Pinoy Pork Barbecue Skewers
Pulutan: Friday Night Hangs & Cold Drinks
Walk down any Manila street or into a Filipino-American backyard on a July weekend, and the heavy, sweet smoke of pork hitting hot coals will find you first. This is the ultimate pulutan—food meant to be eaten with one hand while holding a cold beer in the other. The actual secret the street vendors and grandmothers use is a simple can of Sprite. The soda breaks down the tough pork shoulder while its sugars, combined with the uniquely spiced sweetness of banana ketchup, create that iconic, sticky glaze. Thread the meat onto wet bamboo skewers, slide them under the broiler, crack a cold San Miguel, and watch the sugar blister.
Before you start
Prepare the pork shoulder.
When slicing the meat, ensure you keep the fat attached to the strips—it's absolutely essential for keeping the skewers juicy over the high heat of the grill.
Sort the hardware.
Procure 15 to 20 bamboo skewers, 8 or 10 inches in length, and find a shallow baking dish large enough to soak them completely submerged.
Ingredients
- pork shoulder2 1/2 lb
- lemon-lime soda1 cup
- banana ketchup3/4 cup
- soy sauce1/2 cup
- calamansi juice1/4 cup
- oyster sauce1/4 cup
- dark brown sugar1/2 cup
- garlic1 large head
- black pepper1 tsp
- neutral cooking oil2 tbsp
- banana ketchup2 tbsp
- cane vinegar1/2 cup
- garlic3 med cloves
- red onion1 small
- Thai bird's eye chilies2 small
- salt1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/4 tsp
Method
- 01
Mix the marinade and reserve the basting sauce.
In a large bowl, whisk the soda, 3/4 cup of the banana ketchup, soy sauce, calamansi juice, oyster sauce, brown sugar, minced head of garlic, and 1 tsp of black pepper. Before touching the meat, scoop out 1/2 cup of this marinade and stash it in the fridge for tomorrow's baste.
- 02
Marinate the pork.
Massage the sliced pork shoulder in the remaining marinade until thoroughly coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for a minimum of 4 hours—but never longer than 24, as the soda will eventually break the meat down into mush.
- 03
Hydrate the hardware.
About 45 minutes before grilling, submerge 15 to 20 bamboo skewers in a baking dish full of water so they don't catch fire over the coals.
- 04
Skewer the meat tightly.
Thread 4 to 5 pieces of pork onto each soaked stick, folding and scrunching the meat together so absolutely no bamboo is exposed between the pieces, leaving a 2-inch handle at the bottom.
- 05
Fortify the basting sauce.
Take the clean 1/2 cup of marinade you reserved yesterday and whisk in the neutral oil and the remaining 2 tablespoons of banana ketchup. The oil is the secret to a glossy, lacquered glaze rather than a burnt crust.
- 06
Grill and glaze the skewers.
Place the skewers over medium-high direct heat and let them sear naked for about 3 minutes until they lose their raw pink color. Only then should you begin heavily brushing them with the fortified baste, flipping and basting every 1 to 2 minutes until cooked through and caramelized with sticky, blackened edges, about 10 to 12 minutes total.
- 07
Mix the sawsawan and serve.
While the pork rests, stir the vinegar, chopped garlic cloves, red onion, chilies, salt, and remaining 1/4 tsp of pepper in a small bowl. Serve the hot skewers immediately with the sharp, spicy vinegar dip and an ice-cold beer.
Notes
The Banana Ketchup Mandate.
Do not substitute standard tomato ketchup here. Banana ketchup is sweeter, heavily spiced, and fundamentally alters the profile to taste exactly like the homeland; look for brands like Jufran or UFC at your local Asian grocer.
Indoor Pan-Grilling Reality.
If you're cooking in an Ohio winter, a cast-iron grill pan or standard heavy-bottomed frying pan works beautifully over medium-high heat. The oil in the basting sauce ensures the sugars caramelize in the pan instead of instantly bonding and burning.
Embrace the char.
Do not pull the meat off the heat too early out of fear of burning. A slight blackened char on the edges is not a mistake; it's a highly desired textural element that cuts through the fatty pork.
From Cook Filipino in America.