Pork Tocino is a hearty Filipino all-day breakfast served with sunny-side-up eggs and garlic fried rice. Sweet and garlicky, it's sure to be a family favorite.
Different regions of the Philippines are known for various specialties, and we, Kapampangans, are known for the best pork tocino, tapa, and longganisa.
Pork tocino is Filipino cured meat made of beef, chicken, or pork. It's typically served as an all-day breakfast meal as part of a combo called tocilog, a portmanteau for tocino, sinangag (garlic fried rice), and itlog (sunny-side-up eggs).
This regional delicacy has evolved to be a delicious balance of sweet and salty, but traditional Kapampangan burong (cured) babi (pork), as I remember it, is fermented at room temperature to achieve a slightly sour taste. For food safety, I highly recommend curing the meat in the refrigerator for no more than three days and storing it in the freezer immediately after.
It's so easy to make at home; you'll never have to buy it again! I suggest marinating a few pounds and freezing it for future use. Portion out in individual resealable bags, and you'll have a delicious meal ready in a pinch.
Marinade ingredients
Traditional pork tocino included salitre (saltpeter), a food preservative and colorant. The recipe below, however, uses basic pantry ingredients and has no added preservatives.
The marinade is a simple mixture of salt, sugar, garlic powder, and pepper to bring on the sweet and garlicky flavors you'll love. The red food coloring is for aesthetic purposes only and can be omitted.
Cooking tips
- For the right taste and texture, use the right cut of meat. I find tenderloin (lomo) to be too lean and pork belly to be too fatty. Tocino, like our iconic BBQ pork, is best made with Boston butt or (despite the name, it actually comes from the pig shoulder) kasim which has a good mix of fat and meat.
For a tender chew, cut the meat thinly across the grain. - Not a fan of food coloring? Substitute about 1 teaspoon atsuete powder or ยผ cup of banana ketchup.
- You can add pineapple juice, anise wine, or vinegar to help tenderize the meat and balance the sweetness with a hint of tangy flavor.
Ways to cook
- Stovetop- you can pan-fry straight in hot oil, but I suggest cooking the tocino first in water until fork-tender. Add enough water to cover the meat and simmer until the meat is tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed. Add oil and cook, stirring regularly, until lightly browned and caramelized.
- Grill- instead of pan-frying, you can cook the meat over hot coals or on a tabletop grill for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through and nicely charred.
- Oven- to bake, arrange the marinated meat in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 F oven for about 30 to 40 minutes or until browned and a thermometer inserted in the center of the meat reads 145 F. Turn the meat halfway through cooking and loosely tent with foil if over-browning before fully cooked.
How to store
- Cooked- transfer leftovers to a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Warm up in the microwave at 2 to 3-minute intervals until thoroughly heated.
- Uncooked- store in a resealable bag or airtight container. Keep refrigerated and cook within 3 days. For more extended storage, transfer to a freezer-safe container or resealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months. There's no need to defrost to cook.
More breakfast recipes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork butt, sliced to ยผ-inch thick
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ยผ teaspoon pepper
- 2 drops red food coloring
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine pork, sugar, salt, garlic, pepper, and red food coloring. Massage meat with curing mixture until well-distributed and evenly colored.
- Store in a covered container or ziplock bag and refrigerate overnight to cure.
- In a pan over medium heat, add pork including marinade and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil.
- Lower heat, cover and simmer until meat is tender and cooked through, adding more water in ยฝ cup increments as needed.ย
- When water is completely absorbed and meat is tender, add oil and cook, stirring regularly, until meat caramelizes. Serve hot.
Notes
- For a tender chew, slice the pork across the grain.
- Not a fan of food coloring? Substitute about 1 teaspoon atsuete powder or ยผ cup of banana ketchup.
Video
Nutrition Information
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
Marilyn Masinag says
Is it okay to use brown sugar instead of white sugar?
Lalaine Manalo says
Yes, you can use brown sugar. You might have to adjust the amount to taste as white sugar is sweeter than brown.
Christine says
Hi Ms. Lalaine,
I would like to know po how long can I store the tocino?
Thank you also for your recipe this will help me a lot, I'm trying to make healthy homemade breakfast for my family.
Lalaine Manalo says
In the refrigerator, up to 3 days. In the freezer, it should be good 2 to 3 months.
Roselda segovia hesita says
Mam ilang days po ibinababad ang pag gawa po ng fork tocino
Lalaine Manalo says
Overnight po pwede na ๐
Helen Bridgette F Amarante says
Good day Mam,
I like this recipe since ive been looking for homemade foods for breakfast, i usually cook ham,hotdog and nuggets for my children in the morning and i plan to stop this and make a homemade one, can you please let me know more recipes for quick cooking recipes for breakfast? Thank you in advance Mam.
Lalaine Manalo says
Hello, Helen!
I have a lot of easy breakfast recipes on the blog. Just click on the recipe index on the navigation bar and you'll plenty of ideas ๐
Iluisa Tarlit says
Hello Ms lalaine,
Iโve been using KP as my inspiration in making my family eating the right food to eat. I am glad that iam now part of it. May i know if i can reprint the e-book that part of my subscription? Thanks and nore power. Proud KP follower here๐ค๐ค๐ค
Lalaine Manalo says
Yes, you may re-print it for personal use or to share with friends ๐
Jezrelle Bulatao says
Is it okay if I don't use garlic powder and just use garlic paste? Thanks
Lalaine Manalo says
Yes, garlic paste will work, too ๐
Marielyn M. Quemuel says
just asking why you dont use pineapple juice and banana catsup in pork tocino which you use in chicken tocino.
Lalaine Manalo says
I didn't use it here because I wanted to do pork tocino that's similar to what is sold in the market. Also, this tocino recipe can be stored longer as it doesn't have the acids of pineapple juice that will break down the meat and make it mushy.
hannah says
hello !
i want to ask if i can replace garlic powder into garlic cloves?
Lalaine Manalo says
I find garlic gloves doesn't impart as much flavor. To draw out maximum flavor, maybe puree the cloves and add to the marinade.
Rosemary says
This sounds so good. A bit like the carnitas I make. I'm unsure of something though so before I make this ... your steps go from adding water as needed, to the water cooking out. When do you stop adding water and start to let it dry up to crisp it?
Lalaine Manalo says
The meat should be fork-tender by the time the water is completely absorbed so just add more water if you see it drying out before the meat is fully cooked.
Gabe says
I used 3+ lbs of meat instead of 2. It still tasted really good!
Di na ulit ako bibili ng ready-made tocino. Maraming salamat sa recipe!
Lalaine Manalo says
I'm glad it worked out for you, Gabe.
Jael Generoso says
hi ms. lalaine. i just want to ask if it's okay to "not" put the food coloring? will there be a difference in taste if i do so? thanks!
Lalaine says
Hello Jael,
No difference in taste at all. The food coloring is for aesthetic purposes only ๐
Krissy says
Hi ms Lalaine what kind of salt do you use? Just the plain table salt? Coz I do usually use kosher and do you know how much so i have to put if i'll use kosher salt? Thank
Lalaine says
Yes, just regular iodized salt ๐
Danielle says
Hi,
Your website has made my life so much easier. I am a Canadian woman who met and fell in love with a man from Manila when I was visiting there. We are now living in Canada and I have learned so much about cooking Filipino food in the last 5 years but this has been a god send.
Thanks and keep it up!
Lalaine says
I am glad you find the recipes helpful in your homecooking and keeping the hubby happy ๐
I really appreciate your feedback and your continued support of Kawaling Pinoy.
kristina says
Hi Lalaine!
I will try these recipe later,
Kaya pala gustong gusto ko panlasa mo dahil kabalen pala,...my father was kapampangan though i' m living in iloilo now, i knew a lot of kapampangan recipes,specially bulanglang and buro.
Anie says
I'm new to your blog and every recipe sounds and look so enticing.
Then I read your Kapampangan..I smacked my forehead and said, "No wonder!"..
I'm also kapampangan and love to cook for my maputing asawa...LOL
He is undoubtedly very spoiled. ๐
Thank you for all your recipe.
Lalaine says
Thanks, Anie
Mangan tamu ๐
Lynne says
Try this recipe later
anton says
Hi, Do you have an authentic recipe of Burong Babi? One where it is fermented in rice?
Lalaine says
Hi Anton
I've never heard of burong babi fermented in rice. I am kapampangan and burong babi for us is tocino left out of refrigeration for days until it becomes a bit sour. Do you mean buro (fermented rice), maybe?