Recipe: Francis Ang’s Pork Sisig Stuffing (2024)

Francis Ang, pastry chef at Dirty Habit, usually helps cook Thanksgiving dinner for his parents, three aunts, their families, his uncle, his grandma and, once in a while, a friend.

And that’s just his mother’s relatives. “I have a lot of family,” he says, laughing.

Thanksgiving for a big Filipino American family, as translated by an ambitious cook, involves stuffing a bacon-wrapped turkey breast with ground turkey leg meat and persimmons, cooking it sous-vide, then crisping the skin on the stove. (The actual recipe is even more involved.)

Ang also mashes Okinawan sweet potatoes and makes a bread stuffing with sisig, a popular drinking-hour snack in the Philippines. It’s a recipe he learned from his father.

Showered with green onions and lime juice, the pork stuffing turns out meaty, savory and, as more than one Chronicle staffer discovered when we tested it, impossible to stop eating.

At Dirty Habit, Ang makes his sisig with pig ears, which have a nice crunch, instead of more readily available pork butt. Feel free to make the substitution yourself.

What Ang didn’t do for last Thanksgiving: dessert.

“I think someone brought apple pie,” he says.

Pork Sisig Stuffing

Serves 16-20 as a side dish

From Francis Ang of Dirty Habit Restaurant. The sisig can be prepared a day or two ahead.

Sisig

1 pound boneless pork butt

1½ pounds uncured pork belly

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Stuffing

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, minced, about 2 cups

2 teaspoons minced garlic

4 ounces chicken livers, rinsed and roughly chopped

1 serrano chile, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ cup Maggi seasoning

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper + more to taste

8 cups diced (¾-inch) country bread, crust left on

¾ cup sliced (¼-inch) celery

2 large eggs

Kosher salt to taste

Garnish

2 to 4 green onions, chopped

Fresh lime juice, to taste

For the sisig: Place the pork butt and belly in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the meat, about 12 cups, and the salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1½ hours, or until just tender. As the pork cooks, add more hot water as needed to keep covered.

Preheat oven to broil, with rack placed in the middle of the oven.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Remove the pork from the liquid, and place on the sheet. Let the broth cool, then skim excess fat off the top and discard. Reserve 1½ cups for the recipe; cover and refrigerate if made ahead. Discard the rest or save for another use.

Broil the pork until slightly charred, about 10-15 minutes, watching closely to prevent burning. When the meat is cool enough to handle, chop into small bite-size pieces. If made ahead, cover and refrigerate.

For the stuffing: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When bubbling, add the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken liver; cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add the chile, reserved chopped pork, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and Maggi seasoning; simmer about 10 minutes. Season with the ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Transfer the stuffing mixture to a large bowl; add the bread cubes and celery. Whisk together the cooled, reserved broth with the eggs and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add to the stuffing, tossing to combine.

Transfer the mixture to a 9- by 13-inch baking dish; cover with foil and bake about 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake, uncovered, about 15-20 minutes more, or until the top is crisp and golden. If necessary, broil 3-4 minutes to crisp and brown the top.

To serve: Garnish with the chopped green onions and a squeeze of lime. Serve hot or at warm room temperature.

Per serving: 301 calories, 11 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 23 g fat (8 g saturated), 91 mg cholesterol, 252 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

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