Lechon Special Recipes

FILIPPINO LECHON KAWALI

Steps:

• Combine pork belly, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and pepper in a skillet; pour in enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until skin is tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Drain and let sit at room temperature until pork has air-dried.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Fry pork in the hot oil, working in batches, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove fried pork with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

FILIPINO LECHON (ROASTED PORK LEG)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Rinse pork; pat dry with paper towels. Rub butter all over the skin. Sprinkle salt over the skin.
• Place pork leg on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour water into the bottom of the pan. Cover pan securely with aluminum foil so that steam will not escape.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil. Reduce heat to 320 degrees F (160 degrees C).
• Continue baking, basting with drippings every 30 minutes, until skin is crisp, about 3 1/2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 176 degrees F (80 degrees C).
• Place pork leg on a serving platter. Slice into bite-sized portions.

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.

LECHON SPECIAL

Steps:

• Put the pork belly in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until it fork tender, 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Place the pork in a strainer and drain to remove all of the water, 30 minutes.
• Add the oil to a deep fryer or Dutch oven and heat to medium-high heat. Fry the pork until golden brown, 30 to 45 minutes. (The thicker the slab of belly, the longer it will take to fry.) Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Chop the pork belly into 1-centimeter-square pieces. Toss the pork belly, onions, tomatoes, fish sauce and Hawaiian salt in a medium mixing bowl. Garnish with green onions.

LECHON KAWALI WITH SPECIAL SAUCE RECIPE

Steps:

• Pour the water in a big cooking pot & bring to a boil.
• Put in the pork belly, onions, 1tbsp salt, bay leaves & peppercorns. Simmer for 30 minutes or until meat is tender.
• Remove the meat from the pot and let it cool down.
• Spread 1 tbsp of salt on the meat, make sure to distribute it evenly on all sections.
• We should deep fry the meat. On a dry frying pan, place the cooking oil and heat it up.
• When the oil is hot enough, put in the meat & cook until the bottom part is brown. Flip the meat to cook the opposite part.
• Remove the meat from the pan, let it cool down a little then slice according to desired portions. Place in a plate with paper towels so the oil from meat will be absorbed.
• Serve with sauce and enjoy!
• Making the sauce:
• Put in the water, onion, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce in a small bowl.
• Stir thoroughly until well blended.
• Serve and enjoy!

HOW TO COOK LECHON BELLY (BONELESS LECHON)

Steps:

• Wash and clean the pork belly slab in running water. Drain.
• In a medium size pot, prepare the brine by combining the water, lemon grass, leeks, bay leaves, pepper corns, garlic, sugar and salt.
• Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes to release the aroma and flavor of the herbs and spices. Turn off heat and let it cool.
• Put the pork belly slab and submerge in the flavored brine and place in a refrigerator. Let it soak overnight for best result.
• After brining, wash the pork belly in running water and pat dry.
• Place the pork belly in a flat surface and place in the center the stuffings: lemon grass, leeks, garlic and onion.
• Roll the pork belly like a jelly roll and tie it with twine until it is secured and will not open up and spill the stuffing.
• To make the lechon skin even more crispy and have a crackling skin, do this extra step: Poke a paring knife or fork on the skin. Rub salt all over the skin and meat then place the pork belly in a refrigerator to chill for few hours.
• Place the pork belly in a roasting pan with a rack and cover with aluminum foil.
• Place in a preheated oven 190°C and roast for 2 hours. Then after 2 hours, remove the foil, continue roasting for another hour until the skin is crispy. Serve hot.
• In case the skin is not yet crackling crispy, extend the cooking time to 45 minutes to 1 hour and raise the temperature to 220°C.

LECHON RECIPE

Steps:

• Place garlic, cilantro, oregano, salt, pepper, cumin, and half cup of the oil in a blender. Slowly add orange and lime juice, and pulse until smooth, 10 to 12 times. Remove 1 cup marinade mixture, and reserve for later use.
• Place pig in a container that is large enough to accommodate its size. Thoroughly coat with remaining marinade mixture, rubbing all over pig. Cover container, and chill 8 to 24 hours, basting occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Place a wire rack in a large, aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Remove pig from marinade, and place on rack, discarding marinade.
• Inject pig all over with reserved 1 cup marinade mixture, and rub with remaining 1 cup oil. Roast pig in preheated oven until a meat thermometer inserted into the shoulder joint close to the head registers 160 degrees F, about 4 hours, rotating pan, if necessary.
• Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F, and roast until skin is golden brown and crispy, about 1 hour. Let rest 20 minutes. Serve immediately.