I made this Korean style marinade forever ago and finally decided to make it again for Jake and I. It’s Korean style pork belly and who doesn’t love that? The marinade is incredibly flavorful and surprisingly uses grated pears in the mix for added sweetness. I saw a video by Judy Joo that used this marinade but it was used on beef short ribs and instead I put it on pork belly.
I cooked the Korean style pork belly two ways – pan fried and in the oven. Above is the oven method. I put it on a rack so the pork belly dripping would fall into the pan. The marinade also drips off a bit and burns a little and I didn’t want that on the pork belly itself.
Here’s the pork belly after it’s been pan fried.
And this is the pork belly after it was cooked in the oven. It got some char on the edges. If I could have a grill in my apartment, I would have grilled these. So if you have a grill, please do that!
It doesn’t matter which way you do it, I think both methods are fantastic since the Korean style pork belly tastes amazing either way. BUT… Jake preferred the pan fry method and I slightly preferred the oven method.
Hope you try this one out – it’s so good!
Korean Style Pork Belly
Ingredients
1 lb pork belly, sliced
4 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos (I used a combination)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon ground ginger (or 2 teaspoons fresh ginger)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped
2 pears, washed and grated on a box grater (I did not peel them)
Directions
1. If you got a slab of pork belly, be sure to partially freeze it and then slice it. Freezing it will make it easier to cut. Cut slices so they are about ¼” thick.
2. Add pork into a resealable plastic bag.
3. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl and then pour it over the meat. Massage the marinade into the meat well. Let it chill in the fridge for a few hours – though 1 to 2 days is best (flip the bag over from time to time if marinating for multiple days).
Pan fry method:
Heat a fry pan until very hot over medium high heat. Add a splash of oil to the pan. Shake off any excess marinade from the meat and place into the pan. Add only one layer of meat (do not overcrowd the pan) and cook about 4-5 minutes each side until browned on both sides.
Oven method:
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare a cookie sheet or baking pan. Line with foil or a silpat mat. Place a cooling rack or grid on top of the baking pan. Shake off excess marinade and place pork belly slices on the rack. Bake for 13-15 minutes.
Flip the slices and cook for another 13-15 minutes until browned on both sides.
