Friday, August 8, 2008

LECHON LIEMPO (CRISPY PORKBELLY)

Lechon Liempo is a Filipino dish that's almost always in the menu esp. on special occasions. This is our all time favorite!!! But really this is not for the "faint of heart". I just don't understand why here in the U.S they take out the skin of the pork, they don't know what they are missing=;) Fortunately i have the access to buy "liempo" with skin at the Asian store near our place. For now, i wont be buying for a long time=:) i have a half a year supply of a lot of porkbelly sliced thin like a bacon and cuts for lechon. Thanks to my sis in TN=:).

This recipe is my version of the Andoks Lechon..hhhmmm..really brings back memories. I will try the lechon manok sometime soon.

Bring this slab of meat to a boil with lots of onions and garlic. About a 1/2 tablespoon of salt and peppercorns. Boil until meat turns white or about 30 minutes.




Preheat oven at 375 degrees F. Arrange the boiled meat on a rack on top of a tray for the oil drippings. Put the meat into the oven and at this point i check the meat from time to time. Probably check every 15 minutes until the skin turns golden brown and crispy.








Chop meat to chunks or bite size pieces. There are two different dipping sauce for this lechon liempo. If you come from the Northern part of the Philippines (Luzon) you'll be dipping this w/ "Mang Tomas" lechon sauce w/c is a liver sauce. If you are from the Visayas like me, we prefer dipping this w/ vinegar and soy sauce with minced onions and garlic.
So, are you ready to dig in? HHmmm i love to hear the crunch of the skin on the first bite. Yum!!




NOTE: YOU MUST CLEAN YOUR OVEN ASAP BELIEVE ME, IT'S NOT EASY TO CLEAN IT AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS=:)
ENJOY!! LAMI KAAYO NI!!!

7 comments:

  1. Wahhh This is making me drool all over the keyboard!I love crackling pork belly but never tried cooking it... but I might now mmmmm

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  2. HI, Richard...this is really easy and forgiving and yet delicious=:0 let me know how your lechon came out.

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  3. hi this looks really yum, my husband has been bugging me to make some of this "his favorite" Baliwags/Andoks lechon liempo when we lived in Pinas, but i dont know how, and i've been searching the net for good recipe that somehow similar to Baliwags and Andoks, and so far yours looks like the closest. So that's it huh, (the ingredients i mean) just garlic, onions, salt and pepper?? please let me know if there's any other ingredients or other procedure..

    Many Thanks,
    Irene

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  4. hi It's Irene again, i love your site by the way, and thanks for sharing your recipes:) do you do/put anything special to make the skin crispy?

    p.s. great photos too!!

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  5. Hi, Irene..my apology for not responding to this comment right away. I don't put anything to make the skin crispy. I put the skin side down first for 30 minutes or so, then turn it, skin side up until it turns brown and crispy. Just make sure the liempo is on a tray, putting the meat directly into the tray makes the skin soggy.

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  6. awsome i think visayas includes mandaue city which is where my fiance is from.and we just go visit.i LOVE this lechon so much i cant stop thinking of how it taste!!!! will coooking it in the oven really give it that taste like lechon? i thought it come from the coals!!!!!im gunna try it anyway!!! thank you for the recipe man!!!!!

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  7. I tried and loved your recipe. I'm using Super Wave Oven for 20 minutes, skin side down, and another 20 minutes skin side up.

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