We made this for New Years Eve. I wish we would have been able to get a pig closer to 40-50lbs, but 70lb half frozen is what we got. It was pretty simple once we got the ingredients. The pig from a local farm cost us $130, gutted, cleaned and shaved. We got it home and put it in a tub of hot water to quickly thaw it enough to work with and had to remove the head ourself due to it not fitting completely on our Traeger Timberline 1300 that was 36in long interior. Had we started earlier and had a 40-50lb hog we would have done 225f and been done within 5-6 hours. In our event we went 270f starting at 12:50pm and it came off at 12:01am just to kick off the new year.
First watch this to learn more about Lechon in the Philippines.
Note: this is not the best way to cook pork since each section has it's own time and temp to bring each cut to perfection. But, if you want to feed a lot of people and have them "OMG this is so Good!" then this is it.
1st is Lemon grass. We do not have access to fresh lemon grass locally so we ordered approx $80 worth of fresh Thai Lemon grass stalks from Amazon , set them in room temp water and by the patio glass and changed water weekly to get about a foot of growth. We kept about half to continue growing indoors so we don't have to buy them again. When the recipe calls for "Tangled" this is what they mean.
We went with the Cebu region recipe online found here: The wife liked it and says it is the legitimate Cebu style. There is also a link there to make a smaller portion using a whole Pork Belly which may be easier for most.
INGREDIENTS
20 Servings
1 whole pig (18-20 kg) (40-44 lb)
salt
black pepper
soy sauce
GLAZE
1 l (4.5 cups) Sprite
STUFFING
10 bundles lemongrass, tangled
1/4 cup (110g) star anise (Whole)
6 bay leaves, cut into small pieces
5 cups crushed garlic (or 3 cups minced)
2 kg (4.4 lb) green onion
8 pcs saba bananas, peeled and halved (You can find these in a jar at any Asian grocery), or use regular bananas.
Dipping sauce, (Oh man this stuff is good! Everybody was taking photos so they could buy some later) Find it at local Asian Grocery or Here
PREPARATION
1
Remove the entrails and scrape the bristles off the pig’s skin.
2
Rinse the pig with water and let it drain slightly.
3
Rub the pig with salt and pepper inside and out. Then, brush the inside with some soy sauce.
4
Stuff the pig’s belly with saba bananas, star anise, green onion leaves, crushed garlic, and bay leaves. Finish with tangled bundles of lemongrass, and sew the belly with kitchen thread.
5
Skewer the pig with a mid-sized bamboo stick.
6
Roast over hot charcoal, turning constantly until the meat is tender, and the skin crisp. Occasionally, glaze the pig’s skin with Sprite – use a brush or a sponge. You can use a roasting box (Found Here on Amazon) for the best results to get the skin crispy, on a smoker like a Traeger it is difficult to get the skin sufficiently crispy enough without flipping the pig half way through. (skin is the best part). On a smoker you can use 225 all the way through until meat temp hits 203f. I usually pull about 195 since the temp will continue to increase.
7
Serve lechon chopped into pieces, or bring the entire pig to the table.
First watch this to learn more about Lechon in the Philippines.
Note: this is not the best way to cook pork since each section has it's own time and temp to bring each cut to perfection. But, if you want to feed a lot of people and have them "OMG this is so Good!" then this is it.
1st is Lemon grass. We do not have access to fresh lemon grass locally so we ordered approx $80 worth of fresh Thai Lemon grass stalks from Amazon , set them in room temp water and by the patio glass and changed water weekly to get about a foot of growth. We kept about half to continue growing indoors so we don't have to buy them again. When the recipe calls for "Tangled" this is what they mean.
We went with the Cebu region recipe online found here: The wife liked it and says it is the legitimate Cebu style. There is also a link there to make a smaller portion using a whole Pork Belly which may be easier for most.
Lechon Cebu Authentic Recipe | TasteAtlas
The Filipino island of Cebu is famous for its lechon, which is considered to be the juiciest and crispiest in the Philippines. This traditional recipe calls for a few specific ingredients
www.tasteatlas.com
INGREDIENTS
20 Servings
1 whole pig (18-20 kg) (40-44 lb)
salt
black pepper
soy sauce
GLAZE
1 l (4.5 cups) Sprite
STUFFING
10 bundles lemongrass, tangled
1/4 cup (110g) star anise (Whole)
6 bay leaves, cut into small pieces
5 cups crushed garlic (or 3 cups minced)
2 kg (4.4 lb) green onion
8 pcs saba bananas, peeled and halved (You can find these in a jar at any Asian grocery), or use regular bananas.
Dipping sauce, (Oh man this stuff is good! Everybody was taking photos so they could buy some later) Find it at local Asian Grocery or Here
PREPARATION
1
Remove the entrails and scrape the bristles off the pig’s skin.
2
Rinse the pig with water and let it drain slightly.
3
Rub the pig with salt and pepper inside and out. Then, brush the inside with some soy sauce.
4
Stuff the pig’s belly with saba bananas, star anise, green onion leaves, crushed garlic, and bay leaves. Finish with tangled bundles of lemongrass, and sew the belly with kitchen thread.
5
Skewer the pig with a mid-sized bamboo stick.
6
Roast over hot charcoal, turning constantly until the meat is tender, and the skin crisp. Occasionally, glaze the pig’s skin with Sprite – use a brush or a sponge. You can use a roasting box (Found Here on Amazon) for the best results to get the skin crispy, on a smoker like a Traeger it is difficult to get the skin sufficiently crispy enough without flipping the pig half way through. (skin is the best part). On a smoker you can use 225 all the way through until meat temp hits 203f. I usually pull about 195 since the temp will continue to increase.
7
Serve lechon chopped into pieces, or bring the entire pig to the table.
