Leah Cohen is the chef-owner of Pig &amp; Khao in New York City. A Top Chef alum, a cookbook author, and the recipient of a 2013 StarChefs Rising Stars Award, Leah’s main cooking philosophy is to stay true to authentic Southeast Asian flavors while incorporating classical western techniques.

Leah Cohen

You can find grilled pork belly all over the Philippines: Marinated in an acidic, slightly sweet, and very savory soy-based mixture to tenderize and season the meat, the pork belly is then cooked from start to finish on a grill, the marinade basted generously over the belly until the outside is sticky, caramelized, and charred.Cooking pork belly from start to finish on a grill is tricky, especially when it comes to dialing in the perfect not-too-tender texture, with just the right amount of chew. It takes time to convert all its ample <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/decoding-tough-and-tender-cuts">collagen into gelatin</a>, and without careful heat management, the sugars in the marinade will burn long before the pork is anywhere near cooked. And, since it’s a cut with a lot of fat, it’s prone to flare-ups.But if you cook the pork sous vide before finishing it on the grill, you can spend more time relaxing and less time babysitting the belly on the grill. The belly will have the perfect texture before it even hits the grill, which lets you focus on quickly building up and caramelizing successive layers of glaze while finishing it over hot charcoal. Served with some garlic-shrimp paste fried rice and a pickle—I’ve been obsessed with this pineapple-kimchi atchara I’ve been making at home, which has sweetness and heat that complement the rich belly—and it’s my perfect meal.

Filipino-Style Grilled Pork Belly (Inihaw na Liempo)