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Prep time
8 hours
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Cook time
2 hours 20 minutes
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Serves
4
Author Notes
I know this recipe isn’t traditional sisig, per se. Traditional sisig is made with pork face and ears and chicken liver that's boiled, grilled, then cooked with aromatics. This is not that sisig. This is the Filipino-American version I make for my family every Christmas to celebrate our new life here in New York. —Amelia Rampe
Test Kitchen Notes
This comforting, savory pork belly recipe features aromatics like onions, scallions, and garlic, as well as some heat from the chiles and umami from the fish sauce and soy sauce. It takes a couple of hours to make, and you do need to let the pork refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 48, but the cooktime is mostly hands off and the results are well worth it. You'll just love the combination of tender pork and perfectly cooked eggs any time of the day. Amelia Rampe, who developed this recipe, explains some of the history behind it in her article and why she makes it when the holidays roll around: "After culinary school, I went on a personal mission to learn more about Filipino food. I wanted to share it with my children, because food was the only way I knew to bring them into the fold of their culture. Our family is mostly alone here on the East Coast, so it's been up to me to create new traditions in our home of four.
"One of those traditions is 'Filipino Christmas.' Every Christmas Eve, I make a big batch of pancit, adobo, and roast pork belly with very crispy chicharon, adapted from an Angela Dimayuga recipe. Christmas morning is for leftovers: I take any remaining pork and make sisig with it, alongside garlic fried rice and eggs. It's the best breakfast ever, and a reminder of the fish sauce–laden dishes [my brother] and I grew up eating." —The Editors
Ingredients
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3 pounds
pork belly, skin-on
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Kosher salt
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1 tablespoon
canola oil, plus more for the pork
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1
small onion
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4
scallions, white parts coarsely chopped, green parts thinly sliced, divided
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6
garlic cloves, very finely chopped
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1
(1-inch) piece ginger, peeled, very finely chopped
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2
red chiles (such as Fresno, Holland, or Thai), 1 finely chopped, 1 thinly sliced, divided
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2 tablespoons
fish sauce
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2 tablespoons
fresh lemon juice
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2 tablespoons
rice vinegar
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2 tablespoons
soy sauce or coconut aminos
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Freshly ground black pepper
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4
large eggs
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Lime wedges and steamed rice or garlic fried rice, for serving
Directions
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Season the pork belly generously with salt and arrange skin side up on a wire rack inside a baking sheet. Chill, uncovered, for at least 8 hours or up to 48.
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Heat the oven to 350°F. Rub the oil over the pork skin; season with salt. Place a sheet tray in the oven and pour 4 cups water into the base of the tray. Roast the pork for 1¾ to 2 hours, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 195°F. Add more water to the sheet tray if the pan juices begin to scorch. Increase the oven temperature to 450°F and continue to roast for about 15 minutes more, until the pork skin is deep golden brown and crisp.
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Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes. Slide a paring knife under the skin parallel to the surface. Remove the skin and reserve on a plate. Chop the remaining pork into about ¼-inch pieces.
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In a medium cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the chopped pork and cook, tossing, until some of the fat has rendered and the pork edges are beginning to crisp. Pour any excess fat out, leaving a couple of tablespoons in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, scallion whites, garlic, ginger, and chopped chile and cook for about 2 more minutes, until softened and fragrant.
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In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce and add to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the pork is evenly coated and the liquid has completely evaporated. Continue to cook the pork until the edges are very crispy all over. Taste and adjust the seasoning with lemon juice, vinegar, and fish and/or soy sauce. Season with black pepper.
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Using the back of a spoon, make 4 spaces for the eggs. Crack the eggs into the spaces and place the pan in the oven to cook until the desired egg doneness, e.g. 5 to 7 minutes for over-easy. Chop the crispy pork skin into large chunks. Top with the scallion greens, sliced chiles, and pieces of crispy pork skin. Serve with the lime wedges and rice.
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