No. 20FilipinoPorkKamado Joe
In the Philippines, pork BBQ is widely available along street corners. The combination of soy, sweet soy and banana ketchup give this BBQ dish a uniquely Filipino flavour.
John Drummond
55min+ 8 hours at least
Mise en place
Tick each one off as it goes in.
Makes 6 serves
Revised in October 2026: pork scotch fillet (neck) sliced thin, a fuller marinade with a dash of cane vinegar, a cooked glaze painted on in coats at the end, and a sawsawan to dip into. The revised version hasn’t been cooked yet. Pork scotch fillet is sold under that name at Coles and Woolworths, or ask the butcher for a whole one. For a Next Level side, quick-pickled green papaya and carrot (atchara).
AI reviewed by Grok, Codex & Claude
The method
Pat the pork dry with paper towel — don’t wash it. Firm it in the freezer for 20 minutes, then slice across the grain 7–8mm thick, about 3cm x 7cm.
Whisk the soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, banana ketchup, garlic, ginger, pepper, lemon juice, vinegar and oil. Taste it: boldly salty-sweet and sharp. No extra salt — the soy has it covered. Add the pork and coat thoroughly with your hands. Cover and place in the fridge overnight (8 hours at least).
Simmer the glaze ingredients for 2–3 minutes until it coats a spoon. Cool. It never touches the raw pork.
Stir the sawsawan together and let it sit while you cook.
Soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes
Lift the pork out and give it 10 minutes on a rack to drip. Brush off any clumps of garlic and ginger — they burn. Thread about 50g onto each skewer — two or three strips, loosely folded, not packed tight — leaving at least 1/3 of the skewer free (for handling on the BBQ)
Bank the charcoal to one side of the Big Joe and bring it to about 220°C; cook with the dome open. Over the coals, turning every minute; anything going black moves to the cool side. Cook one test skewer first. When they’re nearly done, brush on a thin coat of glaze, turn, and repeat two or three times in the last 3 minutes — mahogany, not soot. Pull at 75°C in the thickest fold. Rest 2 minutes, uncovered.
A small bowl of sawsawan beside each plate. Serve with my Goyoza rainbow salad (It's Japanese, but goes perfectly with the pork)
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