Is There A Difference Between Pork Liempo And Pork Belly?

You've probably been introduced to some unique Filipino cooking ingredients and new flavors if you've ventured into the world of the country's cuisine, either as a home chef or avid diner. But there's one taste that's going to be quite familiar to you, and that's pork liempo. Biting into this fatty, juicy meat, whether it's fried, grilled, or stuffed, you're likely to draw an immediate comparison with pork belly. So, is pork liempo just pork belly by another name? Well mainly yes, but sometimes no.

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Pork liempo comes from the belly of the pig and is a cut that is particularly popular in Filipino cooking. In English, pork belly also can refer to a particular cut, or the whole underside of the pig, so depending on your intention, the Filipino and English term might mean exactly the same thing. To make things more confusing, both pork liempo and pork belly can be used as a shorthand for dishes made from the belly section of the pig, like this confit pork belly. Whatever you decide to call it, this part of the pig has plenty of delicious applications.

What is pork liempo?

The single word liempo translates to pork belly, but you'll usually see it on English menus or recipes as pork liempo (literally "pork pork belly"). This cut is the same as what we know in the U.S. and other countries simply as pork belly, a slice of the fattiest and most flavorful part of the pig, with alternating layers of fat and meat. When you see the word liempo, you can assume that it's pork belly cooked in a Filipino style.

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One of the most popular ways of preparing it is inihaw na liempo (grilled pork belly). For this the meat is cut into long strips about 1/2 inch thick, which are marinated in calamansi citrus and spices, grilled on a barbecue and served with a vinegar dipping sauce. Another is lechon liempo, a smaller version of a whole roasted pig (lechon). A roll of skin-on pork belly is stuffed with aromatics like onions or lemongrass, and roasted until irresistibly crispy. Liempo can also be added to other popular Filipino dishes. So for example, the sour soup sinigang can be made with a variety of meats, but if it's sinigang na liempo, it's made with pork belly.

What is pork belly?

The term pork belly can refer to either a primal cut or a subprimal (portion) cut of the pig. A whole pig is first broken down into what's known as the primal cuts — shoulder, leg, loin, and side — which are then sold to butchers or restaurants. The side cut is then further broken down into the belly portion cut and spare ribs. Where it gets confusing is that the whole side primal cut is often called the belly. Pork belly is also where we get cured meats like pancetta and bacon, but the difference here is in how the meat is treated, rather than the cut.

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Although we noted that the term can refer to both, you can assume that any mention of pork belly will refer to the more specific cut rather than the whole undersection of the pig if you're looking at a restaurant menu or a recipe. Pork belly is usually cooked low and slow to break down the connective texture and give it an unctuous texture, as with braised pork belly. Pork belly with the skin on will also be cooked slowly but finished with a short cook at a high temperature to create a crispy skin.

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