Lechon Belly (Roasted Pork Belly)

Please tell me if this picture doesn't make you hungry..or even crave for lechon. Imagine my agony a few days ago during lunch time, when a friend of mine posted about Cebu's famous spicy lechon and I was hungry and craving for good "comfort food". Argh! Being an expat is excruciating if you live in a country or a state that don't have a lot of Asian stores/supermarket.

I am lucky to be in California, a mecca of mixed cultures and a growing number of Filipino-Asian supermarkets around. Our apartment is only a few blocks away from an Asian supermarket. With great enthusiasm, went out to buy ingredients today for my experimental lechon belly craving. Growing up, fiestas and birthdays back home was a big deal. The celebration won't be complete without the whole roasted pig prepared for hours starting at the crack of dawn. I am no expert but growing up watching my lolo (grandfather), uncles and brothers roasting the pig in our backyard somehow gave me an idea on how to make it (fingers crossed).

Who would have thought I could pull this off by just baking it? While it was cooking in the oven, I was thinking if it doesn't come out good, what an expensive experiment. Oh well, I can always deep fry it. Haha!

So here's what you need:

*1 Pork belly - already pre-cut in our supermarket

*3 Stalks of lemongrass

*5-6 Stalks Green Onion/Scallion cut in half, half bulb onion sliced thinly(optional)

*1 Bulb Garlic smashed

*Crushed Red pepper flakes (2 packets, roughly around 2 teaspoon)

* Salt and Pepper (2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper)

*2 Tablespoon soy sauce (basting)

*Olive oil (basting)

*Roasting Pan (big enough to fit the entire belly)

*Heavy duty foil sheet

*Cooking twine

So based on the pictures above, you will already have a clear picture on how to assemble the stuffing.

The critical part is how to keep the moisture inside the meat so it won't come out too dry. The secret: I wrapped the entire thing with foil on a make-shift roasting pan. Voila! The meat came out moist and tender with very crisp skin. More on that later. 

Here's how:

1. Make diagonal slits on the meat side of the pork belly to ensure that it is properly seasoned. Rub the pork belly crevices/slits with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. I eyeballed the seasoning here so if you think you have not covered the entire meat with salt-pepper mixture, feel free to add more.
2. Strategically place the crushed garlic in between slits. Put as many as you can.
3. Arrange the scallion and lemongrass enough to cover the slab.
4. Roll the belly and tie with the cooking twine. Just make sure both ends meet and not overlap. This was the hardest part for me as I have no one to help me out. Mine wasn't tied perfectly but I made sure the stuffing won't come bursting out.
5. Brush the pork skin with soy sauce and let it sit for at least an hour before baking. No need to put in the fridge. 
6. Preheat oven to 350F for 20 minutes,
7. Fill your roasting pan with about an inch deep of water. Place the pork belly in the middle of the pan.
8. Brush the skin with olive oil before covering the entire pan with foil. Make sure the foil doesnt stick to the skin.
9. Bake for 2 hours. Combine the remaining olive oil and soy sauce for basting. 
10. After 2 hours, remove the foil. Baked for another hour, basting it in between with soy sauce and olive oil.
11. To make the skin crunchier, in the last 15 minutes of baking, turn the oven to broil. Makes the skin pop just like mine. Make sure to turn the belly over so the bottom cooks evenly too. You have to watch this carefully. I checked them constantly in that last few minutes of broiling to make sure they don't burn.
12. Serve steaming white rice with hot and spicy vinegar just like how I wanted it or your favorite Mang Tomas (liver sauce). Enjoy!