One of the easiest and most delicious pork recipes is this Filipino-Style Pork Tocino. Thinly sliced pork is marinated in sugar and seasonings and then pan-fried until tender and fully caramelized. Traditionally served with rice and fried eggs, this recipe is definitely a keeper!
1poundpork butt or pork shoulder,very thinly sliced (about 1/8th inch thick) across the grain
1/4cupbrown sugar
1/2teaspoonsalt
1/2teaspoonground black pepper
1/2teaspoongarlic powder
2-3dropsred food colouring
1/2cupwater
1tablespoonsvegetable oil
green onions,for garnish
Instructions
Place the thinly sliced pork into a mixing bowl.
Measure in the brown sugar, salt, ground black pepper, and garlic powder, and add a couple of drops of liquid red food colouring. With a gloved hand or tongs, gently massage the pork until the sugar and seasonings are well distributed. The red food colouring may not distribute too well but don’t worry about that. The colour will very easily distribute during cooking.
Transfer the pork mixture to a resealable bag. Remove as much air from the bag as possible and refrigerate the pork for a minimum of 12 hours. Pork can be marinated for up to 3 days.
When you are ready to cook the pork, transfer the marinated pork to a skillet or wok. Pour in half a cup of water and turn the heat to medium-high. Stir the pork well and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to simmer and cook until the water is absorbed.
Increase heat to medium-high and add two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Fry, stirring often, until the pork has caramelized slightly. Be careful not to burn the pork! This should only take 2-3 minutes.
Once done, serve with rice, fried eggs, and sliced cucumber. Garnish with green onions.