Filipino Pork Barbecue

Copyright 2011 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

Pork barbecue is a staple back home during the summer months when almost everyone goes to the beach to cool off the summer heat. It is usually prepared simply for such occasions where you stop by the market to buy enough meat to feed the whole family and off you go to the beach. Marinated in soy sauce and calamansi, and flavored with garlic, sugar, salt and pepper, the meat is broiled on a makeshift grill on the sand over hot charcoals. I seldom barbecue in the US because for one, I do not own a grill and two, the few times that I did, the briquettes that they use here are just so annoying to light and generate very minimal heat. There are newer kinds of briquettes on the market now which heat quite as well as regular charcoal so it is less of a hassle but still not as good. If I have to, I use my stove top grill due to the ease of use and the fact that it is just convenient to heat. Since I last moved to the new place however, we managed to salvage a stand-up grill from the dumpster which has now become a useful outdoor appliance and we have grilled a few times on it with great success.

Copyright 2011 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

The recipe below is a version of the recipe our family uses for such occasions adapted to what is available here in the US. Calamansi taste a lot like key limes but regular limes will do if key limes are not available. Soy sauces of diffeent kinds and brands are now stocked almost everywhere in almost any grocery stores so this is not an issue anymore. The main issue is the cut of pork to use for this barbecue. Back home, pork is sold with the fat and the skin still attached to the meat. Grilling with the fat and skin definitely has some advantages as they impart a lot of flavor to the meat. If you can, try to find a cut that is not the leanest as it just tastes better. You can grill it as a slab of meat and cut into smaller pieces to serve or cut into thin slices and skewered with bamboo sticks.

Filipino Pork Barbecue

2 lb pork, cut into thin slices (skewered) or slabs

Marinade:

Copyright 2011 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup Sprite or 7-Up

2 tbsp vegetable oil

5 - 6 cloves garlic,   crushed

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup ketchup

1. In a bowl, combine all 

    ingredients for the 

    marinade. Add the pork
    and cover with clingfilm and store in the fridge for an hour.

2. Cook on the grill over hot coals until cooked. Flip halfway through. 

3. Serve with steamed rice or yellow rice and Broccoli in Oyster 
    Sauce (recipes follow).