Inihaw na Pusit for a Family Grill: Stuff Lightly and Check the Centre

Stuffed squid asks more of a grill than a thin unfilled ring. The outside can become opaque and marked while the filling is still undercooked. The practical solution is to use similarly sized medium squid, fill the cavities loosely and keep a gentler heat zone available. This guide uses a 74°C endpoint throughout the stuffed squid, including the centre of its filling; opacity alone is not the finishing test. Source 3

Measure the filling and baste

For 1 kg cleaned medium squid, prepare 2 chopped tomatoes, 1 chopped onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons calamansi juice, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon black pepper and 1–2 tablespoons oil. These are the ingredients of the inihaw na pusit recipe. Pat the cleaned squid dry with disposable towel and keep chilled until needed. For this version, cook the tentacles separately on the grill instead of packing extra raw seafood inside the cavities. Source 1 Source 2

Cook with a hot zone and a gentler finishing zone

1. Set up the grill outdoors with a hotter area for browning and a cooler area for finishing. Clean the grate, oil the squid lightly and have a clean cooked-food platter ready. Keep raw seafood and its utensils separate.
2. Combine the tomatoes, onion and garlic. Mix soy, calamansi, sugar and pepper separately. Reserve a clean portion of this mixture for serving before any touches raw squid; use the rest as a light baste. Spoon the vegetables loosely into each cavity and secure the opening with a toothpick. Do not pack tightly.
3. Place the squid over the hotter area and turn as the surfaces take colour. Brush lightly during cooking with the cooking baste. If the sugar darkens quickly or flames flare, move the squid to the gentler zone; a scorched exterior does not tell you that the filling is ready.
4. Insert a clean thin-tip food thermometer into the centre of the filling, avoiding the hot grate and an air pocket. Check the thickest mantle flesh too, and check the largest squid in more than one place. Continue cooking until all checked parts reach 74°C. Different squid sizes and filling loads will take different times.
5. Cook the separate tentacles thoroughly and avoid transferring them to the cooked platter with raw-seafood utensils. Discard the used raw-contact baste; do not pour it over the finished squid. Let the cooked squid rest just long enough to handle safely, remove and count the toothpicks, then slice.
6. Serve with the untouched reserved sauce. Keep hot food at 60°C or above if holding briefly, or refrigerate promptly in shallow portions. Do not leave a platter beside the cooling grill for later snacking.

Sources: Source 2 Source 3

Tenderness follows heat control

A smaller loose filling makes it easier to heat the centre before the outside becomes tough. Once the measured endpoint is reached, remove that squid rather than waiting for every piece to finish together. If the first batch is chewy, improve size matching and reduce the filling next time. Do not shorten the cook by accepting a cold centre. The charcoal-grilling guide explains how to maintain the two heat zones used here. Source 3

Refrigerate leftovers at 4°C or below within two hours, or within one hour above 32°C. Keep raw seafood chilled during preparation and use a clean thermometer probe between checks. Source 2