Filipino
Pampanga-Style Pork Sisig
Crisp-edged chopped pork with calamansi, chiles, onion, and chicken liver, served sizzling.
6 servings · 40 minutes prep · 45 minutes cook
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cleaned pig ears and pork cheek or jowl, in roughly equal portions
- 6 cups water
- 1 yellow onion, quartered
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, for simmering, for simmering the pork
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, for finishing
- 4 ounces chicken livers, trimmed
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh calamansi juice, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon cane vinegar
- 2 Thai chiles, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Directions
Tenderize the Pork
- Place the pork in a pot with the water. Add the yellow onion, garlic cloves, bay leaf, black peppercorns, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
- Bring to a boil and skim the surface. Cover partially and simmer gently for 60 to 75 minutes, until the cheek is tender, the ears retain a firm bite, and the thickest meat is near {{temperature:190°F}}.
- Drain the pork and discard the aromatics. Cool uncovered for 30 minutes, then pat the pork very dry.
Char the Pork
- Prepare a charcoal grill for direct, high heat, or preheat a gas grill to high. Lightly coat the pork and chicken livers with avocado oil.
- Grill the pork, turning occasionally, for 8 to 12 minutes until smoky, crisp-edged, and deeply charred in spots. Grill the livers for 2 to 3 minutes per side until browned outside and {{temperature:165°F}} inside. Rest everything for 5 minutes.
Chop, Crisp, and Season
- Chop the pork into 1/4-inch pieces, preserving a mix of crisp skin, cartilage, and tender meat. Mash the livers to a coarse paste.
- Heat a wide cast-iron skillet over high for 3 minutes. Add the chopped pork and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, tossing only occasionally, until sizzling and crisp in places. Fold in the liver and 1/2 teaspoon salt; remove from the heat.
- Immediately fold in the red onion, calamansi juice, vinegar, chiles, and black pepper. Taste while hot and sharpen with more calamansi if needed. Serve at once; do not add mayonnaise or egg.
