Roast Pork (Lechon)

Mmm...Roast Pig!

What can I say about Lechon. It's not the healthiest for you but taste so good! I decided to make this at home and it was surprisingly easy & very delicious!



I love trying out new recipes and this is the first time I've made roast pork. I usually only have it during family get togethers. Either at a Chinese resto or at my parent's during a celebration.

It's a two step cooking process but the 2 steps are rather easy. I know traditionally, the pork slab is deep fried in oil but I'm just not that patient. I find deep frying slabs of meat a rather scary thought. 

Seeing as I have a convection oven, I looked up a few recipes online for oven roasted pig. I found out that the traditional Filipino name for oven roasted pig is "Lechon Humba". Basically, all recipes say it's a 2 step cooking process. You boil it first then you bake.

I used the recipes as a guideline for the cooking process but the flavouring and ingredients I freelanced.

I just can't cook using an exact recipe unless I'm baking. I'm not patient enough to measure to the t and I find that food taste better when I freelance it. Maybe it's what they call "the love" in the recipe, you kinda put a little bit of your own personality & preference. 


Anyways, back to the ROAST PIG! The best place I've found to get a slab of pork belly is T&T Supermarket in Calgary. Make sure you get it with the skin on to get the crispy chicharron. I serve this pork with a sour sauce and a sweet sauce depending on your taste.  

ROAST PORK (LECHON)

Ingredients:

1 lbs pork belly slab with skin on
salt
pepper
chinese five spice powder

dipping sauce #1:
1/2 cup vinegar, apple cider or black
2 raw garlic cloves, minced
1 bird's eye chilli, chopped

dipping sauce #2:
1/2 cup Mang Tomas All Purpose Sauce (you can get this from an Asian grocery store)

dipping sauce #3:
1/2 cup sweet chilli sauce

Directions:

Heat large pot of water to boil. Add salt, pepper, & chinese five spice powder (about 1 teaspoon each). Put pork belly slab in pot and simmer for 45 minutes on low. Remove pork slab from pot and let rest on a plate.

Pre-heat convection oven to 350°F. Season pork with salt, pepper & chinese five spice powder. Place on a baking rack, skin side up. Bake for 40 minutes or until an internal temperature of 176°F is reached. Put oven on low broil, and broil for about 10 minutes or until skin is crackling. 

Take out of the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice & serve with your choice of sauce.

Enjoy!

Serves 4

Hello Tasty Cracklin'

Crispy & Juicy

Ready for Dipping