Lechon Pork shoulder
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Lechon pork shoulder or Lechon is a big deal in places like the Philippines and Latin America. The word comes from Spanish – lechón means piglet. It’s all about roasting a whole pig or piglet over an open fire or in a pit to get super crispy skin and tender, juicy meat inside.
The Spanish brought the idea of cooking an entire pig like this to the Philippines back when they were the colonizers and over time, the Filipino folks made it their own with local flavors and ingredients mixed in.
Nowadays lechon is a huge part of celebrations and special events in the Philippines – think fiestas, weddings birthdays. It’s made in different ways across the country too.
The dish spread to places like Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Cuba too since they had Spanish and Filipino influences. In each place, lechon got a new spin that suited the local tastes. So it’s an important food in those cultures when people want to celebrate and have a feast.
Check video on this link https://youtu.be/h06orDTewaA
Lechon Pork Shoulder
Ingredients
- 5 to 6 lbs 5 to 6 lbs pork shoulder
- 2 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Pepper
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp Patis ( optiona )
- 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 stem lemon grass ( hard part )
- 1 pc Lemon
Instructions
- Mix' together salt, pepper, minced garlic fish sauce, soy sauce, lemongrass and vinegar or lemon juice, oil and blend it. Really massage that marinade into the pork getting it all up in there. Stick the pork in a big zippy bag or covered dish and let it hang out in the fridge for at least 6 hours, even better overnight.
- When you're ready to roast, preheat the oven to 325F and put the marinated pork on the bottom rack to cook for about 4 hours total. While that's going', make a basting sauce by combining soy sauce vinegar, bay leaves and peppercorns in a saucepan and use some of the pork's juices from the pan to get it simmer in' and mix it up real nice. Or just use the oil from the pan for basting.
- In the last half hour or so of roasting, crank the oven up to 450F to get the skin all crispy and delicious. Keep an eye on it so it does not burn. Turn the pan around to balance the heat being absorbed by the skin. Once the lechon is finished, let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing into it. Serve it up with tasty sauces like liver sauce or vinegar with smashed garlic and chili peppers.