There’s nothing better than meat on a stick! In this rendition of Ton Negima, Pork Belly paired with scallions and caramelized in Japanese BBQ sauce, transforms the LoCo Kettle into a Yakitori grill street food experience. This simple recipe requires minimal ingredients but provides maximum flavor with the combination of smoke flavor and crispy, caramelized and slightly sweet pork belly. In this recipe, contributing writer Robyn Lindars converts her LoCo Kettle into a yakitori grill by wrapping bricks in foil and grilling the pork over the bricks to create more distance from the coals to eliminate flare ups from the pork belly. This part can be skipped as long as the meat is flipped frequently. However, converting the LoCo into a Yakitori grill offers a fun and authentic Japanese street food experience that makes for a very fun cook! This recipe and grilling technique are adapted from the Cookbook “The Japanese Grill” by Tadashi Ono. If you are looking for more charcoal grilling yakitori inspiration on your LoCo Kettle, this book provides lots of tasty ideas!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb pork belly, sliced into ¼” X 1 ½” wide pieces for threading onto bamboo skewers
- 2 bunches scallions, white part only (reserve the green part for garnish)
- 2 tbsp Sunshine State of Mind Craft BBQ Rub
- 2-3 tbsp Bachan’s Japanese BBQ Sauce
- 1 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns, roughly ground/cracked with a mortar and pestle (for garnish- this ingredient is optional)
Materials/Equipment Needed:
- 8” Bamboo Teppogushi (gun style) skewers
- Wood chips for additional smoke flavor
If Using the Kettle-to-Yakitori-Style Grill Method:
- 6 bricks, wrapped in aluminum foil
Directions:
Presoak the bamboo skewers for 30 minutes before using (this helps reduce flare ups).
Cut the pork belly into ¼” X 1 ½” strips. Put pork belly into a bowl and add 2-3 tbsp Sunshine State of Mind Craft BBQ Rub, (with notes of Kaffir lime and Himalayan salt that add an Asian vibe), coating each piece evenly. (If you do not have this rub, substitute a combo of salt, lime zest and a touch of honey.)
Next, chop the scallions into 1 ½” pieces.
Start assembling your yakitori skewers by alternating the pork and scallion, leaving 1” at the end of the skewers for resting on the bricks/grill.
Once all the skewers have been assembled, go light your LoCo Kettle.
Pour a generous amount of charcoal into your Kettle, with additional wood chips for smoke flavor. Light your kettle and set the desired temp to 400.
While the grill is heating up, place your foil wrapped bricks as pictured below (a layer of bricks on the outside and inside), with an outside and inner edge for the yakitori skewers. This additional heighth on the grill allows for high heat grilling without risking burning the pork belly with the fat flare ups.
Grill the pork belly skewers, turning frequently, so that all sides are caramelized and crispy, but not burned. While grilling, drizzle with Bachans BBQ sauce. Once the pork belly has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees, pull off the grill.
Drizzle generously with additional Bachans Japanese BBQ Sauce and garnish with thinly sliced green scallions and cracked Szechuan peppers (optional).
Pairs wonderfully with coconut rice or stir fry style cauliflower rice.
If you enjoyed this recipe, check out Robyn’s other recipes at Grillgirl.com.