Breakfast · 25 min · filipino

Sweet Cured Pork Tocino

Dinner decisions, handled: Sweet Cured Pork Tocino pairs pork shoulder with brown sugar for a 25-minute Filipino breakfast. It is weeknight cooking that still hits your targets — 37 grams of protein per serving. Leftovers keep well, so it doubles as next-day lunch without any extra work.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 2 lb Pork shoulder
• 3/4 cup Brown sugar
• 1/3 cup Soy sauce
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 2 tbsp Cane vinegar
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 2 tbsp Annatto oil

Steps

1. Slice the pork shoulder across the grain into 1/4-inch strips — thin, even slices cure faster and caramelize better than thick chunks.
2. Mash the garlic with the salt into a rough paste; the salt draws out the garlic’s juices and helps it coat every strip.
3. Toss the pork with the brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic paste, vinegar, pepper, and annatto oil until every strip glistens.
4. Pack into a covered container and refrigerate at least 8 hours, ideally overnight — the cure needs time to penetrate.
5. Sear in a hot oiled skillet over medium-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the edges char and the sugar caramelizes into a sticky glaze.
6. Add 1/4 cup water, cover, and simmer 5 minutes so the pork cooks through without burning the glaze.
7. Uncover and cook 2 more minutes, letting the sauce reduce to a syrup that clings to the meat. Serve with garlic rice and a fried egg — the holy trinity of the Filipino breakfast plate.

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