Roasted Pork Belly Lechon Recipe 375 Food

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.

CRISPY PORK BELLY

Steps:

• For the pork belly: Line a baking sheet with foil and fit with a wire rack.
• Mix together the olive oil, thyme, mustard powder, coriander, red pepper flakes, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and a generous amount of pepper in a small bowl until combined. Mix the baking powder with 2 teaspoons salt in a separate small bowl.
• Pat the skin of the pork belly completely dry. Use a sharp skewer, fork or paring knife to poke lots of holes all over the skin, making sure not to hit the meat. This will help the skin crisp up. Flip the pork over and rub the spice mixture all over the meat (not the skin). Transfer to the prepared baking sheet skin-side up. Sprinkle half of the baking powder mixture over the skin. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Wipe off the baking powder mixture from the pork with a paper towel. Pat the skin completely dry and sprinkle with the remaining baking powder mixture.
• Bake until the pork is cooked through and tender, about 2 hours. Raise the temperature to 500 degrees F and continue cooking until the skin is golden brown, bubbling and crispy, about 20 minutes more. Let rest for 10 minutes.
• For the sauce: Meanwhile, whisk together the cilantro, olive oil, honey, scallions, garlic, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl.
• Slice the pork belly into 1/2-inch-thick slices and transfer to a serving platter. Spoon the sauce down the middle before serving.

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 LIEMPO (FILIPINO-STYLE ROASTED PORK BELLY) RECIPE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together oil, garlic, salt, vinegar, and black pepper.
• Lay pork belly on a cutting board skin-side down. Score flesh diagonally about every 2-inches. Repeat in opposite direction, creating a diamond pattern. Spread garlic mixture evenly all over flesh.
• Roll pork into a cylinder and tie tightly with butcher twine about every inch.
• Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on either side of the charcoal grate and place a foil pan between the two piles of coals. Cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Run spit of the rotisserie through middle of pork and secure ends with rotisserie forks. Place on the rotisserie, cover, and cook at medium heat until skin has darkened and crisped and pork registers 160oF when an instant read thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the meat, about 3 hours, replenishing coals to maintain temperature as needed. Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes. Remove spit, slice, and serve.