Tocino is a popular breakfast dish in the Philippines. It is made of pork fat, typically sourced from the pork shoulder, rear, or loin. To make the tocino, all you have to do is marinate it in a mixture of delicious spices, refrigerate it for a couple of days, and then fry or grill it until it has reached the desired consistency, crunchy and tasty. (Although "tocino" means bacon in Spanish, we will focus on the Filipino dish in this wikiHow.) If you want to know how to make your own tocino, instead of rushing to buy this specialty whenever you feel like it, read Step 1 to start.
Ingrediants
- 1 kg of pork loin or shoulder
- 6 tablespoons of table salt
- ½ cup of vinegar
- ½ - 1 cup of brown sugar
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons of onion powder
- 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of food coloring (optional)
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Prepare the Meat
Step 1. Slice the meat thinly
You should cut the pork shoulder or loin into 6mm thick slices. You can cut it even thinner, in 3mm thick slices, if you want. Make sure you remove all the bones. If you want to make it easier to slice it, you can place it in the freezer first, until it starts to firm up a bit, and then cut it up.
Step 2. Make the marinade mix
Combine the table salt, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, onion powder, and food coloring until all ingredients are combined. Instead of food coloring, you can use a teaspoon of beetroot powder. Put the ingredients in a bowl so you can rub the pork into the mixture.
For a more tart flavor, you can add 1/2 cup of pineapple juice to the mixture
Step 3. Rub the pork into the marinating mixture
Press the pork into the marinating mixture, until you've covered it thoroughly and evenly. Dip the pork fully into the mixture.
Step 4. Put the pork in the refrigerator for three days
Place the pork in a sealed food bag or airtight plastic container and store it in the refrigerator for three days. This will ensure that the pork is completely marinated before cooking it. When you take the pork out of the fridge, don't be disappointed if it doesn't have the bright, vibrant color you expected; it may look a little gray and dreary, but the colors will come out as you cook it.
Part 2 of 2: Cooking the Meat
Step 1. Stir-fry the meat
Here's what you need to do to stir-fry the marinated pork:
- Put the pork in a frying pan with a little oil.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat and then reheat each piece of meat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Cook it like bacon: fry each piece until crisp and golden brown.
- When you are done frying each piece, arrange it on a plate and move on to the next piece or pieces.
- You can also arrange the pieces on a paper towel if you want it to absorb some of the grease first.
- If you want a more Caribbean flavor, cut the pork into small squares and then fry them until crisp, serving them with white rice in a traditional dish called arroz blanco con tocino or "white rice with tocino."
Step 2. Grill the pork
You can also decide to use a grill instead of the pan. Here's what to do to grill the tocino to perfection:
- Heat the grill and place each piece of pork on it for 2-3 minutes on each side, just like you would in a pan.
- When each piece is crisp and roasted, remove it from the grill and you're done.
- Let the pork rest for about five minutes before serving.
Step 3. Serve the pork
There are many ways to serve this delicious dish. While it can be enjoyed on its own, it can also be served as part of a traditional dish called Tosilog in the Philippines, which consists of tocino, garlic, rice and fried egg.
