Korean BBQ pork belly with ssamjang and lettuce wraps

Ingredients

Pork

• 800 g pork belly, skin off, sliced 5 mm thick
• ½ Asian pear, grated
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 2 spring onions, sliced

Serve

• Butter or gem lettuce leaves
• Steamed rice
• Ssamjang
• Garlic cloves, sliced thin
• Raw onion slices
• Gochugaru

Method

1. Marinate. Combine pear, garlic, soy, gochujang, sugar, sesame oil, mirin, spring onions. Toss with pork. Marinate 1 hour, ideally overnight.
2. Heat. Get a cast-iron griddle or heavy pan ripping hot. A slick of neutral oil.
3. Sear. Lay pork slices flat. Sear 2-3 minutes per side until edges char and caramelise. Work in batches.
4. Rest. Pile onto a warm plate. Repeat until all pork is cooked.
5. Serve. Bring pork, lettuce, rice, ssamjang, garlic, onion to the table. Wrap, dip, eat.

Tips

• Slice the belly 5 mm thick. Too thick = chewy. Too thin = overcooks.
• Don’t skip the pear. Same tenderising trick as bulgogi.
• One lettuce wrap = one slice of pork + a swipe of ssamjang + rice + garlic. Pure.