How to make perfect lechon (lechon Cebu)
Lechon is for a celebration as beer is for drinking parties. From fiestas and Noche Buena to weddings and almost any occasion, they're never ever going to be complete without this dish.
Servings 20 people
Calories 1190kcal
Cost $40
Ingredients
- 1 whole native pig (live weight 18 – 20 kg)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Soy sauce
For the glaze:
- 1 liter Sprite
For the stuffing:
- 10 bundles lemongrass (tanglad)
- ¼ cup star anise
- 6 pcs laurel or bay leaves cut into small parts
- 5 cups crushed garlic
- 2 kg green onion leaves
- 8 pcs halved saba bananas half-cooked through boiling
Instructions
- First, shave the hair follicles of the pig and remove the innards. Rinse the pig and make sure there are no more lumps of blood inside the stomach.
- Then rub the insides with salt and pepper, including the body.
- Rub a little soy sauce on the inside of the belly.
- Stuff the belly with saba bananas, anise, green onion leaves, crushed garlic, and laurel leaves.
- Next, stack the lemongrass in the center stomach, and stitch the belly, making sure that no ingredients slip out.
- Skewer the pig with a mid-size bamboo pole and spit-roast over hot charcoal. Don't put the charcoal directly underneath the belly of the pig but over both sides, slowly turning the pig roast.
- While slow-roasting the pig, glaze it from time to time with Sprite using a sponge. This will make the skin extra crispy.
- Roast for a couple of hours until the meat is tender. Don't overcook.
Nutrition
Calories: 1190kcal
