Easy Pork Hamonado Recipe using Pork Belly

BY :Bebs | Published: 08/07/ 2016 | Updated:05/28/ 2020 | 114 Comments

RECIPE VIDEO PRINT

4.79 from 41 votes

Pin It

Get this easy recipe for Pork Hamonado that hasa perfect balance of sweet and savory and with meat so tender, it melts in your mouth.

What is Hamonado?
What cut of pork to use?
Printable Recipe
Easy Pork Hamonado

What is Hamonado?

Pork Hamonado is a Filipino dish that involves cooking the meat in pineapple juice.

It is or was a kind of food that is only served at special occasions like for Christmas or Fiestas. Understandably, not only because most ordinary people from earlier years could not afford to eat porkevery day but, also, such rich food should be only eaten occasionally.

But nowadays, it's become common to see iton the lunch or dinner tables on any regular day.

What cut of pork to use?

Different kind of pork cuts can be used as long as there is some fat in it. This is because this dish involves slow cooking the meat in the sweetened soy sauce. This process will bring out the pork's flavor.For this Pork Hamonado recipe, I used pork belly. Other cuts that can be used are pork ham, neck or shoulder.

What I like about this recipe is it is fairly simple and easy. The hardest part, for me at least, was the waitingwhile the meat is cooking which might take some time to get that tender melt-in-your-mouth meat, but it was definitely worth it!

Some Q&A about cooking this Pork Hamonado Recipe

What pork cuts to use?

I used pork belly for this recipe but Pork knuckles, pork legs (ham), pork shoulder, or any part that has fat attached should be good for this recipe. Cooking time may vary though depending on the toughness of the meat.

What kind of soy sauce to use?

I know that this would not be a question if you are in the Philippines as we only know one kind of soy sauce. The others go by a different name for us (usually we call them by the brand).

In other countries, however,there are different soy sauces in the market and they have different flavors and render different outcomes. If you can find a regular soy sauce from the Philippines, then that would be perfect, otherwise, look for the all-purpose or dark variety.

Sweetened pineapple juice or not?

You can use any of the two actually. But if you are going to use sweetened pineapple juice, skip the sugar first as it may be already too sweet if it is added.

Printable Recipe

Print Review

Easy Pork Hamonado

4.79 from 41 votes

Get this recipe of Pork Hamonado that has a perfect balance of sweet and savory and with meat so tender, it melts in your mouth.

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 50 minutes mins

Total Time: 55 minutes mins

Course :Main Course

Servings =6

Print Recipe Rate this Recipe

Ingredients

2-3 pounds Pork belly - cut into 2 inch long and about ¾ inch thick
6 cloves garlic - crushed
1 cup soy sauce
2 cups water
2 cups pineapple juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons peppercorn
1 cup pineapple chunks
salt -if needed
a dash of ground pepper

Instructions

Place the pork belly slices in a pot or deep pan.
Mix all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl until well blended and salt and sugar are dissolved.
Pour the liquid mixture to the pork belly and bring to boil over medium-high heat.
Once it starts to boil, lower down the heat to medium-low and cover with a lid then let it simmer for 40-50 minutes or so or until the meat is fork tender.
Remove the cover and continue to simmer until fat quite literally melts in your mouth. By then, the liquids would have been reduced to a thick sauce.
Serve while hot with steamed rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 888kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 19gFat: 80gSaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 2216mgPotassium: 544mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 35IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 2mg

Have you tried this recipe?Mention @foxyfolksy or tag #FoxyFolksyRecipes!

More Filipino Recipes

Sinangag
Palitaw sa Latik
Graham Balls
Lechon Paksiw

Latest Recipes

Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Sinangag

Palitaw sa Latik

Peri-Peri Chicken

Graham Balls

Lechon Paksiw

Steamed Fish-Chinese Style

Carioca

Reader Interactions

Comments

What do you think?

pacita says
October 30, 2022 at 11:48 am

whole recipe please
Reply
Marilou says
September 03, 2022 at 4:59 pm

i’ve tried to cook the Banana Bread Recipe, it’s taste delicious. Thank you for sharing all the recipes.
Reply
Madeline says
May 31, 2022 at 1:36 am

Hi,
Can this be made ahead and frozen? Thanks.
Reply
- Bebs says
  June 04, 2022 at 1:19 am
  
  It will last some days in the fridge without freezing but if you really need to store for longer time then sure you can freeze it.
  Reply
  See Also
  How to make Bukayo - Foxy Folksy Pinoy Recipes
Josephine says
February 08, 2022 at 1:48 am

Looks great! I’ll try this recipe. Haven’t tasted it in 50 years since I moved to tge USA. Thanks for sharing❤️❤️❤️
Reply
Xtin says
December 17, 2021 at 12:14 pm

This is the best pork hamonado I have tried by far! I only have this on special occasion because I eat a lot of rice whenever I have this! 😄
Reply
Heather says
November 02, 2021 at 5:31 am

This is a homerun. The only suggestion I would make is less water. It took a while to cook down the broth so it was a thick delicious nectar. We served over rice with plantains. Wow! A real crowd pleaser. Will definitely cook it again.
Reply
anna says
July 24, 2021 at 5:01 am

Hello wonderful ,
can cook this in the instapot? If so, please may I have the directions.
Smiles
Reply
- Bebs says
  July 25, 2021 at 3:15 pm
  
  Hi Anna, yes you can and I will share it here soon!
  Reply
Gareth says
June 10, 2021 at 4:47 pm

I have recently opened my own small restaurant/takeaway in England selling Filipino food and as an englishman who's tasted the cuisine and fell in love with it I am trying to commercialise the recipes to be sold to the english people who haven't tasted the cuisine before. This is no easy feat because english people can be very picky when it comes to trying new things.
Many of the recipes in the Philippines have a very distinct taste and a lot more fat (tastes better) but we live in a world where people are trying to make better and healthier food choices so I'm trying to reduce the salt / fat / sugars in most of the dishes .... HOWEVER .... that being said .....
Hamanado is my FAVOURITE of all the Filipino dishes. It's soft, juicy, sweet, sticky and .... well ... most importantly ... it contains pineapple ... and I love pineapple 🙂
I'm going to give this receipe a whirl as a one-off special in the store later in the month and see how it goes ..... one question I did have though is this.
If I batch cook this and then store it in smaller 1-2 person portions .... when reheating or god forbid "microwaving" ... if I added a little more pineapple juice mixed with a little water .... this would help prevent the meat from scorching (or going hard) on the edges while maintaining the original flavor of when it was stored right?
Something Im gonna try anyway ... and if it ain't answered I will follow up with results later anyway .....
Thanks for your wonderful recipe and I'll be sure to stay tuned for some more tips too .... also ... that orange juice replacement dish .... sounds inviting too 🙂
Thanks for the great recipe! <3
Reply
- Bebs says
  June 11, 2021 at 11:30 am
  
  Hi Gareth, I am happy to hear that you love Filipino cuisine and grateful that you are trying to put it out there for your English folks to experience. As for your question, adding fresh (uncooked) pineapple juice diluted in water when reheating, might give the dish a bit of a sour/citrusy taste, unless of course, you let it simmer again, but I think that beats the purpose of preparing it ahead. My suggestion is to make more sauce to simmer the meat in and then take some of the sauce when it is getting thicker and store that to add later when reheating. I hope that helps.
  Reply
Mari says
April 23, 2021 at 10:25 pm

Hi, just want to ask once cooked how long can I keep this in the fridge? Thanks
Reply
- Bebs says
  May 15, 2021 at 3:04 am
  
  As it is sweet, it should last for a couple of days in the fridge if stored properly.
  Reply
Shana says
September 18, 2020 at 7:56 am

Hi! Can I use orange juice instead? If yes, what adjustments should I make with the other ingredients?
Reply
- Bebs says
  November 20, 2020 at 11:02 pm
  
  It is not common but I used orange juice for a pork recipe before, Carnitas, and it tastes amazing. Just use it the same way as the pinenapple juice.
  Reply
Marcy says
July 12, 2020 at 3:28 pm

Turned out really salty for me. Was able to salvage by taking out the meat, removing half of the sauce, adding 2 more cups of water, another half cup of pineapple juice and some more sugar, then let it boil with the meat. I used Marca Pina soy sauce and golden circle pineapple juice.
Reply
- Bebs says
  August 12, 2020 at 10:48 am
  
  Hi Marcy, yes, I noticed the same thing when using this brand. I think their soy sauce is darker (more concentrated) that others.
  Reply
Dannie says
June 06, 2020 at 7:01 am

Hi. It looks delicious and I really wanna try it. When do I put the pineapple chunks? If I put it at the start, will it be too soggy? Thank you.
Reply
- Bebs says
  June 09, 2020 at 12:48 am
  
  Hi Dannie, it is in the recipe to add all the rest of ingredients in step 2. It will not only be soggy but almost crushed by the time the meat is tender.
  Reply
Pearlie says
June 05, 2020 at 1:57 pm

Discovered this great recipe during quarantine and I’ve been cooking this almost every week. My 7-year old son loves it! The only problem with this is I tend to eat more rice. 😋
Thanks for sharing 😊
Reply
- Bebs says
  June 05, 2020 at 8:38 pm
  
  LOL! I feel you Pearlie, it is also a problem for us cooking these kinds of food all the time.😉 Really glad that you like it thouh..
  Reply

« Older Comments

Easy Pork Hamonado Recipe using Pork Belly - Foxy Folksy (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook pork belly so it's not tough? ›

Preheat oven to 450°F. Roast pork belly for 30 minutes on the middle rack in a heavy, oven-safe pan or skillet, skin side up / fat side up. Reduce heat to 275°F and roast for an hour or more, until tender but not mushy. (Larger pieces of pork belly will take longer.

Find Out More ›

Why boil pork belly before roasting? ›

Boiling pork belly will cook and tenderize the meat but water has no flavor so you aren't adding anything by doing so. What you want to do is cut the pork belly into pieces. I like 2″ X 4″ blocks of pork belly for ease of handling.

Discover More ›

Why is pork belly hard to cook? ›

This is a tough muscle, so it needs a longer cooking time at low heat to breakdown the tough tissue." So, to serve up good roast pork, budget for at least 3-4 hours in the kitchen. If done correctly, a piece of roast pork should be so tender you can pierce its flesh with a fork.

Read On ›

How to use pork belly instead of bacon? ›

My favorite way to cook pork belly is to slice it (or buy it pre-sliced), then bake the strips in the oven. Crispy, fatty, and flavorful, these tasty strips are perfect as a first course, an indulgent main course, or for breakfast instead of bacon.

Find Out More ›

Why do you pour boiling water on pork belly? ›

boiling water trick

This helps to prep the skin to crackle as its now "pre-cooked" so to speak. Make sure to pat dry with paper towel to further dry afterwards.

Is pork belly as unhealthy as bacon? ›

Is pork belly healthier than bacon? Bacon contains smoke flavor, preservatives (like nitrates), and added ingredients that may not be considered part of a healthy diet. If you're trying to eat more naturally, pork belly may make a better choice.

Discover More Details ›

What is pork belly called in America? ›

So, streaky pork bacon is pork belly, but pork belly isn't bacon. Instead, pork belly is the whole slab cut from the fleshy underside of a pig. Streaky pork bacon is cut from this slab. Pork belly is unsmoked and uncured, while much bacon found in the U.S. can undergo a lot of processing—not ButcherBox bacon, though.

Can you fry pork belly like bacon on the stove? ›

Thaw sliced pork belly. Heat dry cast iron skillet over med/medium low heat (about 4 out of 10). Fry bacon to desired crispness, turning at least once. Immediately after removing bacon from skillet, salt to taste with sea salt.

How do you cook pork without making it tough? ›

If you're not confident in your cooking skills, there is one foolproof way to guarantee your pork ends up on the tender side, even if you cook it too long: Soak it in a brine or a marinade. According to Hazel, these kinds of preparations always produce the most tender outcomes.

View Details ›

How do you stop pork from being tough? ›

Try a Marinade or Brine. A marinade or brine can introduce more moisture or lots of flavor into your meat before you cook it. A marinade is a sauce that introduces extra flavor to your pork, depending on the aromatics or herbs you choose to include. A brine pulls more moisture into the meat, which keeps your pork juicy ...