Cilantro-Lime Pork Belly Skewers
Serves: 5 skewers
 
This marinade is tart and really allows the cilantro to shine through. It is fresh and a great way to enjoy the last of this Summer weather. This recipe generously feeds 2 people. Feel free to double (or triple or quadruple...) to feed a crowd. I like to serve these skewers with a tangy slaw or side salad. Guacamole and veggies would make a great side as well.
Ingredients
For Marinade
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and halvedSubtitle
  • 1 cup of packed cilantro (no need to remove the stems)
  • ½ cup lime juice
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ⅛ tsp chipotle powder (optional, this makes it spicy)
  • 1 tsp coarse sea salt
For Pork Belly
  • 520 g pork belly
  • 2 zucchini, thickly sliced
  • ½ red onion, cut in thick chunks
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt & Pepper
Instructions
  1. Prepare Marinade: Combine all the marinade ingredients together in a food processor (I used a mini chopper) until the garlic and cilantro are broken down but not totally pureed (makes ⅔ cups marinade).
  2. Prepare Pork Belly: Using a sharp knife, cut the pork belly into 1" (2.5cm) x 1" (2.5cm) chunks. Season the pork belly chunks liberally with salt and pepper. While the marinade is salty enough, an extra dusting of seasoning directly on the pork helps the flavours pop.
  3. Place pork belly cubes in a covered glass dish or in a Ziploc bag. Pour marinade over pork. Marinade for 2-4 hours in the fridge.
  4. Prepare Grill: About 10 minutes before you're ready to grill, preheat your BBQ to medium high (400F-500F).
  5. Prepare Veggies: In a bowl, toss zucchini and onion pieces with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.
  6. Make Skewers: Once done marinading, remove pork from the fridge and thread onto skewers, alternating with zucchini and onion. There will be approximately 3 pork belly pieces per skewer.* Leave a small amount of space between each piece on the skewer so that everything browns evenly.
  7. Grill Pork: Lightly oil grill to prevent sticking. Grill each skewer for 4-5 minutes per side, turning once. You will know they are ready when the pork pieces are golden brown and slightly charred.** Allow skewers to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
*which is just the right amount of fatty goodness per person.
**A few tips here, because the pork belly is very fatty you may have a lot of flame come up, you want to stay close by to ensure that the flames don't burn the pork. Spray down the flames with a water bottle as needed and resist the urge to fiddle with the skewers.
Recipe by Marilene Caetano at https://www.marilenecaetano.com/the-road-to-paleo-is-lined-with-bacon/