Welcome to another video recap, where I share tips, and secret recipes so YOU can become a chef from home! This week I collaborated with chef Javier of Kuya Ja’s to create a lechon (Filipino crispy pork belly) from scratch.

Let’s get to it!

<How To Make Lechon Like A Filipino Restaurant>

Video Link:

Chef Javier is a well respected chef and an entrepreneur originally from the Island of Cebu in the Philippines. Not only is Cebu well known for its beauty, the island is well known for having the best Lechon in the world. In 1991, chef Javier moved to the US where he graduated from L'Academie de Cuisine and spent years working in different restaurants to deepen his knowledge for cooking. After realizing that DC lacked the true Pinoy food representation, he went back to Cebu to master how to make Lechon, named the “best pig ever” by Anthony Bourdain.

<Recipe>

Ingredients:

• Full slab of fresh pork belly

• Scallions

• Canned pineapples

• Lemongrass

• minced garlic

• Filipino soy sauce

• Seasoning rub (salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder,

1. Begin by shaving any excess hair on the pork belly slab with a razor (without any gel).

   

2. Poke multiple holes throughout the skin side with a meat tenderizer.

3. Score the meat side of the belly into diamond shapes. Then sprinkle generous amount of the seasoning rub all over the meat. Make sure to get in between the crevices.

4. Spread minced garlic all over the meat side. Massage well.

5. Spread pineapple, lemon grass, and scallions in the mid section of the meat. Make sure to twist and bruise the lemongrass and scallions before putting them on the meat.

   
   

6. If there are any excess trimming of pork belly, line them up with the herbs as well.

7. Use butchers twines to tightly tie the pork belly into a large roll. Make sure to use multiple to keep it in place.

   

8. Dry in a fridge or a dry ager for at least 24 hours to make sure the skin is dried out. Any moisture on the skin will make the lechon less crispy.

9. After 24 hours, paint Filipino soy sauce all over the skin and cover the two ends of the roll with some foil.

10. Roast in the oven at 450 Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, then 350 Fahrenheit for 2:30-3 hours until the pork belly is completed candied.

11. Enjoy with some rice, Filipino vinegar sauce, and papaya salad.

    

That is it for this recap! Thanks for reading till the end. If you have any questions, comments, and suggestions regarding my work, please send me an email.

-Sincerely, DANNY KIM.