How to Make Pork Tocino

Pork Tocino, a popular native product from the Philippines typically made from the pork belly. The meat is sliced into thin strips, and Anise wine, annatto, water, sugar, and salt are combined in a container. Each strip is then sprinkled with the mixture and stacked in a separate container, which is covered and kept refrigerated for about three days to cure.

Tocino is traditionally boiled in water (just enough water to cover the meat) or fried in oil, or is cooked over medium heat until the fat is rendered. The original tocino is marinated only with salt, sugar, and salitre (saltpetre), although pineapple juice may be added for a slightly tart flavor. Kapampangans who make tocino mix it for four to six hours in order to achieve thickness and softness of the meat, then leave it overnight at room temperature before serving it as burong babi (fermented pork).

Tocino is often served as the popular breakfast or lunchtime combination Tosilog, whose name is a portmanteau of tocino, sinangág (garlic rice) and itlóg (egg, which is cooked either sunny-side up or scrambled).

How to Make Pork Tocino

Meat:

• 1kg. Pork pigue or kasim, with or without skin. Boneless, sliced 1/4 inch thick

Extenders:

• In 1/2 cup water add 1/4 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP)
• Hydrate for 3 minutes.
• Add 1 Tbsp Isolate and 1/2 tsp Carageenan

Curing Mixer:

• 1 tbsp – Salt, refined
• 1/2 tsp – Curing salt
• 1 tsp – Phosphate, dissolve in 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp – Vitamin C powder

Seasonings:

• 3/4 cup – Sugar, refined
• 2 Tbsp – Garlic, chopped finely
• 2 Tbsp – Anisado wine
• 1/4 cup – Pineapple juice
• 1/2 tsp – Vetsin (MSG)
• 1 tsp – Food color dissolve in 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 tsp – Meat enhancer
• 1 tsp – Paprika powder
• 1/2 Tbsp – Black pepper, ground

Procedure:

1. Select good quality raw materials.
2. Measure and weigh all the ingredients
3. Mix the curing ingredients continuously.Add the rest of the ingredients.
4. Mix until well blended
5. Cure at room temperature for 8-10 hours or refrigeration temperature for 1 day
6. Wrap in paperlyne or cut wrap (2 T per piece)
7. Pack in polyethylene bag 1/4 kg. (should have six pieces of skinless longanisa)
8. Store in freezer for 1 day only

Packaging materials:

• Polyethylene bags: Size – 6″ x 12″ ; Thickness – 0.003
• Styrofoam, rectangular in shape with cling on top

Photo: en.wikipedia.org