Inihaw na Liempo marinated in citrus juice, fish sauce, and spices and grilled to juicy perfection. Delicious as an appetizer or main dish!

This inihaw na liempo was first published on the blog in 2014, and I am updating it today with new photos and including it in our December recipe series. Grilled pork belly might not be the first thing that comes to mind when we think of holiday dishes, but it's actually a great choice.
Want Filipino pork BBQ for New Year but not up to the prospect of skewering pounds and pounds of meat in bamboo sticks? This inihaw na baboy is the perfect alternative! It's just as tasty and delicious but requires a lot less work.
Are you planning a boodle fest for your Christmas celebration? It'll make a delicious addition to your menu. Perfect for kamayan with my roasted eggplant, tomato, and salted egg salad or ensaladang kamote tops!
Filipino grilled pork belly marinade
The pork rashers are marinated overnight in a mixture of freshly-squeezed calamansi juice, fish sauce for umami flavor, lots of minced garlic, chili peppers (siling labuyo) for an added kick, brown sugar for a touch of sweetness, and salt and pepper to taste.
After a few hours in the fridge, the meat is drained and the marinade is reduced in a saucepan over medium heat. It's then mixed with oyster sauce and canola or sesame oil to use as a basting sauce.
The result is super juicy and flavorful liempo with the perfect medley of sweet, savory, and sticky goodness!
Cooking tips
Inihaw na liempo, which literally means "grilled pork belly", is another delicious way Filipinos enjoy their pork. Here are a few tips to achieve juicy, charbroiled perfection!
- The recipe uses calamansi juice for tangy, fruit flavor; if unavailable, substitute lemon juice, vinegar, or tamarind pulp.
- For food safety, taste and adjust the marinade before adding the pork. After the marination, boil the liquid mixture for a few minutes before using it in the basting sauce.
- The longer the soak is NOT better. Do not marinate for too long as the acids in the calamansi will denature the protein and turn the meat mushy. If unable to cook after marinating overnight, drain the pork, transfer into resealable bags or airtight containers and freeze.
- To prevent the pork from burning, grill first until it starts to lost its pink and then start basting.
- While traditionally cooked on a hot charcoal grill, you can also cook the rashers on an indoor grill (like pictured above) or in a turbo. You can also pan-fry or bake in the oven.
Dipping sauce for inihaw
Filipino-style grilled pork is best enjoyed with spiced vinegar as sawsawan. Feel free to adjust ingredients according to taste.
- 1 cup vinegar
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onions
- 2 chopped Thai chili peppers
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
Have leftovers? Use in sinigang or sisig! More grilled recipes Try this inihaw na pusit stuffed with juicy tomatoes and onions!
Ingredients
- ½ cup calamansi juice
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- 1 head garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 Thai chili peppers, minced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 pounds pork belly, cut into ½-inch thick
- 1 tablespoon canola or sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
For the Spiced Vinegar Dip
- 1 cup vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- ½ onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 Thai chili peppers, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine calamansi juice, fish sauce, garlic, chili peppers, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Stir well until sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Add pork belly and massage marinade into the meat. Transfer into a ziplock bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight, turning the bag once or twice.
- Drain pork from marinade, reserving about 1 cup of the liquid.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, bring reserved marinade into a boil for about 3 to 5 minutes or until reduced.
- In a small bowl, combine the reduced marinade, oyster sauce, and oil.
- Arrange pork in a single layer on lightly-oiled hot grill and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
- When the pork begins to lose its pink, regularly brush with basting sauce. Continue to grill for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until pork is cooked through.
- Remove from grill and cut into serving pieces. Serve with spiced vinegar dip.
For the Spiced Vinegar Dip
- In a bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, onion, chili peppers, salt, and pepper.
Notes
- Do not marinate for too long as the acids in the calamansi will denature the protein and turn the meat mushy. If unable to cook after marinating overnight, drain the pork, transfer into resealable bags or airtight containers and freeze.
- For food safety, taste and adjust the marinade before adding the pork. After the marination, boil the marinade for a few minutes before using in the basting sauce.
- To prevent burning, grill the pork first until it starts to lost its pink and then start basting.
Video

“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Angie says
Used the marinade on pork loin and it was delicious. I scored the meat prior to marinading.
Baby says
Looks easy and so good! Thank you! Any tips for using the oven or stove top for this?
Rod Torres says
Thanks for sharing, we wanted to cook for our lola today and she loved it.
Windee Tiamzon says
Hi, is there an alternative to the fish sauce in this recipe? My fids don’t like fish sauce 🙁
Lalaine Manalo says
Salt is fine 🙂
Sunshine says
Hi, what's the best substitute for calamansi juice?. I tried going to Asian store but no luck.
Lalaine Manalo says
You can use lemon and orange juice to mimic the sweet-tangy flavor of calamansi 🙂
anna says
hi ms lalaine, i'll be using my oven to cook this, is there any way that it will have the smokey taste like it was grilled in the charcoal? thanks and merry christmas
Lalaine Manalo says
You can try adding liquid smoke 🙂
Margaret says
Tried a few recipe but this one is a sure hit!
Love that it has siling labuyo in it, family love this they can’t wait before we start our meal always first to finish on our boodle fight!
Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
Lalaine Manalo says
Thank you so much for the feedback. Glad the family likes the recipe.
Kathleen Bunag says
plan on doing this for my son's second bday next month. is the calamansi juice just freshly squeezed calamansi or is it bought in bottle on stores? if it's squeezed how many do i need for 1/2 cup? thanks
Lalaine Manalo says
I used freshly-squeezed 🙂
lei says
the description said soy sauce but there is no mention of it in the ingredients. do we use it or not? thanks
Lalaine Manalo says
My fault; I got confused. It's fish sauce, not soy sauce 🙁
lei says
thanks you. cooked it the other day following the recipe anyway and it turnes out awesome. perdect for a lockdown garden bbq
Lalaine Manalo says
I am glad the recipe worked well for you 🙂
en ganza says
Galing nyo mam God bless Sayo
Crystal says
Can we bake or put them on the stove top???
Lalaine Manalo says
Yes, you can 🙂
odie says
Hi, what Fish sauce did you use? any specific brands or just the local patis?
Lalaine Manalo says
I use Rufina Patis 🙂
Alfredo Vigo says
I love your recipes. You always try to make it authentic as it can be (no shortcuts like other recipes online). I know everyone has their own version but your recipes always brings me back to when i first tried it back in the Philippines. Why not try to cook these in a video and upload in Youtube? Im sure you will get heaps of subscribers.
Lalaine says
Thank you so much, Alfredo. I am glad you're enjoying the recipes. I do have a Youtube channel but I don't have a lot of videos made yet. Definitely my goal for next year 🙂
Sarah says
Another winner recipe! I tried this tonight. So good. Your recipe is on the spot as always!
Lalaine says
Thank you, Sarah. I am glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Esperanza Gonzaga Santos says
Yahoo
Olivia says
this liempo looks so good. I think I'll grill some this weekend using your recipe. Thanks for sharing. Luvu lalaine.
Lalaine says
Thanks, Olivia. The love is appreciated 🙂
shobelyn says
uH!!!I did not win the turbo ): Congrats to the winner. Anyway, this liempo looks really delicious. I am looking forward to make one, one of this days. Thanks!
Lalaine says
There is always next month's giveaway 🙂