Spicy Pork Belly

If you haven’t noticed, I really love Korean food. I’ve made pork belly tacos, spicy pork bulgogi, braised beef short rib, and I’ve even braised pork belly in a spicy Korean style sauce.

For me, the Korean community has always been a source of many of my friends growing up so I’ve always had an affinity for their culture and food. Growing up in Maryland in the 90’s I was witness to the Korean boom that came to Howard County. As a result, Ellicott City and Howard County have tons of Korean businesses and stores that cater to that community.

Though Koreans and Iranians shouldn’t really have all that much in common culturally, I always found that I shared so many similarities with my Korean friend upbringings than I did with some of my more traditional American friends. Most of my Korean friends were first generation Americans like me or they themselves had come from South Korea at a early age. Moreover, they knew the frustration of not fitting in and the difficulty of having parents who definitely were not accustomed to the American social mores and traditions.

 

The best Korean dish of all (that I’ve tried), in my opinion, is the grilled spicy pork belly dish. Pork belly itself, which if cured becomes bacon, has a rich flavor that lends itself to spicy food. The heat and sweet of the spicy Korean BBQ sauce cuts through the richness of the pork belly to make a unreal combo. This dish is very popular at Korean BBQ restaurants, whenever I go I always order it. Korean BBQ itself lends itself to groups, preparing it the traditional way provides you with a communal experience that just begs you to include your friends and or family. Or nobody if you’re like me and you don’t want to share this delicious stuff with anyone.

Grocery stores are starting to sell pork belly in their meat aisles, but if you can’t find it at your local grocery store, I would advise you go to a Korean or international grocery store (if you have one near by).

 

 

 

Recipe –

Ingredients

One Package of Sliced Pork Belly (Probably about a pound)

Marinade

1 Asian Pear

1 Tbsp. Grated Fresh Ginger

1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

2 Tsp. Fish Sauce

2 Tsp. Soy Bean Paste

(Depending on your spice preference) 1 Tbsp. Gochujang Red Pepper Paste

1/8 Cup of Mirin

2 Tbsp. Rice Wine Vinegar

OR

1/2 Cup of Korean Spicy Pork BBQ Sauce*

1 Cup of Water

Method

Step 1- Mix all the marinade ingredients together, save about half of it in a separate container.

Step 2- In a large bowl mix the remaining marinade ingredients with the pork. Allow to marinate for a few hours, best if overnight.

Step 3- Pre-heat your oven to 400F.

Step 4- In a large non-stick pan that heat about 1 tbsp. of peanut oil, once it’s hot, add your pork bellies.

Step 5- Allow both sides of the pork bellies to brown (beware of burning, to circumvent this add the cup of water in dashes to prevent the bellies from burning)

Step 6- Once the pork bellies have browned on each side, place on a flat baking sheet in the oven, and allow them to cook through in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 7 – In a saucepan, heat the remaining parts of your marinade (not the parts you used with your meat obviously). *If you’re using the store bought sauce you can skip this step.*

Step 8 – Remove the pork bellies from the oven and toss in the sauce and enjoy!