When Filipinos say barbecue, they usually mean charcoal-grilled skewered pork. A favorite party dish—children and adults would welcome a Pinoy pork barbecue anytime. This is one of my regular potluck dish—like today for family reunions and the like. I always make more than enough for lunch—and watch the kids come back for it again and again all throughout the rest of the afternoon. I like to eat it with rice, and a dipping sauce of garlic-vinegar.
During my eldest granddaughter’s first trip to the Philippines in 2004, she had just turned 4 and was quite a picky eater. She however loved rice (she could eat it plain), noodles (even the instant-ones-in-a-cup), mangoes (she could wolf down 2 whole fruits in 1 sitting), and eggs. She wasn’t much of a meat eater but she adored Granny’s barbecue—she ate it grilled (as it should be) or fried (when she couldn’t wait for the grill to be ready); either way, she took it with rice—and liked it best when dipped in vinegar. On the eve of her flight back home to the US, we bought her a cake and gave her a send-off party. She dressed up and asked me to put on the Christmas lights all night. Of all the food on the table, all she ate was barbecue—6 sticks of barbecue for dinner.
Pork Barbecue
Ingredients
Marinade
- 8 oz 7-Up
- ½ c brown sugar
- ½ c banana ketchup
- ¼ c soy sauce
- 1 big head garlic crushed
- salt & pepper
For the barbecue
- 1 k kasim (picnic) or tenderloin cut into 1½” slices
For basting
- ½ c canola oil
- ¼ c banana ketchup
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine marinade ingredients. Add pork; mix well to coat thoroughly. Marinate in fridge overnight or up to 3 days.
- Separate pork from marinade. Add the canola oil and the ¼ cup of ketchup to marinade; set aside for basting.
- Skewer 5 to 6 slices of pork in each stick, starting with a piece of fat. Broil over charcoal; baste with marinade-ketchup mixture.
