Amazing Pork Skewers (Filipino Style)

The best pork skewers I’ve ever had was not cooked by a chef in some fancy 5-star restaurant. It’s quite the opposite actually. These pork skewers were marinated by the hands of a mother who never even got to high school, but ran a small food stall at night in a busy street so she could send her kids to school.

Her food stall was just right across the street from where I grew up in the Philippines. Among all the street food she sold, I think this was her specialty. Her pork skewers (commonly called barbeque in the Philippines) sold pretty fast! I remember there were nights I would go home disappointed because I didn’t get there in time.

Since I have left the Philippines, I never had such amazing pork skewers, until now! I think this is the closest I’ve had to actually copying the taste of her deliciously awesome pork on sticks. She cooks hers on charcoal so hers is just a tad-bit better because I think cooking on charcoal adds a richer flavour to your meat. We cook ours on gas tank BBQ grill because that’s what we have. But during the winter time when grilling outside is not really an option in Canada, I have also cooked these pork skewers on a George Foreman electric grill, or in an oven. And they all turn out WONDERFULLY DELICIOUS! Anywhere I take them with me, they are always a big hit!

Just a side note: If you are going to use bamboo skewers and planning to grill them on open flames, I suggest you soak your bamboo skewers in water overnight or longer. This will prevent them from catching fire and breaking off easily while you are grilling your meat. The best thing is to invest in metal skewers. They are a little bit more expensive than bamboo skewers, for sure, but at least you don’t need to soak them, and they are more durable, and easy to handle. Not to mention, reusable too.

In this post, I will share with you my secret marinade recipe, so you too can enjoy my amazing pork skewers.

I normally just use pork loin when I make this, but you can use any other cuts of pork if you wish. But bare in mind that if you use a very lean cut of meat and cook this in the oven, your meat can end up tough, so adjust your temperature well.

This dish is awesome to eat on its own. But in the Philippines we normally pair this with a dipping sauce. It’s usually a combination of white vinegar, soy sauce, chopped onions, garlic, and chili. (You can omit the chili if you are not into spicy food). And of course, just like any viand, Filipinos eat their dish with steamed white rice, and this is no exception! But you can also serve these skewers with salad and corn on the cob, or couscous, or grilled vegetables, among other things.

So let’s get started, shall we?

AMAZING PORK SKEWERS (Filipino Style)

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs pork, sliced
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3 T lemon juice (or fresh juice from 1 med. size lemon)
• 1/2 cup Heinz ketchup
• 2 tsp. Iodized salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 5 tbsp. brown sugar
• 4 tsp. minced garlic

Instructions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well making sure the meat is well coated with the marinade.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge overnight or for 2 nights (if you can! The longer the meat seats in the marinade, the more flavourful it gets!). 
3. Grill or bake your meat (I prefer grilling 100%!) until meat is done.

Enjoy! 🙂

Disclaimer: I don’t normally use measuring spoons/cups when I cook. Unless I’m baking of course. Cooking is more of an art. So when I cook, I usually just eyeball things. The key is to taste your food while you cook, and adjust your spices as your taste buds dictate. What maybe sweet for me, may not be the case for you. Hence, the lack of measurements on my recipes. I will leave that up to you. All the necessary ingredients (and tips!) however will be provided.

Happy experimenting cooking!

❤ Zhi