Cebu Lechon-Style Porchetta
Posted on | January 2, 2015 | 1 Comment
Special Materials/ Equipment:
- Turbo Broiler
- Cooking String/Twine
- Ziploc™ (or equivalent) bag
- Mixing bowl
- Basting/BBQ brush
- Aluminum foil
- Wire rack
Timetable:
- Total = ~12.5 hours
- Brining = ~9 hours
- Filling and Glazing = 1.5 hours
- Roasting = 2 hours
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
1 kg (~4 lbs) whole pork belly, skin-on
Brine:
- 2-3 stalks lemon grass (tanglad)
- 1-2 stalks medium-sized leeks
- 4-6 laurel (bay) leaves
- 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
- 6-8 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ cup rock (coarse/sea) salt
- 5 cups water
Filling:
- 1-2 stalks lemon grass (tanglad)
- 1 stalk medium-sized leeks
- 2-3 pandan leaves, optional
- 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
Glaze:
- ½ cup fresh milk
Part I – Brining
(to be done one day before cooking)
- Clean the fresh (defrost if needed) pork belly under running water, ensuring that skin has been shaved of hairs.
- Combine all the brine ingredients in a pot. Bring the mixture to a boil on high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for at least 10 minutes, covered.
- Switch off the heat, and cool the brine completely to room temperature. Place the pork belly inside the Ziploc™ bag, then pour the brine into the bag to completely submerge the meat.
- Carefully remove as much air as possible from the bag and then seal it. Place the bag in a mixing bowl and then refrigerate it overnight.
Part II – Filling and Glazing
- After brining, remove the pork from the brine solution. Discard the brine. Wash the pork under running water, then pat dry using paper towels.
- On a clean and flat surface, lay the pork belly flat, meat side up and skin side down. Neatly arrange and distribute onto the center one-third zone of the meat the filling
- Carefully roll the pork belly slab along its length to form a u-shaped roulade, making sure that most (if not all) of the skin is exposed on the outside. Secure the roll using cooking string/twine at regular 3 cm (~1 inch) intervals along its length.
- Set the pork belly roll on a tray, skin-side up. Using a basting brush, coat/paint the skin evenly with one layer of fresh milk. Repeat the coating/painting every ten minutes, up to one hour.
- Drain any excess milk from the pork belly roll.
Part III – Roasting
- Wrap the pork belly roll with aluminum foil. Set the roll onto the rack of a turbo broiler. Cover the broiler, and then cook for 1.5 hours at 180 OC (~350 OF).
- Unwrap the pork belly roll. Increase the temperature to 250 OC (~480 OF), and then continue cooking for another 30 minutes. If necessary, rotate the roll every ten minutes to ensure even browning of the skin.
- Once the turbo broiler is done, transfer the pork belly roll to a wire rack and let rest for around 10-15 minutes.
Serve with vinegar (plain or spiced).
[Adapted from http://filipinofoodrecipes.org/lechon-belly-ala-lechon-cebu-recipe]
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One Response to “Cebu Lechon-Style Porchetta”
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June 4th, 2015 @ 2:00 pm
,,, i’ll take out my turbo broiler now ! ,,,