Inihaw Na Liempo
Inihaw na liempo is Filipino dish that I can guarantee that so many Filipinos can confirm to be the most delicious meal after a swim. There is no debate about that, because no matter how hot it is outside or tired I may be, I am immediately craving that grilled, juicy, tender, sweet, and savory pork belly. It is a dish that lives close to my heart as it always meant that our family was going to have a good time eating delicious food and downing it with orange soda. I hope you can share this recipe with your family especially after a swim.
When I ever my family visits the Philippines, we would find ways to combat the heat and humidity. The best way was to go for a swim. It didn’t matter if it was a pool, a river, or the ocean, we would already had our swimming trunks ready. Inihaw na liempo was the only thing that got me and my relatives out of the water. I don’t know it was the smell, the smoke, the hunger, or the heat. All I knew was that I was going to fill my stomach with some of the most delicious grilled pork belly.
Ingredients
Pork is easily one of the most consumed protein in the Philippines and it is no surprised that there are so many Filipino dishes around it. Inihaw na liempo is the perfect dish that highlights the juicy and tender meat of pork belly. Pork belly is perfect for grilling as it has a mix of protein and fat. The juices from the fat adds flavor to the mix of seasonings in the marinade! In this recipe, the pork belly is sliced into strips so it can be thoroughly coated in the marinade.
Marinade Mix
The ingredients for the marinade is a mixture of sweet and savory flavors from the soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, banana ketchup, calamansi, 7up, and oil. The sweetness in this recipe is from the brown sugar, but the most important sweet factor is the banana ketchup. Banana ketchup is a must for this recipe as it provides not only the sweet, but it also tenderizes the meat. Another tenderizer is in the calamansi and the 7up. Both are acidic in nature and are perfect for adding a tangy twist to this dish. Even though sweetness has been established, the brown sugar is added to further brown the meat through caramelization. Black pepper is added to round out the overall sweet and savor flavors in the marinade. Onion and garlic is primarily added for aroma. Once you have mix everything, store in fridge for at least 30 minutes. I recommend marinating it overnight.
Basting Mix
Similar to the marinade mix, you will just add the same amount of soy sauce, brown sugar, calamansi, banana ketchup, and oil. This should be enough to baste the amount of pork in this recipe. If you feel like you may need to add more, feel free to do so. When you are basting, baste towards the end of the cooking time of each strip of marinated pork belly.
Grilling
The best way to cook the marinated pork belly is to grill over charcoal. Charcoal adds a smoky flavor with bits of burnt texture to the pork belly. Of course, you can always cook it in the oven. Set the oven to broil so you can cook on each side and baste (See notes). Once it is completely cooked, chop the strip into small bits and serve with your choice of sawsawan (See notes).
Inihaw Na Liempo
Ingredients
Marinade Mix
- 2 lbs pork belly strips
- 1/2 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp banana ketchup
- 1 tsp calamansi
- 2 cups 7up
- 1 tbsp oil
Basting Sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp calamansi
- 2 tbsp banana ketchup
- 1 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients such as the pork belly if it is not sliced into strips, slice the onion, and mince the garlic.
- In a mixing bowl, add the all the ingredients together. Mix thoroughly. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes. (See note)
- Prepare the basting sauce and mix thoroughly.
- Then start grilling for 2-3 minutes and flip onto the other side and grill for 2-3 minutes. (see note)
- After, baste the pork and girl for 3-4 more minutes and repeat the process for the other side.
- Chop it into pieces and enjoy with a size of hot rice and sawsawan (soy sauce and spicy vinegar).
Video
Notes
- It is highly recommended to marinate the pork overnight for maximum flavors.
- Grilling over charcoal gives it that smoky flavor that accentuate the the flavors of the pork.
- If you plan to broil the pork belly in the oven, set the oven to broil for 5-6 minutes on each side. Cook until the meat is tender. Make sure to be careful about leaving it for too long as it can burn the surface of the pork belly.
- For the dipping sauce, my go-to recipe has to be a mix of spicy vinegar, soy sauce, diced shallots, minced garlic, and one whole siling labuyo (minced if you want the sauce to be more spicy).
