In a stockpot, place water, pineapple juice, salt, peppercorns, garlic and pork belly. Cover  and cook pork stove top, in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat then lower to heat to a low simmer. Cover and continue to cook till pork is tender, about an hour for a pound of pork.

When cooked and tender, remove the pork from the stockpot. Drain and discard the liquid. Pat dry the pork slab with a paper towel.

Place the pre-boiled pork belly piece on a shallow baking pan or cookie sheet (with a height of one inch) and oven roast till top is crisp.  Cooking time should be 30 minutes for every pound at a preheated oven of 350 F degrees.(This pork belly I had was a pound which  took 30 minutes to roast and the skin on top was crispy).

Once pork is crisp and brown, remove from the oven and let it sit on a the counter, uncovered for an hour or two. Air drying it helps to make the pork even crunchier when served. (Or up to overnight if you want to cook this sisig in stages).

Then chop the pork into tiny small cubes, and further finely mince the pork using a sharp cleaver or large kitchen knife. Place the chopped pork in a non-reactive bowl.

Into the pork pieces, mix in the calamansi (or lemon juice), chopped onions, white vinegar, salt, pepper and the red bird's eye chilies. Cover, refrigerate and let the pork absorb the marinade for about one to two hours (or up to overnight if cooking in stages).

Just before serving, heat a medium sized skillet over medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil. When skillet and oil are hot enough after 1 to 2 minutes, add the pork mixture. This will be the third cooking stage. Stir fry the meat around the skillet till it turns brown and gets an added crunch. This should take 2 to 3 minutes.

COOK’S COMMENTS: Chef Claude Tayag suggested to cut the meat as small as possible. In the original recipe, he used a Lechon Pig’s head and cheeks for the meat and added chicken livers to thicken the sauce. You can cook this Pork Sisig from Lechon leftovers, after a party. When these pork cuts from lechon are not available, I always use pork belly which makes the dish just as delicious and authentic as the “sisig” I remembered from childhood.

Important: When handling or slicing the red chilies, be careful not to rub your eyes or skin after touching the chili pieces or it will sting you. When I cook this and there are children who will eat the sisig, I lower the spicy level by serving the chilies on the side.

Ingredient availability: Calamansi, the Filipino lime is an important flavor to this pork dish. It provides a piercing sweet citrusy flavor and aroma that's lime-like and unforgettable. Here in the States, access to the Calamansi is easier in the west coast or warmer states where trees can grow abundantly, like they do in the Philippines. But where I live in the USA east coast, it is available in Chinatown, usually at a steep price. Since I don't have easy access to the fresh Calamansi, I buy the frozen unsweetened concentrate, from Asian groceries. It is a good substitute and worked well for this Pork Sisig. But if all else fails, reach for fresh lemon juice, which works wonderfully, too.