Lechon Cebu Recipes

LECHON BELLY (ALA LECHON CEBU) RECIPE

Steps:

• Wash the pork slab with running water and make sure that hairs on the skin are shaved.
• In a casserole, put 5 cups of water then add lemon grass, leeks, bay leaves, onion, black peppercorn, garlic, and salt.
• Make the brine/marinade: Bring water to boil then lower heat and simmer for at least 10 minutes. This will allow the herbs and spices to release its flavor and aroma.
• Turn off heat. Set aside brine solution until it cools.
• Pour the brine on the pork slab and marinate overnight
• After marinating, remove the pork from the brine. The surface of the pork is quite salty so we have to rinse with fresh water then pat dry with paper towel.
• Lay the pork slab on flat surface and place the rolled lemon grass, leek, and garlic.
• Now roll up the pork slab, form a roulade with the garlic, leeks, and lemon grass on the center. Tie pork with twine (string) to keep its roulade in shape.
• Brush the surface with mixture of milk and water. Set aside for at least an hour to allow milk to set in the skin. Milk makes the skin color reddish brown when roasted.
• Set and preheat your turbo broiler (or oven) at 375 deg F (190 deg C). Maintain this temperature up to end of cooking.
• Put the pork roulade on the turbo broiler but cover with aluminum foil. I put aluminum to cover the meat temporarily for the first 2 hours of cooking to shield the hot air from the oven fan otherwise the outer part of the pork will be cooked quickly yet the inner part is still half cooked.
• After 2 hours remove the aluminum foil cover. Continue cooking but rotate the roulade, at least every 10 minutes to evenly cook the skin. Check if the skin is already crackling crispy then it is done.

LECHON BELLY (FILIPINO ROASTED PORK BELLY / CEBUCHON)

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, combine all the brine ingredients (except the vinegar and pork) and stir. Heat to a boil and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the stove and let it cool to room temperature. Once it's cooled add the vinegar and mix.
• Turn your pork so the skin is facing down. Use a knife to score your meat in diagonal lines across the pork belly. Aim to score about halfway or ½ inch deep and 1 space in between each line. Turn your pork belly 180 degrees and repeat the scores. You should end up with diamond-shaped scores.
• In a container, combine the brine and pork. Make sure it fully covers the pork, then cover with plastic wrap or a lid and brine in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• After brining, transfer the pork into a rack-lined sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels. And season with salt heavily, then sprinkle the pepper.
• Layer the stuffing ingredients. Place garlic slices in between the folds, layer the onions slices and bay leaves, and add the green onions and lemongrass strips on top.
• Cut 4-6 strands of twine about 3-4 inches longer than the width of your pork belly (make sure to measure using the width you will be rolling, not lengthwise). Carefully take each strand and wiggle it underneath the pork so that each strand is evenly spaced out. Try to get as close to the edges as possible (about 1 inch from the edge).
• Add your rotisserie rack pole in between, try to make this as even as possible.
• Roll the pork belly. Take both ends of your pork belly and roll it tight, the ends of the pork should touch or be close to touching when fully rolled. Then wrap each twine strand and tie firmly. Repeat with all the strands until you end up with a roll. Add the clamps on either side to secure your pork belly (if your rotisserie comes with them).
• Place your belly on the grill and turn on the rotisserie and add a drip tray below to catch all the fat. Baste with milk.
• Grill at 180 °F for 2-3 hours. For my grill, I only needed to turn on 1 burner at the lowest heat and it maintained 180 °F, use a thermometer since yours may be different. Check the meat and grill temp, and baste with milk every 30 minutes to make sure things are staying on track. Here's what it should look like at the end.
• When the meat's internal temperature hits about 125-130°F, turn up the heat to about 350-375 °F for another 45 minutes. Baste every 15 minutes, and check to make sure the grill temperature is not too hot or cold. When the skin is crisp and the meat reaches a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F, you're done! Do not leave the grill unattended especially towards the end of grilling to ensure the belly does not burn. Here's how it should look when the skin is finished crisping up.
• Let it cool for 5-10 minutes, remove from the rotiserrie rod, slice then chop, and serve.

CEBU LECHON MANOK (BAKED)

Steps:

• Rub the skin and inside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Then rub the skin of the chicken with garlic, ginger and soy sauce.
• Stuff the chicken with lemon grass and bananas. Wrap the chicken tightly with aluminum foil.
• Roast in a preheated 400 °F oven for about an hour. Then open the foil and let it roast until the skin is golden brown and crisp (approximately 30 minutes or more).
• Serve with dipping sauce made from a mixture of vinegar, onions and pepper.

RICO'S LECHON PORK CUBAN STYLE

Steps:

• For the pork marinade: Rinse the pork with warm water and place on a half-sheet pan preferably 1 to 2 inches deep. Carefully stab 8 to 10 slits with the tip of a chef's knife in different areas of the meat. (Note: If you are using a pork shoulder instead, cut under the thick cap of fat using a fillet knife, cutting while pulling the fat out of the way to one side, revealing the meat; do not remove the layer of fat, just detach it to make way for stabbing slits with your knife.) Using your hands, fill all the slits with garlic cloves, pressing them down into each slit. Add salt and pepper and spread evenly. Pour lemon and lime juices over the pork. Add the achiote, coriander and oregano. Using your hands, massage and spread evenly. Pour the olive oil and spread evenly. Let the pork rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
• For the blending ingredients: Add the onions, basil, olives, olive oil, green onions, green peppers, lemon, red pepper, yellow pepper and 2 quarts water to a blender. Blend until thick. Set aside.
• For the mojo marinade: Stir together the achiote, lemon and lime juices, olive oil, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper and orange slices in a bowl.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Transfer the pork to a deeper roasting pan, preferably 4 inches deep. Add the blending mixture by pouring it evenly over the pork. Now pour the mojo marinate evenly over the pork. Add water, making sure to pour on the sides of the pan and not on top of the pork, and fill at least two-thirds of the way. Cover the pork with foil, sealing tight, and place in the oven. Roast 3 1/2 hours, then remove the foil and turn the oven up to 425 degrees F. Continue to roast for an additional hour.
• Serve hot with your favorite rice and beans.