Pork tenderloin salpicao: quicker than the beef version, just as saucy. Crispy garlic on top. Full recipe here.
Salpicao is a Filipino garlic beef stir-fry built on Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, and a heavy hand of garlic — the kind of dish that's more sauce than it looks, clinging to every piece of meat on the plate. This version swaps the usual beef for pork tenderloin, which is lean enough to sear fast and tender enough that it doesn't need a long cook to get there.
Because it's so lean, there's no fat to keep it moist if it goes over — push it too far and it tightens up, turns chalky, and no amount of sauce will fix it. A quick sear and a short finish in the pan is all it needs. The pork is done when there's no more pink at the center — cut into a piece to check.
The crispy garlic does two jobs. The obvious one is texture — those golden bits on top at the end. The less obvious one is the oil it leaves behind, which carries all that toasted garlic flavor into the sear. Using garlic oil instead of neutral oil means the pork is picking up flavor before the sauce even goes in.
Before the pork hits the pan, pat it dry. Surface moisture steams the meat instead of browning it, and you want a proper sear — deep color, not gray. The sauce is finished with butter, which gives it a glossy, rounded quality that garlic oil alone can't do. Butter goes in off the heat at the very end; added earlier, it risks breaking during the simmer. A small amount of water rounds out the sauce without pushing the salt higher — it loosens things just enough so there's actual sauce to spoon over rice.
Make crispy garlic: Heat oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden and crisp, 5–6 minutes. Watch closely — it darkens fast. Drain through a fine sieve and reserve both the garlic and the oil separately.
Mix sauce: Combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, and water in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
Sear pork: Heat 1 tbsp of reserved garlic oil in a large skillet over high heat until it shimmers. Sear pork in a single layer, undisturbed, for about 2 minutes per side until deeply browned. Work in batches if needed. Remove and set aside.
Build sauce: In the same pan, heat another tbsp of garlic oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook until lightly golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Pour in the sauce mixture and simmer for 2–3 minutes, scraping up any browned bits, until slightly reduced.
Finish: Return the pork to the pan and toss to coat. Cook for 1–2 minutes until the sauce clings. Remove from heat, stir in butter until melted and glossy, and taste for salt. Transfer to a plate and top with crispy garlic.
