In making tocino in the Philippines, the pork belly meat is first sliced into thin strips.
Anisewine,
annatto, water, sugar, and
salt are then combined in a container to make a mixture. Each of the meat strips is then sprinkled with the mixture and then stacked in a separate container, which is then covered and kept refrigerated for about three days to cure.
Tocino is traditionally boiled in water (just enough to cover the meat) or fried in oil, or is cooked over medium heat until the fat is rendered. The original tocino is marinated only with salt, sugar, and salitre (
saltpetre), although
pineapple juice may be added for a slightly tart flavor. The
Kapampangans who make tocinomix it for four to six hours in order to achieve thickness and softness in the meat, then leave it overnight at room temperature before serving it as burong baboy (fermented pork).
Tocino is often served as the popular breakfast or lunchtime combination called Tosilog, which name is a
portmanteau of tocino, sinangág(garlic
rice) and itlóg (egg, which is cooked either
sunny-side up or
scrambled).