Pork Menudo Recipe

Pork Menudo is the Filipino tomato based pork stew I grew up eating at home. This is my everyday version, the one I have been cooking for many years. It has cubed pork, liver, hotdogs, potato, and carrot simmered in tomato sauce until the pork gets tender. The sauce is a little sweet, a little sour, and just right with rice.

I marinate the pork in soy sauce and lemon first, then let it simmer slowly until the meat softens and the sauce gets better. This is the menudo I cook on regular days, not the fiesta version with raisins and bell peppers. It is simple, familiar, and still the one my family asks for.

Mom cooked menudo often when I was growing up. Sinigang was the other one we had a lot. Sometimes she would cook both for dinner.

The menudo we ate at home was simple. It had pork and pig liver in tomato sauce with potato and carrot. The carinderia near our house served almost the same version, sometimes with a few slices of hotdog mixed in. I started cooking when I was young, and Pork Menudo was one of the first dishes I tried making on my own. I saw my mom cook it so many times that it became one of the dishes that I wanted to learn first.

What is Pork Menudo?

Pork Menudo is a Filipino tomato-based pork stew with cubed pork, pig liver, hotdogs, potato, and carrot, served over warm rice. It is one of the most familiar dishes in Filipino home cooking and you will see it at family meals, town fiestas, birthdays, and on the steam table at almost every carinderia in the Philippines. The word menudo is connected to small pieces, which makes sense because everything in this dish is cut small.

This dish came from Spanish influence during the colonization of the Philippines and Filipinos reshaped it into something we now call our own. People often ask if Filipino menudo is the same as Mexican menudo. Filipino menudo and Mexican menudo are completely different dishes. Mexican menudo is a tripe soup in a chili broth, served as a hangover cure or weekend meal. Filipino menudo is a thick tomato stew with pork and pig liver.

Almost every region and household in the Philippines has its own version. Some add raisins for sweetness, some add green peas and bell peppers for color, some skip the liver. Most versions still have cubed pork, tomato sauce, and a slow simmer.

Pork Menudo Ingredients

These are the ingredients I use for my everyday version. No bell peppers, no raisins, no garbanzos.

• Pork – Cubed into bite-sized pieces. Pork shoulder, also called kasim, is what I use. The marbling holds up to the simmer.
• Pig liver – Cubed to match the pork. The liver is what gives this dish its menudo character. Without it, you have a tomato pork stew.
• Hotdogs – Sliced diagonally. Filipino red hotdogs if you can find them.
• Potato – Cubed. Goes in near the end so it does not turn to mush.
• Carrot – Cubed to match the potato.
• Tomato sauce – Filipino-style tomato sauce. Crushed tomatoes work too. Filipino spaghetti sauce works in a pinch and gives a slightly sweeter result.
• Water – Loosens the sauce while the pork simmers. Beef broth gives more depth if you have it.
• Soy sauce – For the marinade and for seasoning during cooking.
• Lemon – For the marinade. Calamansi is what I use back home.
• Onion – Chopped and sauteed with the garlic to start the flavor.
• Garlic – Minced. Goes in with the onion.
• Dried bay leaves – These simmer with the sauce and add aroma.
• Sugar – A teaspoon to round out the tomato sauce.
• Cooking oil – Used to saute the garlic, onion, and pork.
• Salt and pepper – At the end, to taste.

Why These Steps Matter

These steps are simple, but I do them because they improve the taste and texture.

• Marinate the pork first. I do this even when I only have an hour because the soy sauce gets into the meat and the lemon helps it tenderize. Overnight is better when I have the time.
• Saute the garlic and onion before anything else. Once the onion turns soft and translucent, the rest of the pot builds on that base.
• Slow simmer in tomato sauce and water. Forty to sixty minutes over low heat is what makes the pork tender. If you rush this part, the pork stays tough and the sauce does not have enough time to thicken. I take it longer than my mom did.
• Add the liver near the end. Pig liver only needs a few minutes. Any longer and it turns chalky.
• Hold the potato and carrot for the last 10 minutes. They finish cooking in the sauce and pick up the tomato flavor without turning to mush.

The ingredient list looks long, but the cooking is simple once everything is sliced. Take it step by step and you will have a pot of menudo that is good with plenty of rice.

1. Combine the pork, soy sauce, and lemon in a bowl.
2. Mix well and marinate for at least 1 hour.

The longer you marinate, the more the pork absorbs the flavor. Overnight is even better if you have the time.

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Saute garlic and onion until the onion softens.
3. Add the marinated pork. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until lightly browned.
4. Pour in the tomato sauce and water, then add the bay leaves.

Make sure the onion turns soft and translucent before the pork goes in. That gives the sauce a better start.

1. Let the mixture boil, then lower the heat.
2. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the toughness of the pork. Add water as necessary.

Keep the heat low. The pork needs time to soften and absorb the sauce. I take it the full hour when the pork is tough.

1. Add the liver and hotdogs. Cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the potato, carrot, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for 8 to 12 minutes.
3. Transfer to a serving plate.
4. Serve with warm rice. Share and enjoy!

The potato and carrot should still hold their shape but be soft enough to eat. Do not overcook them at this stage.

What to Serve with Pork Menudo

Pork Menudo is rich and saucy, so I keep the sides simple.

• Rice – This is what I serve with menudo most of the time. The sauce is meant to be spooned over rice.
• Pandesal – Filipino soft bread rolls. Leftover menudo on pandesal the next morning is one of the best breakfasts.
• Ginisang Repolyo – Sauteed cabbage gives a lighter vegetable side against the rich stew.
• Fried Tilapia – Crispy fish works well beside the saucy menudo.
• Chop Suey – Stir-fried vegetables make the meal feel complete.

Storage

This Pork Menudo stores well, and most people will tell you it tastes even better the next day after the pork has had time to sit in the sauce.

• Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The sauce thickens slightly when chilled.
• Freezer: Freeze for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container. Let it cool completely first.
• Reheating: Reheat over low heat in a saucepan until hot all the way through. Add a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much. The microwave works in 2-to-3-minute intervals with a stir in between.

More Filipino Pork Recipes

• Filipino Pork Menudo – A version with pan-fried potato and carrot, plus ginger-sauteed liver.
• Pork Menudo sa Gata – The creamier version finished with coconut milk.
• Pork Menudo with Ham – A festive version with ham and raisins for a sweeter result.
• Masarsang Menudo – The saucy version with bell peppers, green peas, and a finish of cheese.
• Healthy Chicken Menudo – A lighter version using chicken instead of pork.
• Pork Mechado – Another Filipino tomato pork stew, but with bigger pieces of meat.
• Pork Pochero – A pork stew with chorizo, saba banana, and bok choy in a tomato base.

• Pork shoulder – Pork belly works for a richer dish. Pork butt is the same cut under a different label. I avoid pork tenderloin because it dries out during the long simmer.
• Pig liver – Calf liver works if that is what you have. You can skip the liver if you do not eat it, though the flavor will not be exactly the same.
• Hotdogs – Filipino red hotdogs are traditional. Beef franks or wieners work fine if you cannot find them.
• Lemon – Calamansi is what I use back home. Lime works too.
• Tomato sauce – Crushed tomatoes work, and Filipino spaghetti sauce works if you want it slightly sweeter.
• Water – Beef broth replaces the water for more depth in the sauce.

This is the everyday Pork Menudo I have been cooking since I was around ten years old, with a few changes I made along the way. It is the menudo from my mom’s stove, the menudo from the carinderia near our house, the menudo my family asks for. Watch the video below if you need a visual guide. If you make this, let me know wh