I always celebrate my sister’s birthday even if we’re far apart (she’s in the US and I’m here in Manila). That’s been a tradition in the family. We celebrate birthdays even of deceased relatives, believe me. It’s not like we’re throwing a huge party or something. Typically, we just prepare pasta/noodles and meat dishes and a dessert. Sometimes, we just dine out if we’re too tired to cook at home. It’s more actually of the thought that counts and it’s our way of saying that, we may be miles apart, but we remember you on your special day and we’ll keep it special in our own way.
Filipino-style spaghetti (tomato-based but a little sweet and usually with hotdogs! :P) is a must because it’s my sister’s favorite. So it’s pretty staple on every birthday celebration we have at home. Last year, I roasted chicken on my turbo broiler. Since I had chicken before, I thought pork is good this time.
I decided to do something easy (as always haha because that’s what an amateur can most confidently do) and I reckoned we could use the pork bellies we have in the freezer. I was inspired by Great Eats With Petes’ oven-baked barbecue pork ribs but I tweaked the recipe based on what I readily have available at home.
And I came up with my own HALF-BAKED HALF-GRILLED BARBIE PORK BELLIES WITH COCA-COLA BARBIE SAUCE 🙂 (phew! long title)
Let me first tell you how to make the Coca-Cola Barbecue sauce:
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup tomato ketchup
- 1 cup Thai sweet-chili sauce
- 3 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 can Regular Coke
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 2 tsp. chili flakes
In a pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the onions, garlic and bell pepper. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. After boiling, let the mixture simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and using a strainer, strain the mixture to take away the onions, garlic and bell pepper. Puree the onions, garlic, and bell pepper then put them back into the mixture. Over medium heat, let the mixture come to a boil again and let simmer for the next 10 minutes. That’s your home-made Coca Cola Barbie sauce done 🙂
Let’s now move on to the meat preparation:
- 1 kilo pork bellies
- Salt and Pepper for rubbing the bellies
- Aluminum foil
- Coca Cola barbecue sauce
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a pot, pour water and bring it to a boil. While waiting, rub the bellies on each side with salt and pepper. When the water has boiled, drop in the bellies and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Brush the Coca Cola barbecue sauce on each side of the pork then wrap in foil. Arrange them in a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Without turning off the oven, take out the baking sheet and remove the meat from the foil. Baste with the barbecue sauce. Place back in the oven and cook for another 15 minutes.
Preheat your pan-grill for at least 5 minutes. Put the baked bellies on top of the grill, 5 minutes on each side, while basting the exposed side with the barbecue sauce.
Serve with lemon slices. The smoky, spicy, sweet flavors complement the lemon’s citrus goodness and the result is a yummy-licious pork dish you’ll devour in a heartbeat 🙂 Enjoy!
Jan Is Cooking 
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