Philippines Inihaw na Liempo (Grilled Pork Belly)
Liempo is a Philippine favorite that is served both for special occasions and everyday fare. It is customarily part of a hearty lunch or dinner, but your friends will thank you if you prepare it as pulutan (a snack eaten while drinking alcohol with friends). The recipe itself is quite simple, though it does require a bit of advance planning so the pork can marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Recipe Servings: Serves 4–6
Prep Time
15 minutes
+ 12 hours resting
+ 12 hours resting
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
12 hours 35 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
Pork:- Juice of 2 large lemons (about 1/2 cup/120 ml)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) fish sauce
- 1 head garlic, peeled and minced
- 1–2 thai chili peppers, minced
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) brown sugar
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) pepper
- 2 lb (907 g) pork belly, cut into 1/2-inch (1.5-cm) thick strips
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) oyster sauce
- 1 cup (240 ml) white vinegar
- 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 2–3 thai chili peppers, chopped
- Pinch of freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 tsp (1.25 ml) salt
Directions
- Combine lemon juice, fish sauce, garlic, chili peppers, brown sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Stir well until sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Add pork to the bowl and massage marinade into meat. Transfer pork and marinade to a plastic bag and refrigerate overnight (as long as 12 hours), turning bag once or twice to distribute marinade.
- Drain marinade from pork, reserving 1 cup (240 ml) of marinade.
- Pour reserved marinade into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 3–5 minutes.
- In the meantime, make spiced vinegar dip by combining vinegar, garlic, onion, chili peppers, pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Stir to combine thoroughly.
- To make basting sauce for the pork, pour boiled marinade into a small bowl and add oyster sauce and oil. Mix to combine.
- Heat grill and lightly oil it. Arrange pork in a single layer and grill for about 2–3 minutes on each side. When pork begins to lose its pink color, brush with basting sauce regularly.
- Continue to grill for 4–5 minutes on each side, or until pork is cooked through.
- Remove pork from grill and cut into serving pieces.
- Serve with spiced vinegar dip.
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