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Tocino (Filipino Bacon)

Updated: 12.21.24 | Marc Matsumoto | 15 Comments

4.63 from 8 votes
With an addictive savory sweet cure that's redolent of garlic, Tocino is a Filipino breakfast staple that's one of the key components of Tosilog. For this all-natural version, I've replaced artificial colors and preservatives with annatto seeds and juice.
Recipe
Tocino, or Filipino Bacon is a delicious sweet and savory breakfast treat that's easy to make and addictively good.

Filipino Tocino

Tocino means "bacon" in Spanish and originally refers to cured pork back fat. But Spain spread its culinary seeds around the world and as a consequence, there are vastly different versions of this cured meat found across the Caribbean, Latin America, and Asia.

Perhaps the most famous of the bunch is a version of Tocino that evolved in the Philippines. A culinary mashup of Chinese Char Siu and Western bacon, this remnant of the Spanish colonial era has evolved into a uniquely Filipino food that masterfully balances sweet and savory tastes. Filipino Bacon makes for the perfect Filipino breakfast accompaniment to sunny side up eggs and rice, but it's also addictively good during happy hour as a pulutan alongside a frosty bottle of beer.

Cut of Pork for Tocino

The cut of meat you use for Filipino Tocino is a matter of personal preference. I like using pork shoulder (sometimes called pork butt) for this pork tocino recipe because it's meaty, and yet it has enough fat to keep the pork from getting dried out. If you want something fattier, pork belly will work. Otherwise, if you want to go leaner, pork tenderloin will work, though you'll want to be careful not to overcook it.

Cure It

Pink Salt (a.k.a. Prague Powder or Curing Salt) is a mixture of table salt with sodium nitrite. It's a food additive used to cure meats, which inhibits the growth of microbes during the curing process while giving this Filipino bacon a unique taste and a pinkish red color (even after being cooked). It's not the easiest ingredient to find, which is why I've found a common alternative that works just as well. Celery is loaded with nitrates, and although it has one extra oxygen atom than a nitrite, it has a similar effect on meat which makes it perfect for curing. To juice the celery, just grate a rib and then press the pulp through a tea strainer to extract the juice.

Tenderize It

Tocino isn't meant to be fall-apart tender, but you don't want it to be gristly or tough either. That's probably why some recipes call for meat tenderizers, while others braise the meat before frying it. I wanted a simple natural solution for this tocino recipe, which is why I ended up adding some kiwi juice to the curing brine.

Sweet and savory Tocino is an irresistable Filipino breakfast treat.

Kiwi contains an enzyme called Actinidain which breaks down collagen (the connective tissues in meat that can make it tough). Although there are other fruits (like papaya or pineapple juice) which contain enzymes that break down proteins, some of these are so powerful they will turn your Filipino bacon into mush. I like using kiwi because it breaks down the tough bits while retaining the texture of the meat itself.

It's important to note that fruit enzymes are destroyed at relatively low temperatures, which is why it's important to add the kiwi juice after the brine has cooled to room temperature.

The Color

Tocino just wouldn't be right without its signature red hue. Most commercial versions (and many home recipes) call for adding red food coloring, but there are many good natural alternatives. I've used Annatto powder(a.k.a. atchuete) to give my Tocino its scarlet hue. Beets will also work (either powder or juice) if that's easier to find near you.

Tocino Seasoning

One of the things that makes Tocino so addictive is the brine that it cures in. As it fries, the brine turns into a sticky, glossy glaze that's the perfect balance of savory and sweet. This is achieved through the addition of a generous amount of sugar to the brine. Instead of using white sugar, I saw this as an opportunity to add more flavor, which is why I use a blend of coconut sugar and brown rice syrup for my tocino recipe. The coconut sugar adds a wonderful nutty caramel flavor, while the rice syrup gives the Filipino Bacon a beautiful lacquer glaze. You could substitute brown sugar and any invert syrup, like maltose.

Garlicky, sweet and savory, one bite of this Filipino Tocino (bacon) and you'll be hooked.

I love garlic, which is why there is a generous dose of garlic in my tocino recipe, but if you're not such a fan, or you're about to hop on a plane, you can cut back on the garlic. I've also added a bit of ground black pepper which gives the tocino a nice kick at the end. Some versions also call for adding some anise-flavored liqueur. I'm not a huge anise fan, which is why mine doesn't have any, but if that's your thing, feel free to experiment.

Frying Tocino

The sugar in the brine tends to burn, and you want to give the fat in the pork some time to render out. This is why I like to add the tocino to a cold non-stick pan before starting it off over medium heat. The slow increase of heat coaxes out some liquid from the pork, allowing you to cook the tocino through while giving the fat some time to render out.

Once the liquid boils off, the tocino starts to pan-fry and caramelize, turning the brine into a beautiful shiny glaze that coats each morsel of pork.

Other Filipino Dishes

  • Filipino Garlic Rice (Sinangag)
  • Tosilog
  • Chicken Adobo
  • Arroz Caldo (Chicken Rice Porridge)
  • Bulalo (Filipino Beef Marrow Stew)

📖 Recipe

Garlicky, sweet and savory, one bite of this Filipino Tocino (bacon) and you'll be hooked.

Tocino (Filipino Bacon)

4.63 from 8 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 5 minutes mins
Total Time 10 minutes mins
Yield 8 servings

Units

Ingredients 

  • 600 grams pork shoulder
  • 40 grams coconut sugar (about ¼ cup)
  • ⅓ cup brown rice syrup
  • 20 grams garlic (3 large cloves, grated)
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons celery juice (from ½ rib celery)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground annatto seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon kiwi juice (from half kiwi)

Instructions

  • Slice the pork shoulder against the grain into ¼-inch thick slices and then cut the slices into bite-size pieces.
    Pork shoulder sliced for making tocino with a knife on a cutting board.
  • In a bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, rice syrup, garlic, soy sauce, celery juice, salt, ground annatto and black pepper. Heat the mixture up in the microwave a bit if you're having trouble getting the sugar to melt. Let the brine cool to room temperature. 
    Tocino marinade in a glass bowl on a white counter.
  • Add the kiwi juice and then add the sliced pork. Put some gloves on and mix the pork into the marinade. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least three days or up to a week. 
    Uncooked Tocino. Pork shoulder in natural marinade colored with annatto seeds and cured with celery juice.
  • To cook the Tocino, I recommend using a non-stick pan. If your pork is fatty, you won't need to add any oil, but if it's lean, you can add a bit of vegetable oil. Line the pan with an even layer of meat and turn the heat onto medium. 
    Tocino frying in a pan.
  • Some liquid will come out of the pork and start to boil. 
    Cooking Tocino, or Filipino bacon in a frying pan.
  • Start flipping the meat over to evenly glaze the pork with the sauce. Repeat until there is no liquid left and the Tocino is cooked through and starting to brown. 
    Fried Tocino in a pan made with natural coloring and cured with celery juice.
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Nutrition Facts

Calories • 127kcalCarbohydrates • 16gProtein • 9gFat • 3gSaturated Fat • 1gCholesterol • 30mgSodium • 618mgPotassium • 181mgSugar • 11gVitamin A • 10IUVitamin C • 2.9mgCalcium • 20mgIron • 0.6mg

Comments

    4.63 from 8 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Liza says

    January 26, 2022 at 12:43 pm

    I think this recipe is yummy I try it soon

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      January 27, 2022 at 9:00 am

      Thanks Liza, I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  2. Soriano Msem says

    April 15, 2021 at 12:49 am

    Hi,Marc what is the shelf life and proper storage? Thanks😄

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      April 15, 2021 at 9:01 am

      Assuming you're using fresh pork, this should last for at least a week if stored in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it if you want to keep it longer, but you will experience some drop loss when you defrost it.

      Reply
  3. Eilene says

    May 05, 2020 at 2:13 am

    New to the site. Wish it had, as some recipe sites do, a choice between our measure and metric. Would make it a whole lot easier for an old lady like me.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      May 05, 2020 at 11:18 am

      Hi Eilene, welcome to the site! All of our newer recipes have this feature, but unfortunately the older ones require manually updating them and I haven't had a chance to get through all 1000 recipes. I've gone ahead and added the conversion feature to this one so you should be able to convert to Imperial by clicking the "US Imperial" button in the recipe card now. Please feel free to let me know if you see other recipes you want to make that are missing this and I'll try and update them as well.

      Reply
  4. Peachy says

    August 07, 2019 at 1:00 pm

    Hi Marc! What can I use as an alternative to brown rice syrup?

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      August 08, 2019 at 7:09 am

      Hi Peachy, cornsyrup, or honey would work.

      Reply
  5. Victoria says

    February 08, 2019 at 6:39 am

    Hey! Not really related to this post but I’m just curious... are you Filipino?

    Anyway, this made me crave for tocino. I think I’d be making a home-made version soon, thanks to this! 😁

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      February 08, 2019 at 9:11 pm

      Hi Victoria, nope I'm not Filipino, but I go there there a few times a year for work and love the food!

      Reply
      • Michelle Quick says

        May 13, 2024 at 8:14 pm

        Hi Marc
        I am a home cook that likes to try new food.
        This is the first time making this. I am using the Celery juice method with leg pork.
        I would like to know if I should cut the skin off the pork or leave it on?
        Please tell me what is best.
        Thank you from Adelaide, Australia

        Reply
        • Marc Matsumoto says

          May 13, 2024 at 10:18 pm

          I would definitely recommend removing the skin. Skin either needs to be braised for a long time to soften it up, or it needs to be crisped at a very high temperature otherwise it will be like eating leather.

          Reply
  6. Max says

    February 01, 2019 at 2:52 am

    Hi Marc,

    I have some pink salt #1. How much would you recommend in lieu of the celery juice.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      February 01, 2019 at 8:24 pm

      Hi Max, that stuff is potent, so you shouldn't need much. 1/8 of a teaspoon should be plenty for this recipe.

      Reply
    • Tony Nalagan says

      October 14, 2019 at 6:56 am

      I realize you asked this question 8 months ago, but just in case you were still wondering. In my Filipino Tocino recipe, I use 1 teaspoon of sodium nitrite (Prague Powder) for each 5 lbs of pork. Make sure it's Prague Powder and not Himalayan Pink salt. Totally different stuff. The ingredients should say sodium nitrite.

      Reply
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