The Philippines' street-corner skewer: pork slices marinated in soy sauce, calamansi, garlic, and — the local secret — banana ketchup and 7-Up, grilled while being basted with the same sweet-savory glaze. Part of the wider ihaw-ihaw grilling culture that skewers everything from chicken feet to intestines.
Also known as: pinoy BBQ, inihaw, ihaw-ihaw, pork BBQ sticks, Filipino barbecue
Watch it made
Ingredients
- 1 kg pork shoulder (kasim), sliced thin, about 5 mm x 4 cm
- 120 ml soy sauce
- 60 ml calamansi juice (or 2 parts lime to 1 lemon)
- 1 head garlic, minced
- 100 g banana ketchup, plus extra for the glaze
- 50 g brown sugar
- 200 ml lemon-lime soda
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Bamboo skewers, soaked
- Spiced vinegar dip (cane vinegar, garlic, chili, onion)
How to make it
- 1
Whisk soy, calamansi, garlic, banana ketchup, sugar, soda and pepper; submerge the pork overnight.
- 2
Ribbon 4-5 slices onto each skewer so they sit flat, and boil the leftover marinade with extra banana ketchup for 3 minutes to make the basting glaze.
- 3
Grill over medium coals, turning every 2 minutes and mopping with glaze at each turn.
- 4
After 10-12 minutes the edges should be caramel-dark and sticky, the fat translucent.
- 5
Serve with the vinegar dip and rice, ideally on a street corner of your own kitchen.
Pro tip: Banana ketchup is non-negotiable; tomato ketchup makes it merely sweet. The banana version brings the fruity, faintly tangy note that says Manila, and it caramelizes darker without turning acrid.
The story of Filipino Pork Barbecue
Filipino pork barbecue is the street-corner skewer of the Philippines: pork slices marinated in soy sauce, calamansi and garlic, with the local secret being banana ketchup and a lemon-lime soda, grilled while being basted with the same sweet-savoury glaze.
It is part of the wider ihaw-ihaw grilling culture that skewers everything from chicken feet (adidas) to intestines (isaw), and it is the item that anchors it. Banana ketchup itself is a Second World War invention, created when tomatoes were scarce, and its presence in the marinade is a small piece of Philippine history in every skewer.
The technique that defines it
The soda in the marinade is not a joke: its acid tenderises gently, its sugar helps caramelisation, and its carbonation helps the marinade penetrate. Filipino cooks have used it for decades and it does a job that would otherwise need three separate ingredients.
The pork is sliced thin and threaded in a wave along the skewer, and the basting is continuous — the same marinade, boiled first for safety, is brushed on at every turn. That repeated glazing builds up in layers into the sticky lacquer the dish is known for, and it is why the last minutes over the coals matter most.
Choosing your ingredients
Pork shoulder or belly, sliced about half a centimetre thick with fat included. Banana ketchup — sold in Filipino groceries and worth using — soy sauce, calamansi or lime, garlic, brown sugar, and a lemon-lime soda.
Boil the reserved marinade before using it as a baste. Bamboo skewers, soaked. Spiced vinegar (sukang pinakurat, or vinegar with chilli, garlic and onion) is the dipping sauce and it is essential — the skewers are sweet and the vinegar is what balances them.
Mistakes that ruin it
Not boiling the marinade before basting
It has had raw pork in it. Boil it for a few minutes before brushing it on cooked meat.
A hot fire
Sugar, soda and banana ketchup all caramelise fast. Moderate coals and constant turning.
Lean pork
Belly or shoulder with fat. Lean pork under a sugary glaze goes dry and leathery.
Skipping the vinegar dip
The skewers are sweet. The spiced vinegar is the counterweight and the dish is unbalanced without it.
How it is served
Two or three skewers with rice — often puso, rice steamed in woven coconut leaves — and a shared bowl of spiced vinegar for dipping. San Miguel beer. It is after-work and evening food, eaten standing at a roadside grill.
Questions about Filipino Pork Barbecue
Why is there soda in the marinade?
Its acid tenderises, its sugar aids caramelisation and its carbonation helps penetration. It is a long-standing Filipino technique, not a novelty.
What is banana ketchup?
A Philippine condiment made from bananas, created during the Second World War when tomatoes were scarce. It is sweeter and tangier than tomato ketchup and is central to this marinade.
Can I baste with the leftover marinade?
Only after boiling it for a few minutes, since it has had raw pork in it.
What is served with it?
Rice and a shared bowl of spiced vinegar for dipping. The vinegar balances the sweetness of the glaze.
