Quick barbecued pork belly

Quick barbecued pork belly with spiced vinegar by Adam Liaw

Easy
Gluten-free
Less than 30 mins
Serves 4

Ask any Filipino or Filipina about "liempo" and you'll get an almost primal reaction. It's one of the country's favourite comfort foods, and with good reason. I like to leave the slightly chewy skin on the pork belly but you can remove it if you prefer.

1kg pork belly, cut into 1cm strips
125ml (½ cup) light soy sauce
60ml (¼ cup) lime juice
60ml (¼ cup) white vinegar
55g (¼ cup) brown sugar
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ tsp ground black pepper
125ml (½ cup) water
60ml (¼ cup) tomato sauce (check gluten-free, if required)
60ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
mint leaves, to serve

Spiced vinegar
60ml (¼ cup) white vinegar
2 tbsp lime juice
½ small red onion, finely minced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 bird's eye chillies, finely sliced

¼ tsp salt
½ tsp light soy sauce
½ tsp sugar

1. Place the pork belly strips in a large press-seal bag with the soy sauce, lime juice, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, pepper, and water. Mix well and refrigerate overnight.
2. Remove the pork belly from the bag and transfer the reserved marinade to a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and mix in the tomato sauce and vegetable oil.
3. For the spiced vinegar, combine all the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl or jar and mix well to dissolve the salt and sugar. Allow to stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.
4. Heat a barbecue grill or frypan over medium heat and grill the pork belly for about 2 minutes on each side. Baste with the marinade mixture and grill for a further 2–3 minutes or until darkly caramelised. Top with mint leaves and serve with the spiced vinegar.


Recipes extracted from Good Food New Classics, edited by Ardyn Bernoth, published by Simon & Schuster Australia, RRP $39.99.
Photography © William Meppem Food stylist © Hannah Meppem