There's something about sweet and savory Filipino pork barbecue that just hits the spot. These are the ones you can get at the side of the road or pre-packed for trips to the beach; the ones that you eat with garlic rice and a side of atchara; the ones you can't make without toyo, suka, and banana ketchup.
This recipe makes what we consider the perfect Filipino pork barbecue. It uses flavorful chunks of pork and a marinade consisting of local ingredients.
Ingredients
Pork
- 2 kg pork, preferably kasim, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 egg whites
- 2 tbsp oil
Marinade
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- ¾ cup white vinegar
- ¾ cup banana ketchup
- ½ cup 7UP
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 3 tsp garlic powder
Marinate pork: Combine pork, cornstarch, egg whites, and oil in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly, massaging the mixture into the meat. Let rest for 1 hour. Add the soy sauce, white vinegar, banana ketchup, 7UP, brown sugar, black pepper, and garlic powder to the pork. Mix until well combined and pork is well coated. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and marinate pork in the fridge overnight up to 3 days.
Prepare pork: Once ready to grill, take wooden skewers and soak in water for about 10 minutes. Remove pork from the fridge and skewer each piece through the center in a single row, making 18-20 sticks of barbecue. Take the remaining marinade and pour into a saucepan or jug for basting.
Grill barbecue: Heat the grill to medium-high. Working in batches, add pork to the hot grill. Baste with marinade, and grill barbecue until cooked through and charred on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Flip barbecue and brush with extra marinade as needed. Serve immediately.
Notes
Be cautious when using charcoal or any open-fire grill. It gets immediately hot, which makes cooking time less and adds more char to the barbecue.
