Pork Belly Yakitori

Trader Joe’s has some really interesting precooked meat options. One of my favorite precooked meats is their Pork Belly, which comes precooked in a vacuum bag. If I didn’t know any better I’d swear it had been sous vide at a precise 165f as I don’t know how else they’d precook it to be so tender and delicious.

By adding a few extra ingredients also found at Trader Joe’s we take an already delicious piece of meat and transform it into a delightful Japanese inspired delight.

A box of the delicious Pork Belly is combined with Leeks (use green onions if you can’t find), Shishito Peppers, and Trader Joe’s very own “Soyaki” sauce.

Slipped onto BBQ skewers (either the good metal ones, or disposable wooden ones are fine! ), marinated and grilled over high heat you get perfectly crispy pork belly combined with soft sweet leaks and the gentle bite of the shishito pepper.

Slice the pork belly into cubes. Slide a pepper onto a skewer, followed by a piece of pork belly and a slice of leek. Repeat the pork belly and leek twice more.

Marinade the skewers in the “Soyaki” sauce for about an hour, a pastry brush will be very helpful here to help ensure everything has a good coating of marinade.

Grill the skewers over medium to high heat until the pork belly is crispy, the peppers are nicely charred and the leek is cooked through. Turn often and use your pastry brush to apply more marinade each time.

Serve it up and listen for your guests to shout “Oishii” (Japanese for delicious).