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: 4–6
Prep Time
15 minutes
+ 8 hours resting
+ 8 hours resting
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
8 hours 35 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 ml) white vinegar
- 3–4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- 2–3 Thai chile peppers, chopped
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp (1.25 ml) salt
- Juice of 2 large lemons (about ½ cup/120 ml)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) fish sauce
- 1 head garlic, peeled and minced
- 1–2 Thai chile peppers, minced
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) brown sugar
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) ground black pepper
- 2 lbs (907 g) pork belly, cut into ½-inch (1½-cm) thick strips
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil
Directions
- Whisk together vinegar, garlic, onion, chile peppers, black pepper, and salt in a small bowl until well combined.
- Combine lemon juice, fish sauce, garlic, chile peppers, brown sugar, salt, and black 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 8–12 hours, turning bag once or twice to distribute marinade.
- Drain pork, reserving 1 cup (240 ml) of marinade.
- Pour reserved marinade into a saucepan, bring to a boil, and cook for 3–5 minutes.
- Pour boiled marinade into a small bowl and stir in oyster sauce and vegetable oil to create a basting sauce.
- Preheat grill and grease grill grate.
- Arrange pork in a single layer on grate and grill for about 2–3 minutes on each side.
- Brush meat with basting sauce regularly when it begins to lose its pink color.
- Continue grilling for 4–5 minutes on each side, or until pork is cooked through.
- Remove pork from grill and cut it into serving pieces.
- Serve liempo with spiced vinegar dip on the side.
For Spiced Vinegar Dip:
For Pork:
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