A Tasty Filipino Barbecued Pork Recipe
Every cuisine has its polar opposites, and for the cuisine of the Philippines, it's gotta be baluts on one end, and Filipino barbecued pork on the other Saturday, June 02, 2018
If you've ever experienced Filipino cuisine, you know that it's something special -- and Filipino barbecued pork is no exception. Now, I mean that it's special in a good way, which can’t necessarily be said for baluts, another Filipino delicacy that you've just gotta try… once. If you can get past the beak.
If you're wondering, click here to see for yourself.
Hey! If it weren't for me, where would you turn for culinary adventurism?
The Real Deal
But let's get back to the main attraction: barbecued pork.
Like most dishes from other cultures, the Filipino version of barbecued pork may use a few ingredients you'll find a bit unusual. For example, banana catsup. This is exactly what it sounds like: catsup (or ketchup, to use the standard American term) that's made from bananas.
You can easily find a recipe for banana catsup online. Otherwise, you can make do with the tomato variety.
Then there's calamansi juice, which fortunately is not made from calamari but from an Asian citrus fruit called the calamansi or calamondin. This is something like a squat orange but apparently tastes lemony, because you can replace calamansi juice with lemon juice.
The Recipe
Without further ado, here's the recipe for barbecued pork, Philippines-style:
2 pounds of pork
1 head of minced garlic
1 finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/2 cup of banana or tomato ketchup
1/4 cup of calamansi or lemon juice
1 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup of beer (optional)
20 bamboo skewers
First, soak the bamboo skewers in a pan of water so they won't catch fire when you cook the meat. While you're doing that, mix everything else except the pork in a large mixing bowl and put it in the refrigerator to chill while you cut the pork into long slices about two inches wide and a quarter-inch thick.
Next: marinate the pork slices in the mix for a minimum of 30 minutes, keeping it in the refrigerator and turning the slices occasionally. This will help tenderize the pork and load it up with flavor. When it's ready, thread the pork onto the skewers.
Cook the pork skewers over hot coals, turning them every few minutes and using the leftover marinade to baste the meat as it cooks. When they're done to your satisfaction, take 'em off the coals and serve immediately. You're going to have a happy mouth after you bite into Filipino barbecued pork, guaranteed!
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