Korean BBQ seems to be the one dish that most non-Korean people will recognize. Some will claim to even love it! Who wouldn’t love the deliciously grilled slabs of pork belly and sweet bulgogi beef cooked perfectly by the waiters who surround our tables and flip and cut the meats for us on to our plates?
It’s always fun to meet with friends at these restaurants and spend a long dinner chowing down on the different types of meats while downing a few shots of soju until we eat too much that we lose our feeling in our tummies. Well, maybe to that extreme it’s just me. With our recent move to Boston, this has become harder. Boston (and Cambridge) overall is really lacking in the Korean food scene. There are a few restaurants in the area but even fewer that are worthwhile. (Once, my husband had an almost-frozen strip of pork belly brought to the table to be grilled. He was with a group of non-Koreans and was embarrassed into this introduction of Korean food. Shame on you, restaurant!)
What this does mean is that we bring Korean BBQ home! We have our own stove top burner ( as many Koreans do) and we enjoy our meats at our own leisure. The only major downside is the smell. It smells delicious the first 2 hours but when you’re stuffed, and want to go to bed, the pleasantness of the smell fades and it can mean burning a lot of candles with the window open.
So! On to today’s recipe. What can make delicious Korean pork belly without the massive amount of smoke? Oven roasted pork belly! At times, I like it simple with just salt and pepper seasoning. But there are times in life when you want to bring it up a notch. This recipe is still very simple but the addition of the light sauce caramelizing the outside of the pork belly with a sweet and salty touch really helps to level up the dish. And everything is done in the oven so no smoke issues.
| Servings |
2 people
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- 1.3 lb(600 g) pork belly
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 3 Tbsp mirin
- 1 Tbsp sweetener rice syrup or honey
Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients
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- Add the sauce ingredients together in a large bowl and mix well.
- Place the pork belly in the large bowl. Flip the meat around the sauce a few times and marinate. It’s best to marinate overnight or for the day. If you are rushed, 30 minutes should work as well.
- Preheat the oven to 350. Place parchment paper or a wire rack on to a sheet pan. (The wire rack will allow the fat to drop out if desired. For a crisper and more caramelized skin, I recommend skipping the wire rack and roasting directly on the parchment paper).
- Bake for 30 minutes. Flip over and bake for about 15 more minutes. Begin to check around then and it may need to roast for another few minutes depending on the thickness of the meat.
- When the pork is slighty caramelized on the outside and cooked through, take out the pan from the oven. Slice and serve! (I like yo enjoy with a bowl of hot white rice and some kimchi)
I can’t wait to try this.
One question, you say after flipping and continuing to cook for 15 more minutes to check the pork. What am I looking for to tell me it is done? Do I insert a meat thermometer or a look on the outside of the meat? What are my clues?
Thank you for posting this. This seems so easy, i think even I can do it!!
From the outside, you should start to see some color all around, and no more pinkness. My final check if I’m not sure is to poke the pork with a knife and make sure there’s no pinkness! Hope you enjoy!