This is my favorite way to prepare pork belly- the fat renders and the pork is super tender. It’s great on rice, in Korean tacos, or on a bun as a slider. Note on grilling: because the pork is so fatty, the grilling has a high difficulty level due to all the flare ups. Keep calm and carry on- it’s worth it. Or broil it instead, which is easier.
Helen
- 3-4 pounds whole pork belly
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon ground pepper
Sauce:
- 1/2 cup gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and pepper both sides of the pork belly. Double wrap in tin foil, making sure to enclose the pork entirely so no juices escape. Place in the pan of your broiler pan and leave to season and come to room temperature – about 1 hour (alternately, refrigerate overnight).
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Roast pork belly in oven for 2 hours. Remove from oven and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate, still fully wrapped overnight.
Whisk sauce ingredients together.
Remove pork from foil. Slice into 1/4″ slices.
Broil: Place pork belly slices in a single layer on broiler rack. Broil on high for 5 minutes, until the slices are nicely browned and crispy. Flip slices over and repeat browning for 5 minutes other side. Brush the tops of each slice with the prepared sauce and broil again for 5 minutes or until the sauce has caramelized. Flip over, brush the other side with sauce and broil for another 5 minutes.
Grill: Grill on medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes per side, until dark brown. Brush the top of each slice with the prepared sauce, flip over and grill for 5 minutes. Brush the other side with the sauce, flip over and grill for another 5-10 minutes until and crispy and you want to eat it.
Serve with any remaining sauce.
Spencer Family Cookbook 