Spicy barbecued pork (daeji bulgogi)

For this dish, it is best to use pork that is a little bit fatty, such as pork belly or shoulder, as the fat will render and caramelise, turning into delicious smoky crispy bits.

Credit: Billy Law

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) skinless pork belly, cut into 3-mm (⅛-in) slices
• sesame oil, for greasing

Marinade

• 1 Nashi or Asian pear, cored
• ½ onion
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• 5-cm (2-in) piece of ginger, peeled
• 1 spring onion (scallion)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 tbsp Korean rice syrup (ssalyeot) or corn syrup, glucose or honey
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 70 g (2½ oz/¼ cup) Korean chilli paste (gochujang)
• 2 tbsp Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru)

Marinating time: 30 minutes

Instructions

1. To make the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend to a purée.
2. Put the sliced pork in a large bowl and pour over the marinade. Using your hands, mix everything together until the pork is well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
3. Heat your barbecue to high, or set a chargrill pan over high heat. Working in batches, grill the pork belly for 2–3 minutes or until caramelised on both sides.
4. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

 

Recipe and images from Little Korea: Iconic Dishes and Cult Recipes by Billy Law, Smith Street Books, RRP $49.99

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.