Korean Spicy Pork Belly

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This easy Korean Spicy Pork Belly is so delicious and can be cooked on a grill or in a hot pan for the perfect Korean BBQ meal at home!

Prep Time1

Cook Time5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Ingredients

3 lbs thick cut pork belly cut to 4" long pieces
1 korean pear peeled and cubed with seeds removed
1/2 yellow onion
2 scallion
8 cloves garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin can sub brown sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp gochujang
2 tbsp gochugaru

Instructions

Add the korean pear, onion, scallion, garlic, ginger and green onion to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth then add to a large mixing bowl. Combine with soy sauce, mirin, black pepper, sesame oil, gochujang and gochugaru then mix until combined.
Note - if you are grilling the pork belly over open grates, you can skip straining the marinade before adding the pork belly. If you are cooking the pork belly in a pan, make sure to strain the marinade before adding the pork belly.
Add the pork belly mix well until coated in the marinade. Cover and marinate overnight or for up to 24 hours.
Grill or cook on a hot pan for 3-4 minutes until nicely charred on both sides and the internal temperature reaches 145F.
Serve with lettuce, rice, ssamjang, and kimchi as a Ssam for the perfect bite!

Notes

I recommend getting thick cut pork belly slices from your local Asian grocery or butcher. The pork belly should be roughly 1/2" thick. You don't want the pork belly to be too lean, otherwise the meat will be dry - try to get pork belly that has fat evenly distributed throughout the slices.

Korean pear is the secret to this marinade. Korean Pears (sometimes labeled as Asian Pears or Apple Pear) contain an enzyme called Calpain that helps tenderize the meat. The natural sweetness of the pear also adds to the layers of flavor and cuts through the fattyness of the pork belly.

If you are grilling the pork belly, you can skip straining the marinade to remove the pulp, as the pulp will cook off over the grates. If you are cooking the pork belly in a pan, I would strain the marinade in a cheesecloth to avoid having pulp in the final dish.

Store any leftover cooked Korean Spicy Pork Belly in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat quickly in the microwave.

If you want to make this ahead of time, you can marinate the pork belly 24-48 hours in advance - keep it stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. When ready to cook, pull the pork belly out and resume step #3.

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