Dinakdakan, also called warek-warek, is an Ilocano dish of grilled pig face, ears, and liver, boiled tender, charred over coals, then chopped and tossed with onion, chili, ginger, and calamansi or vinegar. What sets it apart is the dressing: mashed boiled pig brain stirred through for a creamy, savory binder, with mayonnaise often standing in today. Smoky, tangy, and rich, it is classic beer food that has grown into a rice meal.
Dinakdakan is a home-style dish of the Ilocos region, built like much of Ilocano cooking on thrift — using the whole pig, including the face and offal that might otherwise go to waste. It belongs to the pulutan tradition of food eaten with drink, and is often set against the Kapampangan sisig, which shares the grilled-then-chopped pig's-face base; the clearest difference is the pig-brain dressing that makes dinakdakan creamy where sisig is not.
Chewy-tender strips of pig face and ear, edged with grill char and a faint bite of cartilage, the liver lending an iron depth. The brain (or mayo) coats everything in a cool, savory cream, cut by sharp raw onion, the heat of chili, and a squeeze of calamansi that keeps it from feeling heavy. Smoke, tang, fat, and crunch land in one mouthful.
The texture comes in two stages. Simmering with aromatics softens the gelatinous skin and cartilage and cooks the offal through; grilling over coals then drives off surface moisture and lays down Maillard char and smoke. The dish is built warm, the meat chopped while still hot so it drinks up the calamansi and vinegar. The brain is the technical heart — gently boiled and mashed, its fat and protein emulsify into a creamy dressing much like an egg yolk would; mayonnaise mimics that role when brain is left out.
Variations
The traditional Ilocano version binds with mashed pig brain; the popular modern shortcut uses mayonnaise for similar creaminess and a milder taste. Some cooks add chopped pig ears and snout for more crunch, or chicharon for crackle. Closely related to Kapampangan sisig but creamier and not served sizzling; the leaner, brain-free take overlaps with warek-warek as the name is used in some towns.
On the Palate
Where Dinakdakan sits in the Filipino flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 140 min
Boil pig face, ears, and liver with onion, bay, and peppercorns until tender
- 215 min
Reserve the liver, then grill the face and ears over hot coals until charred at the edges
Watch outGrill the face and ears over hot coals until the edges char — that Maillard smoke is what lifts the dish above a plain boil.
- 312 min
Boil the pig brain separately until firm, then mash it smooth (or set out mayonnaise instead)
- 48 min
Chop the grilled meat and liver into small bite-sized strips
- 55 min
While still warm, toss the meat with sliced red onion, ginger, and chili
Watch outToss the meat while it's still warm — hot meat drinks up the calamansi and vinegar; let it cool first and the dressing just sits on the surface.
- 63 min
Stir in the mashed brain or mayonnaise to coat everything in a creamy dressing
Watch outMash the boiled brain smooth and stir it in — its fat and protein emulsify into a creamy dressing, the same job an egg yolk does (mayonnaise stands in when brain is left out).
- 72 min
Season with calamansi juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste
- 81 min
Serve warm as pulutan or with steamed rice
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