Recipe of the Week: Bulgogi Marinated Pork Belly

Bulgogi, translated from Korean as “fire meat”, is a dish of thin strips of meat, commonly tender beef, that have been marinated and cooked over a high heated grill or pan. In this recipe, we use thin strips of pork belly that char beautifully on a grill. Serve with steamed rice and kim chi.

Serves 6

Ingredients

3 lbs pork belly, skinless, sliced thinly

Bulgogi Marinade

1 tbsp ginger, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup onion, diced
1 small pear, peeled, seeded, and chopped
4 pieces green onion, sliced thinly
½ cup gochujang (fermented chili paste, available at most grocers)
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar, unseasoned
1 tbsp soy sauce
1.5 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground black pepper

Method

1) Make the marinade. In a blender, puree the ginger, garlic, onion, pear, and green onion until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until combined.

2) Rub the marinade all over the pork belly (reserve the remaining marinade for up to three weeks in your fridge) and marinade for 1 hour.

3) Set your grill to high, with a cool area. Working in batches, grill the strips of pork belly until slightly charred on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Move to the cooler side of the grill and continue with the remaining pork belly strips until they are all cooked. Serve immediately with a side dish of your choice.