Soy gin pork

A very simple, yet very tasty, pork dish I learned from my yaya when I was still in grade school–a slab of liempo (pork belly) cooked in a mixture of gin and soy sauce. Gin? Yes, gin. Don’t worry. The alcohol will evaporate during cooking and leave only the mellow flavors which, combined with the saltiness of the soy sauce, make a great sauce indeed. Note that you don’t have to go for the expensive brands of gin. The cheaper brands are okay to use. What’s even more important is how easy it is to cook this dish. Just put everything together and simmer. Simple, eh? Well, there are a few tips to make sure that you get all the wonderful flavors.

First, choose a cut of liempo that has very little fat. The slab of meat should be no more than two inches thick. Second, remember to turn over the pork halfway through the cooking for even coloring. Third, and most important of all, give the meat some time to sit in the sauce to let the flavors penetrate even more.

Ingredients :

a 1-1/2 kg. slab of pork liempo
1-1/2 c. of gin
1-1/2 c. of dark soy sauce
1 whole head of garlic
1 whole onion
1 bay leaf

Cooking procedure :

Place the pork in a shallow pan (a large skillet, fryer or wok would be best). Pour in the gin, soy sauce and enough water to cover. Add the garlic, onion and bay leaf. Slow cook for an hour and a half to two hours, turning the meat over halfway through the cooking.

The amount of liquid will be greatly reduced during cooking. Do not add any more water unless you intend to prolong the cooking time.

Remove the garlic, onion and bay leaf and let the meat rest in the sauce until it cools.

Cut the meat into 1/4-inch slices.

Reheat the sauce.

To serve, arrange the sliced liempo on a serving platter or on individual plates and smother with several tablespoonfuls of sauce.

If you prefer to thicken the sauce, stir in a tablespoonful of cornstarch before reheating.

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