How to Cook Pork Bistek

Pork Bistek is a savory Filipino dish featuring tender pork slices marinated in soy sauce and calamansi, then simmered to perfection with caramelized onions for a flavorful, comforting meal.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: Pork Recipe

Cuisine: Filipino

Keyword: bistec, bistek na baboy, chicken pastil panlasang pinoy, Filipino recipe, fried pork recipe, pork bistek

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 359kcal

Author: Manny

Ingredients

1/2 kilo pork tenderloin sliced thinly about half inch thick
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
8 pcs calamansi (extract the juice)
2 Tbsp. liquid seasoning or Worcesteshire sauce
1 cup beef broth or water
4 Tbsp oil
1 pc big onion sliced into rings
5 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
MSG to taste optional

Instructions

How to cook Pork Bistek:

Marinate the pork slices in soy sauce, calamansi juice, liquid seasoning or Worcestershire sauce, garlic, sugar, ground pepper and MSG for about 2 hours.
Heat some oil in a pan and saute onions until soft and set aside.
In the same pan, add more oil and stir fry the marinated pork until brown. Then add the marinade, soup stock or water and simmer for 45 minutes or until the pork is tender. Add more water is the pork is not yet tender and the liquid dries up.
Adjust the seasoning if needed and add the onions as garnishing then serve hot.

Video

Notes

Cooking Tips of Pork Bistek:

Marinate for Maximum Flavor

Allow the pork to marinate for at least two hours; otherwise, the soy sauce and calamansi juice's flavor and spices that would be infused into the meat may not go well. The more extended the marinating time is, the better the tangy and savory notes would blend with the pork for each bite to be equally savory.

Finally, to achieve the best possible results, it is best if the pork sits overnight in the refrigerator. This way, the taste will be much stronger.

Do Not Overcook the Pork

Since pork tenderloin cooks faster than beef, be watchful not to overcook it. Once the pork develops its brown color and the sauce has reached the desired thickness, start checking several times so it does not get mushy. Simmering this far will give you the melt-in-your-mouth texture by the help of softening meat without drying or juicing.

Caramelize the Onions

For the flavor of caramelized onions, it's best to cook them just until soft and slightly golden. Its sweetness cuts across the salty, tangy sauce for a perfectly balanced finish for the dish. Some of the cooked onions are set aside for garnishing, which adds an even more mouthwatering quality and attractiveness to the dish when ready to be served.