Flashback 35-ish years ago: my cousins and I hovering like vultures by the grill where one of our dads would be getting ready to take the meat off. Half it didn’t even make it to the platter. Memories (scroll all the way down for some throwback photos)! If these weren’t served at our Filipino parties, there would be so much disappointment.
Filipino BBQ is skewered meat that has been marinated in soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, and 7-Up. Yep, 7-Up. You can find many variations of this marinade out there, but these 4 ingredients are pretty much a constant. My version also uses apple cider vinegar for some added acidity as well as some sesame oil. I’ve had these with chicken and steak, but pork is my favorite for this recipe.
Marinating time: 1 day
Skewering time: Depends upon who's helping you.
Makes a lot.
Ingredients
5 lbs boneless pork shoulder or pork roast
20 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups 7-Up
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sesame oil
Bamboo skewers (usually comes in a packs of 50 or 100 - you'll use 50 at the most)
Directions
Slice the pork into strips about 1/4-inch thin, 1 to 2-inches long, and about 1 inch wide. Due to the shape of the whole pork shoulder, some of your pieces may vary in shape a bit, and that's ok - just make sure they are the same thickness so that they cook evenly. Place all of the meat in a large container with a lid and set aside.
Combine the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl and stir until the sugar has sort of dissolved. Pour this marinade over the meat. Move the meat around to ensure all of the pieces are coated. Place the lid and refrigerate for one day. Periodically turn the container upside-down then right-side up to re-distribute the marinade.
The next day, soak the bamboo skewers for 30 minutes.
Thread 4 to 5 pieces of meat onto each skewer, making sure not to bunch them up too much. Transfer the remaining marinade to a saucepan and boil for 15 minutes to reduce and cook the raw meat juices. This will be for basting.
Heat the grill (we use charcoal). Cook the skewers for about 2 minutes on each side before basting. Continue to cook, basting and rotating the skewers, until the meat is caramelized and cooked through (about 15 minutes total).
Serve as is or with rice and vinegar and/or atchara.
Visuals
The meat, all sliced up.
Marinating the pork.
Skewering assembly line.
This is only half of them!
Smelling amazing.
Gone in 60 seconds.
Just for fun, here are some family pictures from the 1980s, featuring Filipino BBQ!
My dad, BBQ game is strong.
Dad again, grilling so much that his mustache is finally growing.
Me, age 5, apparently taking for granted the platter of Filipino BBQ in front of me.
Here is another photo of Filipino BBQ. It's on the table behind my mom who is NOT taking it for granted. I actually do this happy dance now when I'm about to have some.
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