Etag making What readily comes to mind when etag is mentioned is that native

delicious recipe called pinikpikan, a mixture of etag and chicken meat. Pinikpikan is
associated with a chicken slowly beaten on its wings with a stick for the blood to clot
then smashed or beaten harder on its head for it not to suffer longer before it shall be
burned off its feathers ready for butchering. And how is etag made and what does it look
like? The slab of meat has some darkish shades brought about by smoking over lit up
wood smothered with some leaves to prevent total fire from reaching the meat. Before
smoking the meat, here are important steps to do to come up with an authentic etag
smoked the indigenous way.
First, choose what part of the pork meat to smoke as not all the parts of pork
meat is good for etag. The part where there is fat, the backfat, is preferred along with
some lean parts of the meat. Having chosen the preferred part, rock salt is generously
rubbed on the pork meat on both sides then placed inside a burnay or an earthen jar
for a night for the salt to seep through and help in the preservation of the meat. After a
day, the meat is taken out from the jar or pot then tied on a rod positioned horizontally
above the fire. Before hanging the meat on the rod, a small part is pierced for a string to
get tied on loose ends. Caution is noted that the fired up wood shall not roast the meat.
That is why, leaves preferably alnus are placed above the lit up wood to consistently
keep smoke emitting to cure the meat. Smoking however does not happen every minute
and every hour. At least three hours a day for two weeks is the usual period in smoking
the meat and coming up with delicious etag. Although traditional etag making lasts up to
more than 2 weeks to months.
Etag making What readily comes to mind when etag is mentioned is that native
delicious recipe called pinikpikan, a mixture of etag and chicken meat. Pinikpikan is
associated with a chicken slowly beaten on its wings with a stick for the blood to clot
then smashed or beaten harder on its head for it not to suffer longer before it shall be
burned off its feathers ready for butchering. And how is etag made and what does it look
like? The slab of meat has some darkish shades brought about by smoking over lit up
wood smothered with some leaves to prevent total fire from reaching the meat. Before
smoking the meat, here are important steps to do to come up with an authentic etag
smoked the indigenous way. First, choose what part of the pork meat to smoke as not
all the parts of pork meat is good for etag. The part where there is fat, the backfat, is
preferred along with some lean parts of the meat. Having chosen the preferred part,
rock salt is generously rubbed on the pork meat on both sides then placed inside a
burnay or an earthen jar for a night for the salt to seep through and help in the
preservation of the meat. After a day, the meat is taken out from the jar or pot then tied
on a rod positioned horizontally above the fire. Before hanging the meat on the rod, a
small part is pierced for a string to get tied on loose ends. Caution is noted that the fired
up wood shall not roast the meat. That is why, leaves preferably alnus are placed above
the lit up wood to consistently keep smoke emitting to cure the meat. Smoking however
does not happen every minute and every hour. At least three hours a day for two weeks
is the usual period in smoking the meat and coming up with delicious etag. Although
traditional etag making lasts up to more than 2 weeks to months.

Sagada's smokin' secret revealed--Etag!

revealed--Etag!

They call it Etag in Sagada. Etag loosely translates to "smoked mountain ham", a staple among
Cordillerans. In the greater Tagalog area, it is known as "binurong karneng baboy".

Etag can be eaten as it is, or it can be mixed with, or as "sahog" of other delectable Ilocano dishes
such as Dinengdeng, or perhaps Baguio's Pinikpikan.

Etag is made of choiced pork meat. Ideally the back meat is suitable for Etag with 4 parts meat and
1 part pork fat.

Traditional Etag could take up to six months to prepare although shortcuts have been introduced by
contemporary Etag makers, to speed up the process.

Preparing Etag is both easy and painstaking. While the recipe and ingredients are quite basic, the
curing process which includes scheduled "smoking" for extended periods of time can be a tedious
routine.
To make Etag, generous amounts of rock salt are rubbed on the pork meat.

A small incision is made on the tip of the pork meat slabs and a string is inserted to hold it during the
smoking process.

The salted pork meat is stored in a clay or earthen vat, jar or clay pot where it is cured overnight.

The following day, the cured pork meat is hanged for smoking. This is a process that's repeatedly
done from 30 minutes to 3 hours a day for 2 weeks.

Ideally, the Etag is to be smoked from 5 months to as long as 5 years, for best results.

But really who wants to wait that long for food? So 2 weeks it is!

In smoking cured pork meat, it is also advisable to use a combination of aromatic wood such as oak
or red wood, which gives the Etag its distinctive taste.

One can find the best Etag in Sagada Mountain Province, where a Festival is held in the name of
this delicacy.

Among the festival's many highlights is a demonstration of how Etag is made, courtesy of traditional
Etag makers.

One may reach Sagada via Baguio City, passing through La Trinidad, Benguet. From Manila, take a
bus to Sagada via Banaue, Ifugao Province.