LP 3: Pork Barbecue

Filipinos has got this great snacking culture. Our foodcentric way of life can be gleaned from the numerous times we eat in a day. In between main meals we have the proper snacks or merienda then besides these, we constantly munch on little snacks such peanuts, watermelon seeds, crispy fried corn kernels, etc. It's no wonder that there is a great proliferation of street sides snacks up and down the country. And I loved a great deal of them. From the bualaw (binatog), adobong mani, kornik, inihaw na mais, sago gulaman, to the heavier kakanin of puto, kutchinta, suman, etc. or even goto, and pancit.

I was often dissuaded by my mother from buying street side snacks because of unsanitary conditions of some vendors. Often, I sneakily buy bola-bola or fishballs dipped in that spicy semi-thick sauce. Yum! It's alright with them if I buy banana cues or valencia (turons). I think their main concern with the bola-bola is that all the customers dip in the same sauce. It can be unhealty but so far (touch wood) I haven't gone down with anything with all the copious amount I've eaten.

But the one thing I simply cannot resist at the first whiff of the smoky grilling meat is pork barbecue. The thought of sinking my teeth in those slightly charred but juicy tangy-salty-sweet slivers of pork skewered in bamboo sticks with its smoky smell makes my mouth water. Ahhh, how I wish I could have one right now.

Mind you, this recipe of mine is still being tweaked. I have not found the right taste equilibrium yet that I am seeking for. So just play around with the proportions according to your taste. Actually, no matter how 'right' my recipe is, it would still not taste the same as the street side ones because you need the dust and fumes from the passing jeepneys and buses, the dirt from the street or even maybe a little sweat from the vendor (yikes) to have that authentic taste. ;) Nyahahaha!

A tip in barbecueing is to get a meat cut with some fat in it and arrange the meat a bit packed together in the skewer. These will keep it moist and juicy in the grilling. Do not grill it too well done or it will turn hard and tough. I assume you know how to start a charcoal barbecue, but just in case here it goes - wait until the charcoals have a grey ash coating (about 20-25 minutes after you start the fire) before you begin grilling. Then if your grill have graduated levels, start at a fairly high level at the beginning then lowering it as the heat dissipates or cools down.

The current host of this interesting theme of the 3rd Lasang Pinoy is Kai of Bucaio. The said blogging event were originally started by Karen and Stef as a way of showcasing the Philippine's varied food beyond the ubiquitous adobo, pancit, and lumpia plus to generally have fun in cooking and blogging about Pinoy food.




Pork Barbecue

1 kg  pork meat - sliced thinly into about 1.5 square inch pieces
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey or brown sugar
salt and pepper (to taste)
3/4 cup 7-Up
1/2 Tbsp garlic - pounded

1. Mix soy sauce and lemon juice; taste it. If need be add more lemon juice or soy sauce to get the right salty-sour balance according to your taste.
2. Add all the other ingredients except the pork. Taste again and adjust seasonings if desired.
3. Marinate pork in this mixture overnight.
4. Soak bamboo sticks in water for about 30 minutes.
5. Skewer pork meat close together in the bamboo sticks.
6. Bring to boil the remainder of the marinade in a saucepan. Set aside as a basting sauce.
7. Grill pork barbecues over hot coals while basting with the reserved sauce.

Lasang Pinoy 3