Looking for a great tasting, high-quality affordable meal for the holidays? Chef Leah Cohen of New York City restaurant Pig & Khao has teamed up with us to give you just that.
Here’s what Leah has to say about this recipe:
“I shopped with FreshDirect to recreate a holiday staple—Roasted Pork Bellychon—for under $50. In Filipino homes, like the one I grew up in, it isn’t a party unless there is lechon. This version I made here is a play on a whole roasted pig, which is a Filipino party staple.
All of the beautiful fresh ingredients (including hard to find pork belly) were delivered straight to my door, giving me more time to spend with my boys after work and before I get dinner ready.
In addition to skipping the grocery lines, I also didn’t have to worry about the quality of the ingredients: FreshDirect’s Nature’s Promise brand is made from organic and all natural items. I was able to secure quite a few of their pantry staples for this hearty recipe.”
Feeling inspired to make Leah’s pork belly recipe? Visit FreshDirect for all of the ingredients. New customers can use code CHEFLEAH for $25 off their first order of $75+.
Roasted Pork Bellychon Recipe
By Chef Leah Cohen
Serves 4
What You’ll Need:
For the pork belly:
2 lb pork belly
3 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
Neutral oil
For the lemograss paste:
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 piece lemongrass, thinly sliced
15 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
For the dipping sauce:
1/2 shallot, diced small
2 minced cloves garlic
1/2 cup cider vinegar
Salt & freshly ground pepper
Cooked jasmine rice, for serving
Equipment:
Fork
Mortar and pestle or food processor
Butcher’s twine
Parchment paper
Mixing bowls
Whisk
Roasting rack
What To Do:
On a flat surface, place the pork belly skin side up and using a fork make a lot of holes in the skin. Flip the pork over and score the meat (cut slits on the surface of the pork belly).
In a small mixing bowl, combine the salt and baking soda. Rub the salt mixture all over the skin and leave it in the fridge for 2 hours.
While the pork belly is in the refrigerator, make the paste. Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, combine the black peppercorns, lemongrass, garlic cloves, and salt. You are looking for a paste like-consistency: easily spreadable, but the paste does not need to be completely smooth.
After the 2 hours has passed, remove the pork belly from the refrigerator and rinse the salt mixture off with cold water. After rinsing, pat it dry removing as much moisture as possible.
Once dry, rub the paste you made on the meat side of the pork belly. Roll the pork belly into a tight log with the skin side out and tie with butcher’s twine in two or three places to secure the shape.
Place the rolled pork belly on a roasting rack and cook in the oven at 300 F for 3.5–4 hrs, or until the pork is tender. Remove from the oven and turn up the heat to 500 F. Brush the pork belly with oil and place back into the oven 10–15 minutes or until the skin gets really crispy.
While the skin is crisping, prepare the dipping sauce. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the shallots, garlic, apple cider vinegar, salt and black pepper.
Remove from the oven and let pork belly cool before removing the butcher’s twine. Slice and serve with jasmine rice.