Korean BBQ Pork Belly

Pork belly with spicy gochujang and pickled Asian salads. This dish is incredibly tasty and simple to prepare. The tangy pickled salads perfectly balance the rich, fatty meat.

Servings   Prep Time      Cook Time

4                2-24hrs            3.5 hrs 

Ingredients

• 1.5kg pork belly
• 2 tbsp gochujang paste
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp five spice powder
• 2 tsp chilli flakes
• 2 tsp sea salt flakes
• 4-6 star anise pieces

Directions

1. Prepare the pork belly.

   Get a flat piece of pork belly to ensure an even cook. For this recipe, we used pork from Pipers Farm, which comes fully scored and seasoned with salt.   Buy the best quality pork you can afford.  Score the skin and salt and leave in the fridge to dry out overnight.  Remove from the fridge and pat dry.
   
   

2. Make the marinade.

   Mix the rest of the ingredients into a thick paste.  Apply to the pork all over and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Add the pieces of star anise to decorate the top of the pork. 
   
   

3. Prepare the Charlie Oven

   Light the oven and bring it to 120 degrees. Once the temperature has stabilised, add some applewood chips either into a smoking box or sprinkled directly over the charcoal. 
   
   

4. Place the pork onto a Charlie Flat Bed Plancha. 

   Position in the middle of the oven. Once the plancha is securely in place, add the hot water to it.  This will stop the meat from drying out during cooking. Cook for 3 hours.  Try to avoid opening the door during the cook.  If you wish to monitor, add a meat probe. 

5. After three hours, open the air vents on the Charlie Oven top and bottom.Bring the temperature up to 200 degrees to crisp up the skin.  If necessary, add more charcoal to bring the temperature up.  Cook for 30 minutes to crisp up the skin.

6. Rest the meat for 20-30 minutes before slicing and serving. 
7. Serve with a simple Asian pickled salad of ribbons of cucumber and carrot with a dressing of 1 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp nut oil, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil.  

Notes:

If you don't have a Charlie Flat Bed Plancha, use a roasting tray placed on one of the Charlie racks.