Meat, Grills & Lauk · Philippines

How Many Calories in Liempo?

Also known as Inihaw na Liempo, Grilled Pork Belly, Pork Liempo.

Pork belly slabs marinated in soy, calamansi, garlic and a little sugar, grilled over charcoal. The most ordered ulam at any ihaw-ihaw stall.

600kcal / 1 serving (about 150g grilled)
One serving of inihaw na liempo is about 600 calories for a 150g grilled slab. Pork belly is roughly half fat by weight, and even after some drips into the coals, cooked belly sits near 400 calories per 100g. Add 1 cup of rice and the plate is about 860.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 serving (about 150g grilled) (150g)AmountPer 100g
Calories600 kcal400 kcal
Protein27 g18 g
Carbs5 g3 g
Fat52 g35 g

Where the calories come from

Grilled pork belly140g
560 kcal
Soy calamansi marinade absorbed8g
20 kcal
Sugar and banana ketchup glaze6g
20 kcal

The real talk

Pork belly is the fattiest cut most people eat, and grilling does not fix that. Raw belly is about 50 percent fat. On the grill maybe a fifth of that renders out and drips away, which leaves cooked liempo around 400 calories per 100g. A 150g serving, which is one decent slab or 5 to 6 slices, is 600 calories. Kawaling Pinoy's recipe card goes even higher at 830 per serving because it counts the whole marinade.

The marinade adds less than people think. Soy sauce, calamansi, garlic and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar across 2 pounds of pork works out to maybe 20 calories per serving that actually clings to the meat. The banana ketchup glaze some stalls brush on adds another 20 to 30. The calories are in the pork, full stop.

The cheap fix nobody takes is asking for the leaner slab. Belly from closer to the ribs has more meat and less fat, and a 150g piece can be 450 calories instead of 600. At a stall the fatty pieces are the ones that look striped white. A liempo meal with rice at a carinderia runs 100 to 150 pesos and about 860 calories, which is more than a Chickenjoy meal.

How the portions compare

400 kcal
Small serving (100g, 3 to 4 slices)
600 kcal
Standard serving (150g slab)
860 kcal
Liempo with 1 cup rice

Liempo variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Grilled pork kasim (shoulder), 150g300 kcalSame marinade, half the fat
Lean liempo slab, 150g450 kcalMore meat than fat
Standard liempo slab, 150g600 kcalTypical stall piece
Liempo with rice and chicken oil980 kcalInasal-style chicken oil on the rice

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in liempo with rice?
About 860 calories for a 150g grilled slab and 1 cup of rice. Add a second cup of rice and it is around 1,120.
Is grilled liempo healthier than lechon kawali?
A little. Grilling lets some fat drip off, so 150g of inihaw na liempo is about 600 calories versus about 520 for a smaller 120g serving of lechon kawali. Gram for gram they are close, since both are belly.
How many calories in one slice of liempo?
About 100 calories per slice if the slab is cut into 6 pieces of roughly 25g each. Three slices is a 300 calorie ulam.
What is the leanest inihaw at the stall?
Chicken inasal pecho without skin at about 250 calories, then grilled pork kasim at about 300 per 150g, then liempo at 600.

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical carinderia or restaurant serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

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