Lechon

★★★★4.9· 543 ratings

·Serves 10

About this Dish

Whole roasted suckling pig — the centrepiece of every Filipino celebration. The skin must be crackled to a shattering, amber crisp while the meat remains juicy within. Cebu's lechon is considered the finest in the Philippines, seasoned with lemongrass stuffed inside the cavity.

IngredientsServes 10

🐷Whole suckling pig, 5–7 kg, cleaned and gutted

🌿Lemongrass stalks, 10–12 whole stalks, bruised

🧄Garlic, 2 whole heads, crushed

🧅Red onions, 4 large, roughly chopped

🍃Fresh bay leaves, 10–12 leaves

🧂Coarse sea salt, 4 tablespoons, for rubbing inside and out

🫒Cooking oil or lard, 3 tablespoons, for basting the skin

🌶️Black peppercorns, 1 tablespoon, lightly crushed

🌶️Black peppercorns, 1 tablespoon roughly cracked

Method

Pat the pig completely dry inside and out with paper towels — moisture is the enemy of crackling. Rub the entire cavity generously with salt and crushed black peppercorns, making sure to coat every corner.

Stuff the cavity tightly with the bruised lemongrass stalks, crushed garlic, chopped red onions, and bay leaves. These aromatics perfume the meat from the inside as it roasts, which is the soul of Cebu-style lechon.

Sew or skewer the cavity shut so the stuffing stays in place during roasting. Thread a long metal or bamboo spit rod through the pig lengthwise from mouth to tail, trussing the legs tightly to the rod with butcher's twine.

Rub the entire outside of the pig — especially the skin — with coarse salt, then brush lightly with oil or lard. Let the pig air-dry uncovered in a cool, breezy spot or in front of a fan for at least 1–2 hours; this crucial step ensures the skin will blister and crackle beautifully.

Place the spit over a charcoal fire or set the pig on a rack in a very hot oven preheated to 220°C (425°F). Roast for 3–4 hours, rotating the spit every 20–30 minutes if using charcoal, or turning the pan halfway through in the oven.

In the final 30–45 minutes, increase the heat or move the pig closer to the coals and baste the skin every 10 minutes with oil. Watch closely — you want the skin to puff and turn a deep, mahogany amber all over without burning.

Rest the lechon for 15–20 minutes before carving so the juices redistribute. Serve immediately with liver sauce (sarsa) on the side so the crackling stays shatteringly crisp — it softens fast, so eat it fresh!

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