This recipe would do very well with a low and very slow cooking time, but today we’re focusing on a quick sear to caramelize the thick-cut pork belly and finishing with a shorter smoke. The Northwest Blend Smoking Chips give a noticeable sweetness that compliments the spicy kick from the marinade, rounding out the buttery, fatty goodness from the pork belly. Serve with lettuce wraps and ssamjang (Korean fermented dipping sauce) for the ultimate balanced bite of freshness, decadence, and umami.
Total Time: 2 ½ hours plus overnight marinating time
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 1½ lb. thick-cut Pork Belly, skin off
- 2 Tbsp Gochujang
- 1 Tbsp Gochugaru
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 4 Garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tsp Ginger, grated
- About 2 cups Northwest Blend Smoking Chips
Chef's Tip
You can use thinner slices of pork belly for this recipe. The flavor will be more intense and cooking time shorter. Make sure to check on the strips more often so they don’t overcook and become gummy.
Directions:
- Combine gochujang, gochugaru, sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, grated garlic cloves, and grated ginger together. Pour over the pork belly and marinate overnight.
- About 30 minutes before you grill, soak the chips in water. Light your charcoal briquettes. Coals will be ready when starting to ash. Create a “hot zone” and “cool zone” in your grill pushing most of the coals on one side.
- Sear the pork belly in a hot zone for 2 minutes on each side. Be careful of flareups from the fat dripping. Move the pieces to the cooler zone.
- Add the smoking chips to the edge of the coals, and close the lid. Cook until the internal temperature of the pork belly is at 165˚F, about 40 min.
- Let the pork belly rest for about 10 minutes. Slice into ½ inch pieces. Serve with lettuce, green onion salad, and ssamjang.
*Keep a spray bottle of water handy in case of flare-ups.
Used in this recipe:
