Tocino

Have you ever wondered how to make pork tocino at home? Let me show you how. You don’t have to pay store-bought prices anymore!

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By: Vanjo Merano 24 Comments Updated: 2/9/25

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Tocino is a popular Filipino cured meat. It is sometimes referred to as sweet red pork. It’s made through a process similar to ham and bacon, but with red food coloring for its unique appearance. Tocino is a common breakfast served with fried rice and eggs, a combination known as tosilog in the Philippines. I hope you will try making tocino for yourself. Scroll down for my recipe for homemade pork tocino!

How To Make Pork Tocino At Home

slicing the pork

To start, slice the pork ham into pieces about ¼ inch thick. This thickness allows the meat to absorb flavors more effectively during marination. Then, dissolve 1 teaspoon of sodium phosphate in 5 tablespoons of water to create a mixture that enhances the meat’s moisture and texture.

Combining and mixing the ingredients

In a bowl, combine all the other ingredients, excluding the meat. This includes sea salt, Prague powder #1, granulated white sugar, anisette liquor, pineapple juice, crushed garlic, garlic powder, Vitamin C powder, and red food coloring. Mix these well to create a flavorful rub.

marinating the meat

Combine the pork and marinade mixture ensuring even distribution for maximum flavor in your homemade pork tocino.

Place the coated pork and remaining mixture into a covered container. Store this container at room temperature for 14 hours. This extended time allows the flavors to penetrate the meat deeply. Alternatively, if you prefer to refrigerate, let it marinate for at least 3.5 days for a more developed taste.

After the marination period, your homemade pork tocino is well on its way to being ready. You can now cook it according to your preferred method. This dish will offer a delightful balance of sweet, salty, and savory flavors, making it a favorite for many. Enjoy your delicious creation!

How To Cook Tocino

Boil the tocino – arrange the meat on a frying pan and then pour 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water. Let the water boil. Note: The amount of water will depend on amount of meat used.
Add oil – in the middle of the boiling process when the water reduces to half, add around 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. Continue boiling until the water evaporates completely. Boiling the meat before frying it will make it tender, compared to frying directly.
Slowly fry the tocino – fry the meat using the remaining oil in your pan. Make sure to adjust the heat between low to medium setting to avoid the sugar from being burnt. I usually fry each side until it browns a bit.
Serve with rice – time to serve this with rice. While plain white rice should be enough, I like making fried rice using the residue. Simply add some leftover white rice on the frying pan where the tocino was cooked and then stir-fry the rice for around 3 minutes.

Fry your tocino using low to medium heat to avoid the sugars from getting burnt.
Vinegar is always the best dipping sauce for tocino
A side of atchara will make your meal more enjoyable

History Of Cured Meat

Cured meat has been around for ages, dating back to ancient times when people discovered that salting and smoking meat could preserve it for long periods. This method was essential for survival before refrigeration, allowing people to store and transport meat across long distances. Over the centuries, various cultures have perfected their own curing techniques, adding spices and flavors to create a variety of delicious cured meats we enjoy today.

Homemade Pork Tocino Ingredients

You can find curing ingredients at various online e-commerce shops. If traveling to the market is inconvenient or too far, online shopping is a convenient alternative.

- 2 lbs. pork ham – The main meat for your homemade pork tocino, which you can substitute with chicken or beef slices.

- 1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt – Sea salt enhances flavor and helps with the curing process, giving the homemade tocino its salty edge.

- 1/2 teaspoon Prague powder #1 – A curing salt that helps preserve the homemade meat and gives it a pink color.

- 3/4 cups granulated white sugar – Adds sweetness to balance the salty and savory flavors, key to the tocino’s distinctive taste.

- 1 teaspoon sodium phosphate – Helps retain moisture and improves the texture of the homemade pork tocino.

- 1/4 cup anisette liquor – Adds a subtle anise flavor, contributing to the tocino’s unique taste.

- 1/2 cup pineapple juice – Provides sweetness and a hint of tartness, and helps tenderize the pork tocino.

- 1/4 cup crushed garlic – Infuses the homemade tocino meat with a robust garlic flavor.

- 1 tablespoon garlic powder – Intensifies the garlic flavor in the homemade tocino.

- 1/4 teaspoon Vitamin C powder – Vitamin C powder acts as an antioxidant, helping to preserve the homemade pork meat’s color and freshness.

- 1/4 teaspoon red food coloring – Gives the homemade tocino its characteristic reddish hue.

How To Serve Homemade Pork Tocino

Pork tocino is usually enjoyed for breakfast with a side of warm rice. A popular dish called tosilog (to from tocino, si from sinangag, and log from itlog) includes garlic rice (or sinangag), fried pork tocino, and a sunny-side-up egg. Just a heads-up—while cured meat is delicious, it’s best to eat it in moderation. Too much can affect your health over time, so it’s a good idea to have homemade tocino only once or twice a month.

I do this by placing the cured meat in a cooking pot and then I pour 2 cups of water. I also add 3 to 4 tablespoons of cooking oil. This gets boiled uncovered until the water evaporates. The pork should be tender at this point. Let it fry on the remaining oil until darkens a bit. Make sure to keep an eye on the meat to prevent it from getting burnt. It has a tendency to burn quickly especially when fried in high heat because of its sugar content.

Once cooked, serve it with fried rice and fried egg.

Pork Tocino Alternative Ingredients

This recipe can also be used with other kinds of meat. Chicken and beef are popular choices in addition to pork. It is not possible to substitute for curing ingredients and still get the same authentic flavor. If you want more natural results, there are some ways to adapt this recipe. You can, of course, use different ingredients entirely to achieve a flavor that suits your taste.

Watch How to Make Tocino

Vanjo Merano

Vanjo Merano is the creator of PanlasangPinoy.com. His goal is to introduce Filipino Food and Filipino Cuisine to the rest of the world. This blog was the first step that he took.

Tocino