Inihaw na liempo is a Filipino dish that translates to “grilled pork belly.” Made with pork belly that’s been marinated in a flavorful mixture of soy sauce, calamansi or lemon juice, garlic, pepper, and other spices. Grill over hot charcoal, cook in the oven, pan-grill, and or cook in the air-fryer.
Inihaw na Liempo
Liempo is the Tagalog word for pork belly. It’s amazing layers of fat and meat that, when cooked, become rich and melt-in-your-mouth tender. You’re gonna love it!
Inihaw refers to the cooking method, which is grilling. Filipino grilling techniques often involve charcoal or open fire, infusing the meat with a smoky flavor.
Filipino BBQ vs Inihaw na Liempo
Inihaw na liempo and Filipino pork BBQ are similar dishes, both using pork that’s been marinated in a flavorful mixture and then grilled until tender and juicy.
The key difference lies in the marinade. Filipino BBQ is much sweeter and uses a good amount of ketchup. Inihaw na liempo leans towards a sweet and citrusy flavor profile with calamansi being the star flavor.
What You Need
Here are the ingredients you need for the inihaw na liempo marinade:
- Pork Belly – Use medium-thick slices that are around 1/2-inch thick. This thickness is recommended for grilling, pan-frying, or baking. It gives you a nice layer of meat and fat.
- Garlic – Fresh cloves are garlic make the best pork belly marinade.
- Soy Sauce -Use Filipino soy sauce to get the classic flavor but you can also use regular soy sauce if not available.
- Brown Sugar – Gives the pork belly a hint of sweetness and a nice golden color.
- Vinegar – The acidity helps tenderize the meat during marination.
- Calamansi and Lemon-lime soda – Act as a tenderizer and infuse the pork with a smoky and citrusy flavor. You can use either Sprite or 7-Up.
- Ketchup – You only need a small amount to give reddish color to the pork belly. Use banana ketchup or tomato ketchup alternately.
Cooking Tips
And, here are my best tips for making the best inihaw na liempo recipe:
- Massage the pork belly with salt and black pepper before adding the rest of the marinade ingredients. This helps the meat absorb the marinate better.
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Do a taste test and adjust the seasonings based on your preference i.e. add more sugar or calamansi juice (lemon juice) or soy sauce.
- Marinate the pork for at least 4 hours but the ideal is overnight (12 hours) for maximum flavor.
How to Grill
The traditional way to cook inihaw na liempo is over a charcoal grill. There’s nothing quite like that smoky flavor that charcoal brings to the meat.
A few tips to make the charcoal grilling process easy:
- To prevent the meat from sticking to the grill, pre-heat it over high heat and brush it with oil. When it starts smoking then it’s ready. Reduce the heat to medium heat before adding the pork belly.
- Grill your marinated pork belly over medium-high heat to lock in those juices. Then, move it to a cooler zone of the grill to finish cooking through without burning. Patience is key here!
- For even cooking, be sure to flip your pork belly regularly basting it with the marinade. This ensures all sides get beautifully browned and cooked through.
How to Cook in the Air Fryer or Oven
Good news! You can achieve delicious results indoors using your oven or air fryer.
Here’s how:
- Preheat the air-fryer for 3 minutes at 180C (350F) and the oven for 15 minutes at 200C (400F).
- Bake in the preheated oven or air fryer for 15 to 20 minutes until fully cooked.
- Use the convection mode of your oven if available and place the baking sheet on the third or top rack.
- Turn the pork belly slices once halfway through the cooking time and baste with the leftover marinade to make it more flavorful.
Serve
Inihaw na liempo is best served with white rice, dipping sauces like spiced vinegar or bagoong (shrimp paste), eggplant salad, and pickled vegetables like achara (pickled papaya).
This flavorful savory dish is perfect for barbecues, potlucks, and any Filipino gathering.
Try these next
Inihaw na Liempo (Grilled Pork Belly)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork belly strips (½ inch thick)
- 1 tsp salt
- black pepper (to taste)
Marinade
- ¼ cup Filipino soy sauce
- ⅓ cup calamansi juice or lemon juice
- 1 tbsp vinegar (see note 1)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1-2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 cup lemon-lime soda
- ¼ cup ketchup
Instructions
- Massage pork belly with salt and pepper making sure to coat it all over. This preps the meat for the marinade and helps lock in those flavors.
- Combine all ingredients of the marinade in a large bowl. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Do a taste test, adjust the flavor based on your preference–add more soy sauce or calamansi, about 1 tbsp at a time.
- Add pork belly strips into the bowl or container with an air-tight lid. Make sure all pieces are completely submerged. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Marinate for 4 hours, but best overnight.
Air Fry or Oven
- Preheat the air-fryer for 3 minutes at 180C (350F) and the oven for 15 minutes at 200C (400F).
- Brush the air fryer basket/baking sheet with oil. Place pork belly strips in a single layer. They should fit snugly. They will shrink when they cook. Cook in batches if making a big batch. Reserve the marinade for basting.
- Bake in the preheated oven or air fryer for 15 to 20 minutes until fully cooked. Turn the pork belly slices once halfway through the cooking time and baste with the leftover marinade to make it more flavorful. Note: Longer cooking time is needed if using thick slices of pork, around 30 to 35 minutes.
Grill
- Preheat grill it over high heat and brush it with oil. When it starts smoking then it’s ready. Reduce the heat to medium heat before adding the pork belly.
- Grill the meat until slightly charred but not burnt, about 3 to 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. Baste with the marinade every now and then. To check doneness, use a meat thermometer and aim for an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F). You can also cut one piece in the middle to see if it's cooked through.
Serve
- Serve with bagoong rice, your favorite salad, and spiced vinegar as dipping sauce.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- Vinegar – I use white rice vinegar (not seasoned). Cane vinegar, coconut vinegar, and white wine vinegar work well too.
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