Lechon Pork Belly with Crispy Crackling

Celebrate with Moist and Juicy Lechon Pork Belly

Happy celebration everyone! If you're here, then you're probably planning a wonderful event that needs something special on the menu.

We'll you're in for a treat! Making lechon belly at home has never been easy until now.

What exactly is Lechon Belly?

Lechon belly is a simplified and miniaturized variation of lechon. And I personally think, it's the best idea ever. There's no way I'm making a whole roasted pig in my kitchen.

I don't exactly know where this whole idea started but I think that the method and process of making were most likely inspired by Porchetta, an Italian dish made of roasted rolled pork.

You will love this recipe because:

• It's a Cebu-style lechon infused with garlic, onion, and lemongrass flavor.
• It makes the juiciest and most tender oven-roasted pork belly that you'll ever have.
• The skin is crispy, crackling, and bubbly. Everything we all love about lechon!
• Cooked in the oven. No pit roasting in open fire nor, constant basting.
  
  You're welcome 🙂

Lechon Ingredients

Here's what you need to make the best lechon belly at home. Lots of tips included!

Pork belly

Here's are some tips to find the perfect pork belly for your Lechon:

• Size and Shape - use a rectangular piece of boneless pork belly with skin on; roughly the size that can be rolled up. I recommend getting a minimum of 1.5kg (3 pounds) up to the maximum size that can fit in your oven. I used 2.3kg (5 pounds) in this recipe.
• Thickness - look for a piece with an even thickness for easy rolling. Cut out the uneven parts as needed.
• Quality Pork - use the freshest pork you can find, preferably from the butcher. Avoid frozen cuts that have been stored for who knows how long–such cuts will not crisp up. This is speaking from a personal experience.

Seasonings

All you need are garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. These simple seasonings are the secret to making a flavorful Lechon.

To make it spicy: Add red pepper flakes, chopped Thai red chilies, or siling labuyo.

Shallots, garlic, and lemongrass

The 3 key ingredients to making a true Filipino lechon. Tip: pound the garlic and lemongrass to release the aroma before chopping.

Oil

This helps the seasonings stick to the meat and skin and boost up the crackling. Any vegetable oil will work; I used canola oil.

Salt

The most important ingredient to get that perfect pork crackling! I recommend using a coarse-grained type such as sea salt and kosher.

How to make Lechon Belly: Overview

Here's how to make the best lechon belly at home in 4 simple steps:

1. Prepare the pork by drying the skin and scoring the meat. No need to score the skin!
2. Season the meat, roll then tie it into a log - I will show you the easiest way to do this. Even beginners can do it!
3. Rub the skin with oil and sprinkle salt all over - the second most important step to getting that crispy and puffy pork crackling.
4. Slow roast for 2 ½ hours and finally blast at 240c until the skin is crispy all over!

Tender and Crispy Skin Lechon

Here's my step-by-step process to making the best homemade lechon you'll ever have:

Part1: Preparation

• Dry the skin by placing it in a tray with a paper towel skin side down. This will absorb all the water and moisture. Replace the towel until the skin is completely dry. Air-drying can also work but my process is so much faster.
• Score the meat - make shallow cuts about ⅛ to ¼ inch deep. This will allow the meat to properly absorb the seasonings and flavor of the aromatics.
• Brush the meat with vinegar to reduce the pork odor i.e. make the pork smell better. This step is optional but highly recommended.
• Rub the meat with oil all over including the sides.

Part 2: Season and Roll into a log

• Sprinkle the seasonings all over the meat, including the sides. Rub with your hands to distribute evenly.
• Place the garlic, shallots, and lemongrass in the center. While others prefer using thick or whole long cuts of aromatics I prefer them chopped as they're less bulky making the pork easier to roll.
• Place 6 to 8 strings of cooking twine under the pork, at 2-3 inches intervals. Make sure it's long enough to tie into a ribbon.
• Roll into a log then tie each into a ribbon (see video!)–start at the center to hold the shape. Next, do the outermost strings, then just finish the rest. Easy! Nothing complicated. Why do a ribbon? Well, with a ribbon, you can easily adjust the tightness by untying it. Tip: Don't tie the pork too tightly. As it cooks it will expand and become bulky. It's easier to crisp the skin if it's smooth and even.

Part 3: Secret to crispy, crunchy, crackling pork skin!

• Rub skin with oil all over including the sides and bottom. This will help the salt stick to the skin and encourage the crackling. Tip: If there are any patches of moisture left on the skin, pat it dry with a paper towel before doing this step.
• Sprinkle salt evenly (DON'T RUB) all over the skin (see video), including the bottom sides and edges. This will make the skin crispy, puffy, and crackling. Tip: Sprinkle in small amounts to avoid oversalting.
• Cover the meat part with foil so it doesn't dry out during the roasting process. Make sure that the skin is completely exposed.

Part 4: Oven roast the Lechon Belly

• Slow roast for 2 ½ hours - to tenderize the meat and dry up the skin. Do not be tempted to increase the temperature or the skin will not bubble and become hard and dry towards the end of the cooking. Tip: Add another 25 minutes per 500g/ 1 pound until it reaches 62°C/145°F on a meat thermometer.
• Roast the skin at 240c until crispy all over – start roasting the top side at 15 minutes then rotate the pork then roast for another 15 minutes. Flip to one side and roast for 10 minutes or until crispy and repeat the process to the other side. Of course, if your oven has a rotisserie function, use it with gusto! This step roughly takes about 50 minutes to an hour. Tip: Do not leave the pork unattended as it can easily burn at this point because of the considerably high temperature.

What to Serve with Lechon Belly

Serve with lechon liver sauce, vinegar dipping sauce, or soy vinegar sawsawan. It's good on its own but definitely best eaten with rice or even pancit.

And oh don't forget the drippings!  Skim out the excess oil and use it as sawsawan too! I drizzled mine over warm rice and it was so so good!

What to do with Leftovers

You can store leftovers in an airtight container. It should last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or up to 1 month in the freezer (use a freezer-safe bag or container).

Alternatively, you can make it into Lechon Paksiw! It's the perfect dish to use up leftover lechon or lechon kawali.

How to Re-heat Lechon

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. Place the baking tray on the upper-level rack. Roast in the oven at 200c until skin is crispy. No preheating is needed. You can do this in a regular oven or air-fryer/ convection oven.

Watch how to make Lechon Belly