Make the best homemade pork tocino at home. Sweet and succulently tender that pork almost tastes like ham. Enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and pair it with garlic fried rice and egg.
Prep Time12 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Servings: 8servings
Calories: 277kcal
Author: Mella
Ingredients
1kg/ 2 lbs. pork belly or pork shoulder/ butt/ loinskin removed, sliced into ¼" thick
Place pork in a bowl. Add salt and brown sugar. Massage for 1 to 2 minutes until all sides are covered. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Combine all the tocino marinade ingredients in a bowl. Stir until well combined.
Place the pork in a zip back then pour over the marinade. Seal tightly and place it in another container with a lid to make sure the marinade doesn't leak.
Marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 3 days. Transfer to the freezer if not cooking right away. Defrost overnight before cooking.
How to cook tocino
Remove pork from marinade then place in a frying pan. Add water until meat is almost covered. Let it boil and cook until all liquid has evaporated.
Add oil when you hear the pork starts sizzling then set heat to medium-low. Gentle fry the pork until both sides are caramelized. Scoop out any blackened sugar from the pan using a metal spoon after every batch to prevent it from sticking to the uncooked meat.
Serve with garlic fried rice, egg, and vinegar dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Salt- use sea salt or kosher salt. Do not use iodized salt.
Rice vinegar can be substituted with distilled white vinegar, cane vinegar, or white or red wine vinegar.
Hoisin sauce is a sweet and salty glaze commonly used to make Chinese pork BBQ. It is available in many Asian stores, the international section of supermarkets, and online. Substitute with ketchup if not available.
Annatto powder is a natural food coloring that adds an "orange-ish" color to the pork. It can be found online and in most Filipino stores..
Shelf-life: Marinated tocino can only last 5 days in the refrigerator. Freeze and place in a freezer-safe container if not using immediately. It should last for up to 2 months in the freezer.
Nutrition: 125g per serving assuming the meat only absorbs half of the sugar. It is impossible for me to determine exactly how much sugar is absorbed.