No need to fear – you can grill pork belly to perfection without flare-ups.
Many home cooks avoid grilling pork belly because the high fat content can cause furious flare-ups and quickly turn a promising piece of meat into a charred disaster. That doesn’t have to be the case. With the right grill setup and technique you can achieve tender, juicy pork belly with crisp, caramelized edges and beautifully rendered fat. This recipe produces Asian-inspired, sticky, sweet pork belly pieces that are perfect on their own or served in small slider rolls.
Grilled Pork Belly with Sticky Sweet Glaze
Author: Jess Pryles
Ingredients
1 x 5 lb piece of pork belly
1–2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon fish sauce
Optional to serve: coleslaw, slider rolls, cilantro
Instructions
- Slice the pork belly into 1/2-inch strips, then cut those strips into thirds so the pieces are bite-sized.
- Season the pieces lightly with kosher salt.
- Prepare your grill for two-zone cooking (a hot direct-heat side and a cooler indirect-heat side). Two-zone grilling gives you control over color development and prevents burning when fat renders.
- Place the pork belly pieces over the hot side of the grill to sear and develop color. Be cautious—fat will cause flare-ups. Sear for just a few minutes per side, then move the pieces to the cool/indirect side to continue cooking more gently.
- In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, and fish sauce until the honey is dissolved and the glaze is smooth.
- Return the pork belly to the indirect zone and baste with the glaze every 5–7 minutes. Keep the grill lid closed between basting and flipping to maintain stable heat. Continue this cycle until the pork belly has cooked for about 30 minutes total, or until pieces are tender and nicely caramelized.
- To serve: briefly toast slider rolls or Hawaiian buns over the remaining heat, then assemble: a bit of coleslaw, a piece of glazed pork belly, and cilantro. The glaze provides plenty of flavor, but add hot sauce or sriracha if you like extra heat.
Prefer a visual guide? Watch the video version of this recipe below: