Entree Cenit Family recipe

Lechon (Pork Belly) Roast

Lechon is a full pig roast that is usually served at fiestas back home in the Philippines. Your whole family, all of your friends, all of your family’s friends, and maybe some neighbors too will come to enjoy a crunchy piece of the suckling pig. But with just me and my parents celebrating the holidays in the US, the lechon looks a bit different. We opt for a slab of pork belly that makes for a great Christmas dinner with enough meat that will be leftover for meals in the following week.

SERVINGS: 4
PREP TIME: 16 Hour(s)
COOK TIME: 2 Hour(s)

Ingredients

PORK SLAB AND BRINE

  • 2.5 lbs skin-on pork belly slab
  • 5 tbsps sea salt or kosher salt
  • 1/2 gallon of water

DRY RUB

  • 1 tsp lemon pepper
  • 1 tsp soul seasoning
  • 1 packet sazon
  • 1 packet Goya sabor a Jamon de cocinar
  • 2 tsps sugar
  • dash of smoked paprika

Steps

BRINING AND SEASONING

  1. Using a deep dish container, brine the pork slab in 1/2 gallon salt solution with 5 tbsps of sea salt or kosher salt. Brine overnight
  2. Remove from brining solution and rinse the slab to reduce saltiness and pat dry.
  3. Marinade with dry rub for at least 4 hours.

ROASTING

  1. Preheat oven to 375º
  2. Place pork slab on a roasting tray or rack, skin side down.
  3. Roast pork for 1 1/2 hours.
  4. At the 1 hour 15 minute mark, check for doneness and turn the slab skin side up. Remove the rendered fat from the tray.
  5. Return the slab into the tray/rack and set the oven to broil (500º). Within the next 5-10 minutes, the skin will have popped and blistered and developed a crunchy crust.
  6. Remove pork from tray/rack and let it cool down. The crust gets more crunchy as it cools.
  7. Serve with Mang Tomas sauce and enjoy!