By mid-afternoon, the Philippines is ablaze with charcoal flames. On street corners, sandy beaches and in local eateries, vendors light up the barbecue for the daily trade. The aromatic smoke of fire-kissed meat and seafood also rises from backyards, where home cooks prepare the family meal over coals.

Aussies are the undisputed kings of the barbecue, but Filipinos are hot on our heels. Flame-grilled chicken skewers, pork ribs and whole squid stuffed with tomato and eschalot are a daily affair, while special occasions are marked with lechon, whole-roasted suckling pig. When TV host Anthony Bourdain travelled through the country filming No Reservations, he proclaimed Filipino lechon the best suckling pig in the world. And I can attest – I’ve savoured countless variations, along with the country’s other barbecued specialties, in the name of research for my new book!

The Philippines has also achieved international notoriety for its love affair with the barbecue; every local dialect has its own word for barbecue – inihaw in Tagalog, inasal in Ilonggo and sugba in Cebuano. Filipino barbecue prowess comes from the use of fragrant ingredients, such as garlic, lemongrass, ginger and chilli, to infuse meat or seafood, plus savoir faire when it comes to working with flames. Traditionally a charcoal barbecue using coconut shells is favoured, but I’ve found that my regular barbecue back in Oz works just as well – make sure you let the juices, fat and marinade drip through the grill for the occasional snakebite of flame, which adds a smoky flavour.

Pork barbecue skewers
Serves 6-8

This is a national favourite, eaten as street food, party food or a main meal when served with rice. It’s found across the country, in every town, every day. While there are countless variations, this recipe uses half-half pork shoulder and half pork belly for the perfect tenderness and flavour. And the secret ingredient? Pineapple juice which tenderises the meat and adds sweetness. You’ll need 25 bamboo skewers soaked in water for 20 minutes.

500g boneless pork belly (skin on)
500g boneless pork shoulder
1 cup (250ml) pineapple juice or lemonade
1/2 cup (125ml) soy sauce
1/3 firmly packed cup (75g) brown sugar
1 garlic bulb, cloves bruised
2 long green chillies, thickly sliced
2 small red chillies, thickly sliced
Sunflower oil, to brush
Steamed rice (optional), to serve

Soy dipping sauce
1/2 cup (125ml) soy sauce
Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
2 small red chillies, seeds removed, thinly sliced

Cut pork belly into 6mm-thick slices, then into 4cm-wide pieces. Cut pork shoulder into 1cm-thick slices, then into 5cm-wide pieces.

Place pineapple juice, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, red and green chilli and 2 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper in a large shallow dish and stir until sugar dissolves. Add the pork and use your hand to massage the marinade into meat. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight to marinate.

For the dipping sauce, combine ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

Preheat a barbecue grill to medium. Drain the pork, reserving marinade. Alternately thread pieces of pork belly and shoulder onto each skewer (don’t bunch meat), then brush all over with oil.

In batches, cook skewers, turning and basting with reserved marinade, for 7 minutes or until cooked through and slightly charred. Serve with dipping sauce and rice, if using.

Need more reasons why to heat up the grill? Check out Matt Preston’s 5 reasons why to barbecue, here.