There's a particular kind of camp lunch that earns its place in the rotation — the one where you wander back to camp after a morning fish or a track walk, get the coals raked under the grill grate, and twenty minutes later you're eating something that tastes like a Footscray hawker stall served it. Sticky pork belly skewers with a fresh pineapple salsa is exactly that kind of lunch.
It works because pork belly is forgiving. The fat renders down over coals, basting itself, while the hoisin glaze caramelises into a dark, lacquered crust. The pineapple salsa cuts through it all with sharp acid and a quiet chilli kick — the perfect break from another day of sangas and snags.
What you need
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 800 g pork belly, skin removed, cut into 3 cm cubes
- 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp Chinese five-spice
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 red capsicum, cut into 3 cm squares
- 2 tsp sesame seeds and 2 spring onions, sliced (to garnish)
For the pineapple salsa
- ½ fresh pineapple, peeled and finely diced (or 400 g tin pineapple pieces, drained well)
- ½ small red onion, finely diced
- 1 long red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 small bunch coriander, leaves picked and roughly chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- Pinch of salt
Gear
- Grill grate (cast iron or heavy steel) over a fire pit or BBQ
- 8 metal skewers (or wooden, soaked 30 min)
- Mixing bowl with lid (or zip-top bag) for the marinade
- Small bowl for the salsa
- Tongs and a basting brush (or just a clean spoon)
How to make it
- Marinate the pork (do this at home or earlier in the day). In a bowl or zip-top bag, combine hoisin, soy, honey, vinegar, garlic, ginger, five-spice and sesame oil. Add the pork belly cubes, toss to coat, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour — 4 hours is better. Reserve a couple of tablespoons of the marinade in a separate jar for basting.
- Build a fire and let it burn down. You want a steady bed of red coals, not flames. Rake them flat under your grill grate and let the grate heat for 5 minutes until a flick of water dances and evaporates instantly.
- Make the salsa while you wait. Combine pineapple, red onion, chilli, coriander, lime juice and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Toss and set aside — it gets better the longer it sits.
- Thread the skewers. Alternate pork belly with capsicum, 4–5 cubes of pork per skewer. Don't pack tight — leave a hair of space between pieces so the heat gets between them.
- Cook over coals. Lay the skewers on the hot grate. Turn every 2–3 minutes for 12–15 minutes total, basting with the reserved marinade after each turn. You're after a deep mahogany glaze, slightly charred edges, and pork that's tender when you press a cube with the tongs.
- Watch for flare-ups. Pork belly fat will drip and flames will lick — slide the skewers to a cooler edge of the grate for 30 seconds when it happens, then move back. A small spray bottle of water at hand kills bigger flares.
- Rest 2 minutes off the heat. Move the skewers to a plate and let the juices settle.
- Garnish and serve. Scatter sesame seeds and spring onion over the skewers. Serve with the pineapple salsa and warm flatbreads or steamed rice.
Camp tips
- Pre-cube and pre-marinate at home in a vac-seal or zip-top bag. It freezes well — drop a frozen bag in the Engel a day before you cook and it'll be perfectly thawed by lunch.
- No fresh pineapple at the regional Coles? A drained tin of pineapple pieces works fine in the salsa — just rinse off the syrup first.
- Skewer alternative: if you've forgotten skewers, lay the pork cubes straight onto the grill grate and turn with tongs. You lose the presentation, you keep the flavour.
- Leftover pork goes into wraps the next morning with the leftover salsa, hoisin and a handful of shredded cabbage — a 5-minute travel-day lunch.
- Pair with a cold beer or a sparkling apple cider — the acidity does the same job as the salsa and cuts the richness of the pork.
The Outcamp wrap
This recipe earns its keep because it's the kind of dish that quietly upgrades a campsite lunch from "feed the crew" to "remember that one trip." Twenty minutes of active cooking, gear you've already packed, and ingredients that survive the Engel for days. If you do most of your camp cooking over coals, a quality cast-iron grill grate is the single best $80 you'll spend on your kit — pick one up at BCF or Anaconda and it'll outlast three vehicles. Cook it once and the kids will be asking for the sticky pork sticks every trip.
