With just one taste of what citrusy lemongrass does to pork belly, your friends and family will be in awe of your barbecue skills! Serve this juicy stuffed delicacy and you’ll be cooking like a rock star.
YIELD: 12 SERVINGS • COOK TIME: 7–8 HOURS
1 (8-lb [3.62-kg]) fresh pork belly, skin on
5 cloves garlic, crushed
5 crushed bay leaves
¼ cup (72 g) kosher salt
3 tbsp (18 g) black pepper
¼ cup (2 g) dried chives
10 lemongrass stalks, bruised
1 bunch garlic chives
1 bunch green scallions
2 cups (473 ml) China Lily Soya Sauce or favorite soy sauce
2–3 pieces of your favorite smoke wood
Lay the pork belly on a cutting board, skin-side down.
In a small bowl, mix the crushed garlic, bay leaves, salt, pepper and chives. Rub this mixture all over the meat side of the pork belly. Place the bruised lemongrass, garlic chives and scallions lengthwise down the center of the pork belly. Roll the pork belly and tie together with butcher twine, making a tight cylinder. Brush the skin side with soya sauce.
Prepare your grill for 250°F (121°C), indirect cooking. Add 2 to 3 pieces of smoke wood.
Place the rolled pork belly on the grill. Baste with soya sauce every 30 minutes. Smoke for 7 to 8 hours, until the skin is crispy and the internal temperature of the pork is 155 to 160°F (68 to 71°C). Let it rest for 15 minutes and then slice thinly.
NOTE: Bruising the lemongrass helps release its aromatic flavorings. To get the most flavor out of this citrusy stalk, trim off the spiky top and the base. Remove and discard the first few outer layers, and then bruise the lemongrass stalk by lightly crushing it with a pestle or a meat mallet.