This Filipino pork barbecue skewer recipe is the perfect grill recipe for those warm sunny days! Marinated in a brown sugar, soy sauce mixture and then deliciously glazed with a rich, tangy sauce using banana ketchup and oyster sauce, you can’t stop eating these skewers!
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Filipino pork barbecue is a traditional favorite and addictingly delicious! Grilled on a skewer stick, its so easy to keep eating these flavorful chunks of meat!
With the pork barbecue marinade being the total winner in this recipe, the tangy glaze using banana ketchup, oyster sauce, and other tasty ingredients is what takes it over the top!
Fun for a large gathering as fingers can be kept clean due to the skewer sticks and takes no time to grill at all! Super popular and a definite crowd-pleaser!
This post will go over everything you need to know to create this Filipino pork barbecue skewer recipe.
Recipe difficulty: It looks difficult…. but it’s really not (total beginner level)
Simply marinate and grill this pork barbecue recipe! Not a lot of prep and super easy to prepare! Plus, the tangy glaze comes together so easy that it can easily be repurposed for any other meat or barbecue recipe!
Sam’s Pro Tips for this Filipino Pork Barbecue Skewer Recipe
Marinate and Marinate Some More
Marinating this Filipino bbq recipe will be the difference between just basic barbecue skewers and ones that people will remember! This is the same concept as our Filipino Fried Chicken Recipe with Lemon and Fish Sauce for the best results!
I marinated the pork barbecue in a brown sugar, soy sauce mixture combined with other yummy ingredients including Sprite (not joking!) for a sweet and salty brine the pork will sit in.
Try to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight. I usually marinate my pork overnight for the best flavor! Definitely rare to have leftovers!
Use Pork Butt! Really!
For this Filipino pork barbecue recipe, using pork butt to grill with the skewers works beautifully! Pork butt is usually a common barbecue choice due to the amount of flavor already in the meat and the tender cut.
To save some time for these Filipino bbq skewers recipe, have the butcher already cube the meat. Cut 2–3-inch chunks which will fit about 4 pieces of meat on a skewer. Honestly, the larger the cut the better for the skewers!
Keep Glazing Over the Grill
The pork butt will cook fairly quickly on the grill over high heat. After cooking for about 2 minutes on either side of the skewer, start glazing!
All in all, we glazed each side of the pork barbecue 3 times with our Filipino bbq sauce! By continuing to glaze over the heat, the glaze will give an insanely flavorful coating to the meat and become slightly sticky!
Don’t Forget Your Garnish
You have a couple choices here! You can either reserve some of the sauce so that you can further dip the pork in the sauce or add some green onions or scallions.
For us, we use all the sauce for the glaze and prefer to dip our Filipino pork barbecue in our favorite homemade vinegar sauce! Dipping the pork in vinegar is a traditional favorite, and we love using our vinegar sauce as seen in our Filipino Style Spam Garlic Fried Rice Anyone Will Love! Garlicy and tart!
Key Ingredients – Filipino Pork Barbecue Skewer Recipe
Below are some key ingredients for this recipe:
Meat and Marinade
- Pork butt: Using pork butt is a favorite in this Filipino pork barbecue as its oh so tender when grilled on the skewer! You can opt for another meaty cut of pork like pork belly or shoulder but using pork butt is the best!
- Soy sauce: Any type of soy sauce will work for the pork barbecue marinade as the pork will be further seasoned and glazed. Moreover, the soy sauce will mix with other ingredients to create the marinade.
- Sprite: Using Sprite or 7-Up is common in Filipino cuisine as the lemon-lime flavor is a common choice. The Sprite will add a slightly sweet flavor similar to our 15-Minute Asian Chili Garlic Butter Shrimp with Sprite for a savory sauce!
- Brown sugar: For added sweetness to the soy mixture, ½ a cup of brown sugar is added. Having the pork barbecue sit in this mixture will give an even balance.
- Vinegar: Cane vinegar is extremely popular in Filipino cooking! If you need help finding this, download our Top 5 Crazy-Cheap Ingredients You Need for Filipino Cooking and Where to Find It from my free resource library!
- Bay leaves: 4 bay leaves are used to sit in the marinade. Bay leaves add a nice variety to the soy sauce and is the same ingredients that goes into the popular Instant Pot Filipino Chicken Adobo | Fall-off-the-Bone Drumsticks!
- Garlic powder: Using a dash of garlic powder in the pork barbecue marinade is way easier than using fresh garlic! It gives the same flavor and will be the only seasoning in the marinade.
Glaze
- Banana ketchup: In Filipino cuisine, using banana ketchup is a popular condiment of choice! It has sugar, vinegar, banana, and other ingredients to create a yummy, sweet flavor! See our Top 5 Crazy-Cheap Ingredients You Need for Filipino Cooking and Where to Find It (form above) on what brand we recommend!
- Oyster sauce: Oyster sauce is both tangy and sweet! One of the key ingredients in our homemade Filipino bbq sauce.
- Chili sesame oil: One of my favorite condiments of all time! I use 1 tablespoon for a kick to the glaze. Don’t worry, the spice will balance out with the sweetness of the oyster sauce.
- Lemon: Love the acidity of the lemon in the glaze! Mixed with the other sauces, it gives the barbecue an edge and is not super sweet. Only 1½ tablespoons of lemon juice is needed in this recipe.
More Variations to this Filipino Pork Barbecue Skewer Recipe
There are a few ways you can variate this Filipino pork barbecue. Here’s how:
- Try a different glaze! The beauty of this pork barbecue marinade is that it’s so versatile! Use this marinade and pair with our glaze recipe in our Stovetop Honey Soy Chicken Wings with Ginger, using honey, lemon juice, minced ginger, cumin, and red pepper flakes for a sweeter alternative!
- Do you have other barbecue options? Looking for more dishes to add to your barbecue table? Try our Beer Brats No Grill Recipe with Caramelized Onions and Garlic or our Easy Burger Patty Recipe Without Breadcrumbs for some easy, go-to favorites!
- What can I pair with this dish? These Filipino pork barbecue skewers are usually eaten with a side of white rice and of course, vinegar! So good! For a quick side dish, our Asian-Inspired Easy Cold Pasta Salad Recipe | 7-Ingredients Only is a great option for those warmer days!
Interested in Filipino cuisine, but don’t know where to begin? Download our Top 5 Crazy-Cheap Ingredients You Need for Filipino Cooking and Where to Find It from my free resource library!
- 5-Step Best Beef Salpicao Recipe
- Tender Instant Pot Spicy Barbecue Chicken | Sweet and Spicy Drumsticks
- Instant Pot Filipino Chicken Adobo | Fall-off-the-Bone Drumsticks
- Asian-Inspired Easy Cold Pasta Salad Recipe | 7-Ingredients Only
Filipino Pork Barbecue Skewer Recipe Perfectly Glazed
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork butt sliced in 2-3 inch chunks
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ¾ cup cane vinegar
- 1 cup Sprite
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- pepper to taste
Glaze
- ½ cup banana ketchup
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili sesame oil
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- pepper to taste
Garnish and Vinegar Sauce
- 2 tablespoons cane vinegar
- 1 garlic clove minced
- hot sauce to taste
- pepper to taste
- green onions chopped
Instructions
- Combine soy sauce, Sprite, brown sugar, cane vinegar, bay leaves, garlic powder, and pepper to taste in a large-rimmed tray. Add the pork butt chunks to the marinade. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to overnight.
- Insert four pork chunks in each wood skewer evenly spaced. Combine the banana ketchup, oyster sauce, chili sesame oil, lemon juice, and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Line the grill with aluminum foil and grill over high heat 2 minutes on each side. Once the pork starts to turn brown, use a pastry brush to glaze the pork with the sauce. Continue to glaze each side of the pork. Repeat this process 3 times until the glaze is finished.
- Optional – In a sauce cup, mix the vinegar, minced garlic, pepper and hot sauce to taste. Serve on the side of the pork barbecue. Garnish the barbecue with chopped green onions. Enjoy!
Notes
- I marinated the pork barbecue overnight for the best flavor. For the wood skewers used, I could fit 4 pieces generously for 13 skewers. This can be adjusted.
- To prevent the wood skewers from getting charred, soak the skewers in water before inserting the pork chunks. This is not required, but optional as you will have some protection by using the aluminum foil to line the grill.
- Dipping the pork in vinegar is a traditional favorite, and we love using our homemade vinegar sauce as seen in our Filipino Style Spam Garlic Fried Rice Anyone Will Love! Garlicy and tart!
- See Sam’s Pro Tips for this Filipino Pork Barbecue Skewer Recipe for further discussion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Filipino BBQ called?
Sometimes Filipino pork barbecue can be referred to as “inihaw,” a popular street food item.
What pork is best for BBQ?
Pork butt works best for this Filipino bbq recipe when grilled on skewers.
What is Filipino Pinoy BBQ?
Filipino pork barbecue is marinated in a brown sugar, soy mixture and then glazed in a tangy sauce usually using banana ketchup.
This post was all about how to create this Filipino pork barbecue.
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