LECHON BELLY OVEN RECIPES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Sprinkle over the meat side of the belly and rub well. Arrange lemongrass and green onions in the middle (fold to fit the length of the meat) and roll the belly until it reaches both ends. Tuck the greens inside the meat to prevent burning. With a kitchen twine, make tight knots about an inch apart to keep the rolled shape intact. Wipe the rolled meat with paper towels.
• Rub the skin with 2 teaspoons of sea salt and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. This will draw out the extra moisture from the meat. Wipe the pork skin once again with paper towels to remove all visible moisture. Place the rolled pork on top of the rack fitted in a roasting pan, seam side down.
• Preheat the oven to 300F. When ready, pat the skin one more time with paper towels before putting it in the oven. Bake for 2 hours. Then, increase the temperature to 350F. After 1 hour, baste the skin with the oil drippings, rotate and continue cooking for 1 more hour (2 hours total at 350F). This will ensure even browning of the roast.
• Baste again with oil then crank the oven temperature to 425-450F (**see notes) and roast until golden and crispy (crackling skin). It will take about 20-30 minutes.
• Let the bellychon rest for 15 minutes before chopping. This will ensure the meat juices redistribute, making the roast very juicy. Serve with Mang Tomas lechon sauce or soy-vinegar dip with lots of chilies.

Steps:

• "For the fillings: 1 stalk of lemon grass (tanglad) 1 stalk on onion leeks (or 3 stalk scallions) 2 cloves garlic, crushed For the glaze: 3 part of evaporated milk + 1 part of water Recipe Cooking Procedure: Wash the pork slab with running water and make sure that hairs on the skin are shaved. In a pot, put 5 cups of water then add lemon grass, 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 (about 10~12 hours) 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 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 half to an hour to allow milk to set in the skin. Milk makes the skin color reddish brown when roasted. Cook Lechon Using Turbo Broiler Set and preheat your turbo broiler 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. Note: I put aluminum foil to cover the meat temporarily for the first 2 hours of cooking to keep the belly moist inside and to shield from direct hot air from the broiler 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. Cook Lechon Using an Oven Set and preheat your oven at 375 deg F (190 deg C). Maintain this temperature up to end of cooking. Place your pork roulade over a grill pan with wire mesh. Cover with aluminum foil. Note: Cover the belly for the first 2 hours of cooking to keep the belly moist inside and to shield from direct heat from the oven otherwise the outer part of the pork will be cooked quickly yet the inner part is still half cooked. Place pork belly inside the oven. Remove the aluminum wrap after 2 hours. Rotate the pork once in a while to cook the skin evenly. Check if the skin is already crackling crispy then it is done.Recipe Cooking Tips: Cooking time may vary from 2 hours up to 3 hours depending on the pork slab if it came from young or matured pig. If your oven has rotisserie then you can use it. Just wrap it with aluminum foil for the first 2 hours of cooking. To make the skin bubbling crispy, pierce the pork skin with fork before cooking. Make sure that the pierce is not too deep to reach the fat section of the pork. Left over lechon belly can be recycled to as LECHON PAKSIW rather reheating the same dish again. "