Okay, so here is the question that seems to be begging an answer. What makes the best pinoy pork barbecue on a stick, ever?
The Cut of Pork – Is it fattier for flavor, leaner for meatiness, or a mixture of the two, with a chunky piece of fat as filler on the end of the stick? Is it liempo, pig’s jowl, or leaner cuts?
Texture – Is it artificially softened with baking soda (a restaurant trick) over night? Or pounded with a mallet? Cut thinly and bunched up, or cut in larger cubes and skewered like a kebab?
Marinade – Is it marinated for a long time with the risk of any salt drawing out water from the meat? Or is it only salted before cooking? Basted with a sweet sauce or more spice? Seven-up or sprite, soy sauce, kalamansi, sugar, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, salt, black pepper, STAR margarine, chillies, etc?
I can see this is the next Marketman pork obsession until we arrive at the ultimate version… A barbecue that is tender yet nicely caramelized with some burnt edges. Flavorful without being overly sweet. Nicely colored without artificial assistance. Possibly peppery, vinegary and garlicky with a hint of spiciness… Ah, the variations could be endless. The taste-testing taxing on the love handles. But we’ve done lechon, now let’s figure out pork barbecue. Your comments, suggestions, theories and tricks are most welcome… and as always, I will go through the pork barbecue chronicles with you on this blog… :)
88 Responses
I’ve tried the barbecue version from Foodie magazine and it works for us. But I reduced the amount of sugar as I don’t want my barbecue to be too sweet. Syempre, liempo that’s bacon-cut so it’s really juicy and tender.
Oh wow, the pork chronicles continue! I do prefer a meaty bbq with bold flavors, leaving behind any gristle or fat. But tender meat is a must, so the fattier cuts work best rather than a loin which tends to grill up dry.
Will you be doing taste tests of commercially available bbqs?
I suddenly remember an episode of Mythbusters when they tried to tenderize meat by exploding it, haha.
I prefer my barbecue to be meatier, the less fat the better. I also don’t like the burnt edges, because of the bitter taste. Definitely a strong taste of pepper & garlic for me. The less artificial ingredients, the better.
MM, how about a BBQ cookoff eyeball? Everyone can bring their own pork cut preference and secret marinade.
Competitor and Visitor Entrance Fees can finance the event and any savings can go to the school feeding program.
The winner gets bragging rights.
i think its all about the dipping sauce and other things with it besides the meat!
or am i already thinking kebabs and yakiniku? :)
Hi, I used to lurk in your blog, and referred to your Baking Supplies post in one of my posts.
Anyway, there used to be a big guy who sold pork barbecue in front of our old house in Sampaloc. I heard that he has since passed away. Too bad, because his pork bbq was delicious! And only at P10 per stick (it was the 90’s).
I definitely prefer thinner slices for pork barbecue since I find it more flavorful. Having the pork sort of bunched up retains more sauce. Yum! And I thought it was sort of canon to have 7-up in the marinade of Filipino-style barbecue. I am drooling imagining the lovely caramelization…
Hotstix! A tiny restaurant in QC that my friend Ian owned made the best, best, best pork barbecue EVER. Unfortunately, they’ve gone out of business. But he can always resurrect his recipe if there will be a cook-off!
My pork on a stick goes like this: half inch sized bits of pork belly (liempo?) marinated overnight in soy sauce, vinegar, chopped garlic, some 7-up, a couple teaspoons of brown sugar and lots of cracked black pepper, and rendered over medium hot coals, with frequent flips! Skins on and fat strips make for a truly street version, and dunked into vinegar spiced with garlic onions and chopped siling labuyo. Some things we never outgrow. Lipid panel results be damned :)!!!
Ummmm barbecue…love it. A bit of fat but more lean pls for health reasons. An hour of two of marinating so as not to dry up.Will gladly try your recipes. Have not found my “personally perfect ” barbecue…but I always love barbecue…anywhere. On the beach,at home in a party..Let’s have a barbecue !!! Agree with Artisan Chocolatier…let’s go! Have a friend who makes wonderful barbecue but she doesn;t want to share her secret….hahaha…pity.
I can’t wait for the results of this! I personally do not like sweet either but love a tangy, peppery, and garlicky taste.
I have always felt that the piece of pork fat at the end of the stick is something that serves tradition rather than function. Am I wrong? I think that this will be quite an interesting quest for you considering the infinite amount of variables. Let me add a few more to your list.
Should the sauce have some peanut butter? What about molasses? How about honey? Catsup in the glaze? Brown sugar or white sugar? What about muscovado?
Should the marinade have 7up? What about Calamansi? Is vinegar necessary in the marinade?
Should you use tenderizer on the meat? Will using organic pork make a difference? What about chilled (never frozen or newly slaughtered) pork?
Indirect or direct grilling?
Godspeed Marketman. I eagerly wait for your posts on this topic.
Fresh pork belly salted before cooking.
From APM -Will using organic pork make a difference?
Probably not…a leading newspaper in Holland followed up pigs from the farm to the market…two farmers..one organic and one not organic..at the end of the series, a dinner table was organised at a good (as in rated) restaurant with their pigs as the main course….at the dinner table aside from the 2 farmers and their families were the butcher, the cook, an animal scientist, a philosopher, a politician, director of an NGO called pigs-in-need….(you can imagine he interesting conversations)
in short, – they were not able to distinguish the differenc ein taste between organic and pen-raised pigs…
more lean meat than fat on my barbecue. Strips or cubes not an issue. Must be marinated for a few hours to overnight in a mix of soy sauce, NATIVE VINEGAR, calamansi (optional), cracked black pepper and garlic. A little brown sugar allowed. Catsup is a BIG NO NO.
nunosapunso, interesting you should mention that, as in the quest for the best lechon, I tried native vs. pink farm raised pigs, and even did some where I fed them only fruit for a week before slaughter and once cooked, I don’t think anyone could have told me which was which… Yet when you read nearly EVERY major recent cookbook or article by the so-called experts, they confidently assert that the native pigs yield the best lechons or something to that effect. From my limited personal experience (dozens of lechons), I wouldn’t be so glib about stating the native pig is better as fact rather than possibly simply perception…
I love my barbeque two ways!
-lean and in big chunks ala Aling Nene’s or Beach House barbeque with a requisite (only one) small fatty square at the end. For this barbeque I prefer a sweetish taste. This is how we make ours at home: 7-up + Mama Sita’s Barbeque Marinade (the dry one) + lots of crushed garlic, pepper, some red pepper powder + a few tablespoons of Muscovado sugar. Mix in the morning, refrigerate, barbeque in the evening!
– for liempo, I experimented a new dry rub for my mother’s thanksgiving/ prayer meeting thing and whoa! it tasted good..Different but pretty yummy. The original recipe I saw on the internet calls for only a dry rub, but I am a sucker for marinades. So I marinated the pork liempo in a bit of vinegar, a few dried star anise, a lot of szechuan ground peppercorns, a little drop of sesame oil in the morning.
Then as per the recipe 15 mins prior to roasting I added the dry rub— a mix of paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar,white sugar, salt and pepper. Now, it’s our favorite way of cooking liempo! The star anise flavor (which I love) is like an undertone to the spicy sweet boldness of the dry rub.
The Aling Ineng pork barbecue (at Market Market and at the Salcedo Market) is pretty good, I think.
gosh, I remember Ineng’s when it was at it’s first stall way back when… they have already changed their formula and sometimes their barbecue is a single long piece of pork skewered bunched up… I think they were much better during their first year of operation and have gone a bit downhill since, but I do still buy their barbecue once in a while…
I want my bbq with ome marbled fat, sliced thinly then bunched up. I use some molasses,tomato paste, some vinegar black pepper and pepper flakes,a dash of worcesershire, soy sauce for marinade. Just before skewering, I add some salt for more flavor. I then roll my skewered pork in mashed roasted garlic for some crunch and lots of flavor.
For my sawsawan, I combine soysauce,sugar,and vinegar then add some chilli flakes instead of onion. Yum!
never mixed up a pork bbq marinade, but i hear garlic & 7up are a must?
hi MM. have you tried countryside’s (along katipunan extension) skewered inihaw na baboy? thinly sliced pork belly,no marinade, just salt and pepper — but oh, so delicious. they’re almost like crispy homemade bacon!
too bad about ineng’s. i used to like reyes barbecue’s pork bbq, i loved their sweet bbq sauce with peanuts, (i still do) but since they started using fatty pork slivers, not just the one at the end of the stick, but every piece had fat in it, i stopped buying. i like mine with very little amount of fat, sliced thinly, without the requisite cube of fat at the end of the stick.it should be marinated for at least 2 hours, overnight would be better, but i just recently found out that it’s better to marinate the meat right after marketing, instead of placing it in the freezer, thawing it and then marinating it. (we usually do the marketing a few days before and we just thaw the meat we need on the day itself, but one time, i decided to cook some bbq right after marketing, marinated the meat for half an hour because guests were coming over, and lo and behold, the bbq tasted like it was marinated for hours! i usually mix some dark soy sauce, banana ketchup, crushed garlic, minced red onions, freshly crushed black pepper, sprite or honey, worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce , dijon mustard and crushed siling labuyo for the marinade.
i’ve heard of some recipes which include gin or anisado wine in the marinade…
I love my Mom’s bbq pork. Not sure what cut of pork she uses, but it definitely has some fat. She then marinates it in soy sauce, freshly squeezed lemon juice, garlic, brown sugar, black pepper and some red pepper flakes.
For the sawsawan, we use a combination of vinegar, patis, and a special chili paste.
So good!!
i like my bbq with a bit of fat (oh yummy), a bit sunog and a bit sweet…i find that pork loin or belly is a bit chewy, so i use butt…when not using bottled marinade (shame on me, eh), i use soya sauce (light, so it’s not too salty), a bit of ketchup, 7-up, a bit of olive oil, brown sugar, lemon, garlic, freshly cracked black pepper…
YES, YES, YES, MM…I SECOND ARTISAN’S COMMENT!!!!!!!! I am sooooo game on this…now, this is really something worth coming back home for! I will drop whatever it is I am doing for this…course, with advance planning, I can hardly wait!!!!
Maybe another episode of No Reservations? Pinoy Barbecue is getting recognition I think worldwide…Maybe BOBBY FLAY this time !
This and your lechon chronicles remind me of a show on the Asian Food Channel (or is it Lifestyle Network?) featuring celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal. I saw 2 episodes, one on the hamburger and another on the British trifle. Blumenthal has a very scientific, obsessive approach, during which he dissects every single ingredient (example: the bun, patty, cheese, lettuce and tomato, pickle etc) of the dish featured and experiments with several permutations of preparation. All this testing and poking around brings him to laboratories, farms, slaughterhouses, produce providers, etc. and finally to endless tinkering in his own test kitchen — all in search of the ultimate. The obsessive-compulsiveness is riveting; it’s a level of OC-ness that measures beef patty thickness just to get the right one that perfectly fits the average-size mouth! Like Alton Brown minus the wackiness. This barbecue project has the makings of another engrossing series of posts. Have a blast on this one, MM!
I think it’s all about the meat. A higher level of intramuscular fat or marbling will result in a more tender and flavorful dish. Fat = flavor, BUT you don’t want big chunks of it. Marbling is dependent on the breed and not on the feed. Berkshire or kurobuta is the most common although there are some new breeds in development for the japanese market. There is also research being done on using ultrasound to increase marbling.
Then, whatever marinade is used, I think the meat should not be left in it for more than 2 hours to preserve the integrity of the meat, especially if any kind of acid is used. Don’t you just hate the texture of meat that has been “cooked” or in reality, broken down, by its marinade?
Then, it should be cooked over uling and not on a gas or electric grill.
San Beda College Cafeteria in Mendiola. They have the best marinade and sauce. I must have eaten this everyday for a couple of months, buy a couple of sticks and just plain rice.
I will follow your barbecue quest whole heartedly and with great enthusiasm. I like any barbecue be it pork, chicken and beef. They must have a fat in them to shower the meat itself and flare up the flame while barbecuing making it more fun and aromatic. One rule of thumb I learned from the pros of my hometown boys and girls – do not barbecue the meat in their own fat – which I translate you need to baste them with bottled canola oil mixed with the leftover marinating liquid. Though barbecuing is not my strongest point in the kitchen, I love them much as long as I am not involved tending them on the grill. I can do the cutting and sticking of the meat. I find the pork meat cut like tocino works well in the grill and marinate. I like much the Aristocrat on Roxas Boulevard pork barbecue served with their Java rice and atsara. There is a place in my hometown of San Fernando, Pampanga named Jun Jun serves their barbecue with bibingka and their famous dipping sauce. It is an excellent combo.
Alton Brown wrote or explored the principle of brining…what it does to meat “protein cells are denatured making it tender since there is still enough moisture or solutes within the cell wall…”. Therefore, even if a tough cut of meat is used..let’s say the pigue where the muscles are more utilized in movement (they say, the more it is used, the tougher it is), if brined properly will be tender and juicy as well.
I do have a marinade recipe for pork bbq that compares to the one’s sold by Lapid’s in QC. I think it is the marinade and the dipping sauce, instead of the cut of meat that makes the pinoy bbq taste better, since i’ve used my marinade for beef and chicken as well.
I use pork neck instead of pork belly. It’s not as fatty as belly but the fat is marbled and the resulting bbq is very juicy. The marinade I use is a basic adobo mixture and I just add a bit of brown sugar and some 7up (better than sprite). Another marinade I use consists of Heinz ketchup, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, plenty of garlic and pepper, cinnamon, brown sugar and a bit of Bundaberg rum.
I did once use kurobota pig’s jowls for barbecue and they were very good…
Yes, I have vivid recollection of your kurobota pig’s jowls barbecue which was rated by your dinner attendees as excellent and magnificent barbecue. But kurobota is the Ferrari of meat and not readily available in the wet market or to Juan dela Cruz living in mountainous area of Cordillera or seaside area of Pagudpud!
A skewered kurobuta tenderloin meat would probably cost $10 ;-), that would be an outrageous price for a pinoy pork bbq, but then again it costs $3.50 at Goldilocks for a stick of pork bbq laden with catsup marinade.
The for holidays we received two trays of ready-to-cook pork BBQ on a stick from my mom’s cousin. One we had one tray for Christmas, the other for New Year. I could not get the recipe from her. Although she did indicate that she used pork butt and that it was marinated for two days. She did give us a helpful tip. When basting the BBQ, use equal amounts of UFC Banana Catsup and cooking oil. Sorry, American catsup such as Heinz will not work. Can’t wait to try your version.
I like Artisan’s and betty q’s comments. How about Market Manila Barbeque Festival? This day comprises anything and everything of pork barbeque. Including stalls and cooking demonstrations by food lovers, proceeds go to the school feeding program.
I love bbq and I have tried kalamansi juice, brown sugar, minced garlic, ufc banana catsup, toyo, and salt, pepper. This is the basic mixture. I also have tried all of the above plus instant coffee. Then same mixture plus peanut butter. Another is same basic mixture plus pineapple juice and oyster sauce. The pork should be thinly sliced and bunched a little on the stick so as to cook easily and not make the meat tough when cooked. I also like a little fat and not too sweet just a little. I don’t really need a dipping sauce but I like native vinegar with diced onion , salt and pepper. One time I tried just patis, brown sugar, pepper and chopped tanglad and marinated the pork and grilled it. It was good. Now even if it snows tomorrow I will go out and buy bbq from Isla Pilipino because I am craving for it now.
i agree with chrisb… cooking in “uling” makes the the biggest difference. The cut of meat and marinades are important factors but i think the best intentions go to waste if the bbq is cooked in any other way…
MM/bettyq–tips on brining pork for BBQ pls..was there a post on ‘brining’ before?? thanks.
BBQ without fat doesn’t taste as good.
for bbq i use the pork cut used for sweet n sour pork, either shoulder or neck, i think. the lean meat is marbled with thin layers of fat. liempo is ok too.
here is my friend’s bbq recipe which she always makes for our get-togethers. i made the amount reasonable enough for a family of 4:
1/2 kilo pork, sliced less than 1 cm thick, 1/2 cup 7up or sprite, 6 pcs. small kalamansi, juiced, 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper,3 cloves garlic, finely chopped, 2 Tbsp vinegar,2 Tbsp toyo. babad at least about 4 hours, then before grilling over charcoal, sprinkle salt.
mix the left-over marinade with 1/2 cup banana ketchup and baste bbq before finished cooking.
i have experimented with honey, tomato ketchup, fruit jams and even plum sauce. they work too, with varying degrees of sweetness. so if i do not have banana ketchup, i just mix whatever is available in my cupboard.
the parikit heat is important, as well as the distance of the meat from the coals. one test i’ve adhered to is putting my hand on top of the parilya, when i can still count to 10 without feeling the heat, then it is not ready.
happy bbq-ing!
Now I know how did I gain 10 lbs last year…by reading your post..ha ha ha…weight gain or loss…I still continue reading your post. You never stop to amaze me.
Barbecue for me is best to marinade two hours before grilling of course, we shall add some pork fat to add the much flavor. But if you come up with a much better version, can I eat over at your house every day of the year? =P
Happy new year MarketMan!!!=)
To answer the questions:
The Cut of Pork= a mixture of both fat and meat=) fat in between makes everything all good! tha kasim part really does the trick for me.
Texture= pounded…I like my barbeque soft and chewy with a little bit of crisp on the outside, albiet being the charred sauce, which doctors say may lead to cancer.
Marinade= definitely with some ketchup, sprite/7up, lots of garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and oyster sauce!!! this is my lola mama’s version and it’s the best for me=) I like it to be on the sweet side leaving the kick from chillies to the vinegar dip!
OMG hot rice and Coke!!!=) my mouth is salavating as the thoughts of what you will brilliantly do regarding pork barbeques race through my head… and I had just finished breakfast hehehe!=)
My favorite bbq’s:
1) Beach house bbq (UP Diliman, near the main library)
2) BBQ from the Dionisio’s. They sell it frozen from Valle 6, I think. I don’t have their contact info on hand. Will leave another comment when I do. :-)
Pork cut- liempo or kasim
Marinade – soy sauce, garlic, pepper, chopped sili, calamansi juice, sygar and pineapple juice. The Pineapple juice gives the barbecue a good aroma and flavor.
Dip: Vinegar, soy sauce, chopped onions and sili, calamansi juice. I think the calamansi juice is the secret to the Thorellie barbecue dip that was mentioned in the Table for Three blog.
My recipe includes pineapple juice, 7up, sugar, sukang paombong, lots of galic and freshly crushed black pepper. Marinate it min 4 hrs at room temp do not refrigerate. For the meat I used a mixed of pok belly and tenderloin. I also like just sukang paombong, freshly crushed black pepper and garlic only.
The cooking method that really makes the difference. Throw some dried herbs or woodchips in the charcoal tapos make sure tama lang yung baga. Wag madaliin ang pag ihaw the longer the better and make sure you baste them often with the mixture of marinate and olive oil.
I once tried a grilled beef tounge in tokyo…It really melts in the mouth. Not sure though if they put papain to tenderized it but I do taste a hinch of sugar on it.
the second best pork barbecue is the one you buy in any street corner when you are hungry and on a budget just like a day or two before payday.
The best pork barbecue will happen during the Marketmanila BBQ cookoff eyeball soon.
I second the motion (ok, so it’s not second but i lost count) of no banana catsup. It’s too red and too sweet. If I’m feeling native, the usual suspects of vinegar, soy sauce, lots of garlic and cracked pepper, a touch of brown sugar or honey. If feeling American, tomato catsup, molasses, worcestershire, spices. Marbled meat for me cooked over coals. Electric grills are convenient but lacks the smoky taste. Oh, I add liquid smoke in the marinade if I have it.
I had lived in an organic estate for a while… where all our meat and other products are grown with in the estate… am not an expert on this matter but somehow I could tell the difference.
The organic meat does taste better & … earthy it has something to do with their diet….
Where I lived before the pigs were roaming around the mini organic forest….
succulent is the word that describe organic meat.
hmmmm….i think that the secret of a good bbq is really in the marinade, how long you marinate it and the way you put them in the bbq stick….one secret though that i saw in my mother in law and i do it up to now is when i add the brown sugar to the marinade, i mix it all by hand until the brown sugar incorporates to the marinade and liquifies before i add in the meat….with a chunk of fat at the end of the stick and cooked over coals, just add steaming rice and yummy!!!!!
i use pork kasim by the way for my barbecue
Btw, for those of you with Facebook accounts, we’ve created a MarketManila.com fan club/group. You’re free to join and help expand the worldwide reader base and the Marketman gospel. hehehe…just type Marketmanila on the search window and you’ll find it.
Thanks for your permission, MarketMan!
Its definitely the fatty piece at the end that does it for me. sliced thin, caramelized-bordering on translucent, a bit charred and crispy. Whenever I get to the end, ! always wonder, why bother with the meat? Anyway the secret to overall great barbecue has got to be tender meat- cooking quickly. I mean that’s the reason why we skewer those thin pieces right? Less flare ups with less fat. Charring is desired but careful not to dry. On marinades I found a homemade version of my aunt who used peanut butter in the marinade- perfect. A touch of savory without being too peanut-y bordering on Thai. Strange though, she cooks the marinade before using it.
hmmm honestly i prefer the bbq’s sold along any kanto back home hehe..
yup i agree that some good bbq’s like ineng’s lost their “magic” when they became too “famous” so to speak..i hope heaven’s bbq in buendia is still good.
i just made my 1st batch of bbq last xmas away from the phils…seems the same yet still missing something…
iba ata talaga hanggin at uling sa pinas e..
I like the barbeque with honey. :)
I’m sorry for being ignorant but what is organic meat? How can you tell if it’s organic? Becky’s Lechon says their lechon is organic but I’m sure organic or not it’s still one heck of a shortcut to heaven!
Anyway, kakatuwa naman si Divine, parang lahat ng pwedeng ilagay sa marinade nalagay nya na, kulang nalang cool aid! I wanna try the one with the coffee..hehe! =p
Just waiting for that pork bbq eyeball…
I love the Beach House BBQ at UP Diliman. That, for me, is my number one BBQ :)
I prefer lean meat. And maybe a surprise sliver of fat somewhere. I really do not understand the purpose of the cube of fat at the end of the stick.
I agree Ineng’s bbq has somewhat changed… I find the meat a little tough now and I also noticed the single piece of meat skewered which makes it difficult to eat! Most of the time I now buy Heaven’s Barbeque! I like the tenderness and juiciness of the meat and the sweet sauce that they serve with it – which is sometimes mistaken as a hand sanitizer because of the plastic bottle container!
I don’t want to be in the waitlist again. I’m in! Sandali… may eyeball na ba?
What about a Bobby Flay type Pinoy barbeque throwdown? Bobby Flay as MM.
I want to correct something. It is Isla Pilipina not Pilipino. Well snow is stil falling weathermen said 2″ to 4″ of snow and there is a little wind so I will just go to Isla Pilipina for my BBQ on Sunday. Anyway, I just cooked Pancit Bihon and I am making a mixture for my Lumpiang Shanghai because I haven’t bought my wrapper. I know today is Friday here but it is my day off and I work on Saturdays so the pancit will be shared with some of my co-workers tomorrow. To Cai yeah try the mixture with instant coffee it is also good. You know make the marinade first , taste it then mix in the meat/fat. If you don’t like the marinade you can discard it. Make a little marinade first to sample.
Just to add another thing, I AM SO “INGGIT” with all of you there because you are talking of the EYEBALL already. That’s it.
I’m not an expert in defining what makes the perfect pinoy bbq but the best ive tasted so far is “three sisters bbq” at tiendesitas (i think the original branch is in pasig)… quite expensive but definitely worth it!!! :)
https://the-f-word-blog.blogspot.com
Marinade is key but from all the comments above, I will have to agree with the cut of meat and the intensity of heat from the grill. Our neighborhood BBQ stand, Aling Fely’s, has been doing this for decades, she’s in her 70’s now, and one of her techniques to keep the bbq moist is having some cuts of fat between the lean meat and she says that it’s the smoke and not so much the heat from the charcoal that should cook the bbq.
The Definitive Pinoy Barbecue…as you have said MM. tender, has that heavenly alluring aroma that calls for Kapit-bahays all the way to Texas (ECC and Ebba!), not cloyingly sweet, has zip, got be garlicky, definitely NOT NUCLEAR ORANGE!
Sugar is usually added be it brown or white ( much prefer honey though!). As such, when subjected to high heat, it will caramelize and look done though the meat may not be cooked through.
Uling…Though mesquite heats up faster and longer, one has to be familiar with its capacity to heat really to the max and make adjustments throughout the grilling process. Therefore, just like we do in the restaurants, we have one side with the fuel (this case, wood chunks, mesquite)…grill it till we get the grill marks…on the other side…we have just the embers emanating smoke….then we transfer it to that side to continue cooking per customers’ request how they like the meat done!
At home, I don’t have the luxury of having such a contraption…so, to simulate that. I cook my barbecue on high heat till I get the grill marks. If I cook it on low heat and wait till the meat is cooked, I am drying out the meat…have you noticed how some barbecue is just so chewy? After I get the grill marks and it smells heavenly, I transfer all the barbecued meat in a baking pan. At this point, sometimes I add a bit of fresh made marinade sometimes, not! A little sprinkling of water sometimes! Cover with foil and placed in oven 375 degrees to continue cooking. This I can guarantee you will produce the tenderness we all are seeking! Because the fibers have already been broken down, it will absorb more moisture and flavour! It has tenderness, that aluuring heavenly smoke is retained and the flavours from your marinade!
This is just my theory and it has worked for me! If I have leftovers, which I rarely do, I crank up the grill again the next day on high and heat up the leftovers that way for just a few short minutes…on the grill!
Hey, wait a minute… who said anything about an eyeball? I think I need at least another year to recover before another one… despite reader comments here. :)
for news on philippine pigs, kindly see this link:
i saw this tv news re: ebola-reston virus in philippine pigs, and thought you may want to know. ang video clip nga nag-iihaw ng lechon.
according to some web news there are 10,000 pigs in bulacan and pangasinan which are under quarantine for investigation. i called up my mother to verify and she says that “walang balita” there.
so, to one and all, hinay-hinay muna sa pork consumption to be on the safe side.
https://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/12/21/08/rp-persuaded-announce-ebola-reston-virus-discovery-report
Mimi, yes, there is front page news here, including visiting experts taking samples of pigs throughout Northern luzon.
MM,hope you do consider having an eyeball soon coz’ am excited to attend as this will be my first time……please…..
meaty or fatty, tender or tough, sweet or spicy, pale or blackened beyond recognition–i havent met a pork bbq i didn’t like.☺☺☺ hell i’d eat a whole stick of bbq ends if there ever was one, honest. hmmm, make that 2 sticks….
the best bbq is done by not soaking it overnight, try massaging the marinade through the meat with lots of tender loving care while you do it. be sure of course to properly wash your hands before getting them busy with the pork cuts.hehe.
I like my bbq fatty, so I absolutely adore Reyes Barbecue. I also like Beach House barbecue at the UP Sunken Garden. Definitely a bargain at 20 pesos, for huge chunks of skewered meat. I also love the barbecue sauce they serve on the side in Dome. It probably has a tomato/ketchup base that’s probably patterned after a Western recipe, but altered to suit the Filipino’s tastebuds.
First of all, let me say that I love this blog and I’ve been following this on and off for more than a year now. :) (And this is my first comment! Hehe.)
The best bbq I’ve tasted so far is the one on Malumanay St., Teachers’ Village, Q.C. (I’m not sure if they still sell them though; we’ve moved to a different part of QC). Their bbq is meaty, juicy, tender, and the flavors are balanced. The vinegar dip that comes with it complements it well. Everyone I know who has ever tried it, loved it! Plus the price is sulit. (16 pesos/stick two years ago). They sell very quickly too. We usually go there at around 6 and by that time, there are only a few left. They also sell pork isaw.
Mimi…Correct me if I am wrong please. As per your commnet up above, you mix some leftover marinade with a little catsup and baste your bbq just before it is finished cooking? Leftover…meaning you have some set aside before you added the meat to the bulk of the marinade?….or leftover….meaning after you have skewered the meat, you take some of it and add a bit of catsup?
I sincerely hope that you just FORGOT to mention that you and your friend boil the leftover marinade (the one with the meat added to it)before mixing it with a little catsup to kill any POTENTIAL HAZARDOUS MATERIALS that could still be lurking in the marinade and that could ruin your dinner or lunch by spending the rest of the day or afternoon in the bathroom!
betty_q: i mix the marinade on its own, without meat, so that i can taste to season it prior to mixing with the sliced pork. it does not have to be swimming in the marinade, so you only pour as much as will coat the meat and still have excess (leftover from no meat marinade). the leftover/excess is then mixed with the ketchup, or whatever sweetener and seasoning you would like to add. so in effect, the marinade for basting never touched the meat. salt it sprinkled after the meat has been skewered just before grilling. the meat has to be almost cooked or in the malasado stage when you baste. my friend says that basting it too soon will just toughen the meat and burn it faster.
I’m really enjoying reading all the comments on the best pinoy bbq.I think that no matter what marinade you put, the secret is in the barbequing process itself and the timing of basting.Nothing beats grilling with charcoal!Looking forward to the best pinoy BBQ eyeball!
i remember some years ago we visited pasay cemetery during the “undas”. across the the cemetry was a bbq stand which sold the best tasting sidewalk pork bbq for me. the owner said they were thin slices of lomo marinated in just brown sugar. he said the brown sugar is also acidic or “maasim” and it gets fermented, giving the bbq its unique taste but more on the sweet side (which i like)
btw, is the eyeball by invite only?
looking forward to the BBQ chronicles. My best is the original Ric’s bbq at F. Ramos, Cebu yearsssssssssss ago
if you happen to get near southwoods in laguna drop by at nemia’s best barbeque ever.
Homemade bbq has always been the best for me. Ours is loaded with garlic and has to be soaked with 7up and a bit of pineapple juice. Fat is also a must. Pag may taba, malinamnam and malasa. Kahit sa last bite =) Serve with calcibloc na din =P
Hi Ryulo, may i ask where is nemias bbq located? im form binan. thanks
uhmm…so what’s the best bbq recipe????=)
Best? For me the best bbq is in Tandang Sora, in front of the shop of paultry and feeds supply and beside Eunilane. That is the best isaw best bituka best barbecue ever and it is all because of his delicious sauce.