this dish, although pork belly is a delicious alternative on just about all menus around here.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      September 18, 2020 at 12:06 am

      Hi Dan, good call on the Sansho, makes sense given how well it goes with unagi!

      Reply
  10. Fabio says

    September 15, 2020 at 8:29 pm

    Finally, that's a real reason for me to buy a blowtorch! 🙂
    May I ask in which other recipes you would recommend the use of Mirin? Some years ago, it took me a while to find it, but now in Vienna (Austria) it's quite readily available in specialised supermarkets. Thank you for explaining what ingredient list to look out for!

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      September 15, 2020 at 10:34 pm

      Hi Fabio, depending on who you ask, mirin is a pillar ingredient in Japanese cuisine (along with sake, soy sauce, miso, and dashi). It definitely adds a little something if you can get the real stuff, but since most of the "mirin" on the market is just flavored alcohol, I have generally just used a combination of sake and sugar. That's why I've cut mirin from most of my recipes, but any Japanese recipe you see which includes sugar, you could add some mirin too (and reduce the amount of sugar accordingly).

      Reply
Marc Matsumoto

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