Homemade Pork Tocino

Tocino is Spanish for Bacon. We Filipinos borrowed the concept, but we put our own little stamp on it.This is my version of Homemade Pork Tocino. It’s a little bit sweet, a little bit salty and so delicious. Typically served with Garlic Fried Rice, a runny Sunny Side Egg and served with various condiments to make it a complete meal. This combo is affectionately called TOSILOG(TOcino +SInangag+itLOG), a portmanteau of all the components, with Tocino being the Filipino bacon, Sinangag is garlic fried rice and Itlog is egg.

Salted Meats

Salted meats like ham and bacon are traditionally dry salted and brined and keeps uncooked for months. Sometimes nitrates are added to extend the shelf life of cured products as some bacteria are salt tolerant. As a lovely side effect, it was also noted that nitrates brightened the colour of the meat and improved it’s flavour (On Food and Cooking,Harold Mc Gee,2004). Unfortunately, nitrates can react with other chemicals in the food and are said to be cancer causing, which is why I don’t add nitrates when I make my own tocino. Although I’m not too fussy, being a cancer survivor myself, I feel every little bit counts.

What is Tocino?

The traditional Filipino tocino is cured in saltpeter(Potassium Nitrate) which gave it the characteristic red colour and extended it’s shelf life. With modern refrigeration, I feel that there is no more need for saltpeter. For this recipe, I used annato powder, which is completely natural and is available from Asian shops. To add a bit more colour, I use Cranberry juice. Although the resulting product won’t be as vibrant , it will taste just as delicious. However, if you really want the red tinge, just add a drop of red food colour to the mix.

I really had no intention of making my own tocino. Why bother? Tocino is like the bacon which you get from the Asian shops. However, while in Boracay recently, I had the pleasure of trying the housemade tocino at the Lemoni Cafe. There was no red dye in their version and I believe it had a hint of pineapple as well. I could not believe how delicious it was, I was inspired to make my own version when I got back home. To be fair, my version is not cured like the traditional tocino, it’s more of the marinated version which I believe is healthier and more delicious. By the way, while you’re here check out my recipe for another Filipino favourite the Pork Asado.

What you need to make Homemade Pork Tocino

• Pork Belly Slices – Pork belly provides the perfect fat to meat ratio I reckon. If you want less fat, use Pork Shoulder and ask the butcher to slice them finely for you. Supermarkets also now offer thinly sliced pork belly pre packaged and labelled Pork Belly Slices. I’ve used this and they’re perfect for Pork Tocino. If your slices are thicker, add 1/4 cup of water when cooking the marinated tocino. Cook the water off, add the cooking oil and cook until caramelised and golden. It does cook quickly, once the liquid has evaporated, don’t take your eyes off the pan, or you will have charcoal in your hands.
• Marinade – Garlic Powder, Annato Powder, Sugar, Stock Powder,Black Pepper, Cranberry Juice or Pineapple Juice, Soy Sauce and White Vinegar. Annato powder is the ground seeds of Annato tree and is available from Asian shops. Substitute with turmeric powder or omit altogether. It does not add any flavour and is only used as a natural food colour. Cranberry juice also adds a little bit of a red tint, but pineapple juice is a little bit more flavourful.

Easy does it..

• Mix together all the marinade ingredients with the pork. Cover and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
• To cook, heat a little bit of oil in a pan on medium heat. If the pork slices are thicker, cook with 1/4 cup of water until the water has evaporated, then add the oil to the pan. Lay the tocino slices in a single layer in the pan and cook on medium until caramelised and golden.

If you do make this recipe, let me know what you think. Drop me a comment in the comments section below, I would love to hear from you.

Homemade Pork Tocino

Recipe by Lola Adele

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Pinoy FavouritesCuisine: FilipinoDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Delicious Homemade Pork Tocino

Ingredients

• 500g Pork Belly, sliced thinly about 1cm

• 2 teaspoons anatto/ achuete powder

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup Cranberry Juice or Pineapple Juice

• 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

• 1 teaspoon Stock Powder( like Vegeta)

• 2 tablespoons White Vinegar

• freshly ground Black Pepper

• 2 tablespoons Cooking Oil, for pan frying

• To Serve

• Garlic Fried Rice

• Sunny Side Egg, 1 per person

• Various Condiments, like pickles, sliced tomatoes and cucumber

Directions

• In a non reactive bowl, mix together all the ingredients excluding cooking oil. Massage the marinade well into the pork so all the slices are well coated. Cover bowl and let to marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
• To cook, place cooking oil in a pan on medium heat. Lay the tocino pieces flat and in a single layer.
• Cook until golden and caramelised.
• Serve with garlic fried rice and a sunny side egg with various pickles, sliced tomatoes and sliced cucumber.

Notes

• Will keep in the fridge for 3 days. If keeping longer, store in a covered container in the freezer.