Easy Pork Belly Sisig

Literally, the easiest sisig recipe you'll ever make!  No charcoal grilling is needed and uses the simplest ingredients. The bits of pork belly are slathered in a citrusy, savory, spicy sauce topped with raw onions, and calamansi. It's the perfect "pulutan" for happy hour nights and a good addition to your weekly menu! I mean why not?

How to Make Sisig using Pork Belly

There are two ways to use pork belly for sisig. Both methods are easy and require less effort compared to the traditional process of charcoal grilling.

1. Make it from scratch - boil strips of pork belly in water until tender. The cooking time depends on the thickness of the meat. Let it air dry for a few minutes then season with salt. Pan-fry in hot oil until crisp. You can also oven-fry to avoid splatters. Check out my Oven-fried Lechon Kawali recipe here.
2. Use leftovers -  got any leftover Lechon or fried pork? Make it into sisig! It's as simple as that!

Once the pork belly is cooked, cut it into bits and pieces and slather the seasonings and spices. See the recipe card for the complete procedure.

Sisig Ingredients

Traditional sisig is made of pig head specifically snouts, pig ears, jowls, cheeks, and (believe it or not) pig brains. If you're not into those or if you're having a hard time sourcing such ingredients, then this recipe is just what you need!

Here's what you need:

• Pork belly - fatty yet meaty and that's why it's perfect for sisig. It's available in any meat shop and easier to prepare. No doubt about it.
• Spices - garlic and onions. I also used green chili peppers to make it extra fragrant and red chilies to make it spicy!
• Seasonings - soy sauce and liquid seasoning. If you're watching your salt intake, you can use low sodium soy sauce.
• Liver spread - also known as liver pate. It makes the sisig richer and extra flavorful.
• Calamansi - also known as calamondin or Philippine lime. This adds the signature tanginess flavor of sisig. It can be substituted with lemon juice or lime juice but the flavor difference will be noticeable. A touch of vinegar can also be added for a hint of tang.
• Mayonnaise - often used as a substitute for pig's brain which makes sisig rich and creamy. I heard sisig purists often shy away from using mayonnaise but I personally love having it with my sisig.

Variations: Add chicken Liver

If you love chicken livers, I highly recommend adding it to any of your sisig dishes. It's a good substitute for liver spread/pate.

Here's how:

1. Place the chicken liver into a bowl. Marinate in vinegar, calamansi juice, or lemon juice for 5 minutes. Wash with tap water and drain completely. This step will help eliminate any gamey flavor.
2. Slice the liver into half then season with, salt and pepper.
3. Pan-fry in hot oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side until browned.
4. Let it cool and slice into smaller pieces before adding to the pork sisig mixture.

How to Serve Pork Belly Sisig

Serve this pork sisig dish straight from the pan then top with more raw onions and raw egg to make it extra creamy (residual heat will cook the egg, don't worry!)

You can also transfer to a hot sizzling platter if available. I cooked mine on a cast iron skillet which also serves as a serving plate. It retained the heat much longer compared to a regular stainless pan.

Serve with rice or enjoy on its own paired with your favorite ice-cold drinks.

Storage and Shelf-life

Leftovers can last in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days and are stored in an air-tight container.  To further extend the shelf life, freeze in an airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw before reheating on the stove or microwave.

Re-heating

To re-heat sisig, place in a pan and reheat over medium heat. Add raw onions just before serving to freshen up the flavor.

Afterthought

This is not a traditional sisig from Angeles City, Pampanga, or Lucia Cunanan's / Aling Lucing's "sisigan" but the flavors and textures were all inspired by it. This recipe strips down the ingredients and techniques just enough to make it the simplest sisig recipe you'll ever make. Enjoy and happy eating!

Watch the video on how to Make Pork Belly Sisig

Love Filipino food? Try these recipes...

• Filipino Pork BBQ Skewers
• Laing with Pork
• Lumpia Shanghai Recipe (Filipino Fried Spring Rolls)
• Crispy Lechon Kawali (Air-fryer or Oven)
• Embutido with Cheese
• Pork Humba (Meltingly tender Pork!)
• Beef Caldereta
• Garlic Butter Crab
• Easy Beef Kare Kare
• Lechon Manok
• Pork Belly Lechon
• Lumpiang Shanghai

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Complete Recipe

Pork Belly Sisig

5 from 3 votes

Bits of pork belly covered in a citrusy, savory, spicy sauce topped with raw onions, and calamansi. It's the perfect "pulutan" for happy hour nights and a good addition to your weekly menu! Literally, the easiest sisig recipe you'll ever make!

Makes (tap to scale):3 servings

Prep Time:10 mins

Cooking Time:15 mins

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Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tablespoon vegetable oil (i used canola)
• ▢ 500 g pork belly (see note 1)
• ▢ water for boiling
• ▢ 1 large onion (finely chopped, divided)
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• ▢ 2 tablespoon calamansi juice (add more if preferred, see note 2)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon liquid seasoning (add more if preferred, see note 3)
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon soy sauce
• ▢ 3 tablespoon mayonnaise (optional)
• ▢ ¼ cup liver spread (optional, see note 3)
• ▢ green and red chilies (chopped, reduced seeds)
• ▢ salt and pepper (to taste)

Optional Toppings

• ▢ crushed chicharon
• ▢ egg

Instructions

• Boil pork belly in a pot of water until tender, about 30-40mins. Let it air dry then season with salt. Pan-fry in hot oil until crisp or oven-fry in a 230c heated oven for 30mins. Chop into bits of pieces. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a skillet or cast iron pan. Add garlic and onions. Saute until translucent. Add red and green chilies. Stir for a few seconds until fragrant.
• Add chopped fried pork belly or lechon. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour liquid seasoning, soy sauce, and liver paste and half of the calamansi juice. Season with black pepper. Stir until meat is well coated with the sauce. Stir-in mayonnaise. Top with raw egg if using and let the residual heat cook the egg.
• Remove from the heat then top with more raw onions. Transfer to a serving plate or sizzling plate and serve immediately. Add more calamansi and liquid seasoning if preferred.

Recipe Notes and Tips:

1. Pork belly - use leftover pork belly lechon or lechon kawali if available.
2. Calamansi – also known as calamondin.  Substitute with lemon or lime but the flavor difference will be noticeable.
3. Liquid Seasoning - use Knorr, Maggi, or Bragg Liquid Aminos
4. Liver paste –substitute with 2 pcs chicken liver.
5. To prepare the chicken liver: season with calamansi, black pepper, and soy sauce. Pan fry in hot oil for 2 minutes on each side. Mash with a fork then pan-fry again until crispy. 

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Author : Mella

Course : Appetizer

Cuisine : Filipino

Keyword : pork sisig recipe

Nutrition Facts

Pork Belly Sisig

Amount per Serving

Calories

679

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

106

g

163

%

Saturated Fat

 

41

g

256

%

Cholesterol

 

192

mg

64

%

Sodium

 

467

mg

20

%

Potassium

 

459

mg

13

%

Carbohydrates

 

10

g

3

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

3

g

3

%

Protein

 

20

g

40

%

Vitamin A

 

2184

IU

44

%

Vitamin C

 

14

mg

17

%

Calcium

 

32

mg

3

%

Iron

 

3

mg

17

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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