Pork Belly Skin Roll - LECHON!!!!

MY PORK  BELLY SKIN ROLL

I saw one of my friends post this on his FB page (drool), and I was so jealous I wanted to to make my own.  Stuffed pork skin roll, slow roasted in the oven with super crispy skin and super moist meat.  Shoot now I want to use a whole pig!!!
A few important things to remember:
Boneless pork roast that’s stuffed with aromatics and rolled where the meat and fat are layered and cooked together, flavoring itself as it roasts. Classically this dish has been made with an entirely de-boned pig, but people tend to make it with the pork shoulder these days because it’s much easier to handle but still has a good fat to meat ratio. Today we’ve made ours with pork belly skin.
– It’s very important to get skin-on (rind-on) pork belly, to get that crispy, crunchy crust. If you’re having a hard time finding it, you can ask your local butcher to order you some, which they can easily do. You can also visit your local Asian market and they should have skin-on pork belly readily available.

-Allowing the rolled roast to sit in the fridge isn’t completely necessary, but I like doing that to allow more moisture to get drawn out of the skin, resulting in the crispiest crust. The salt and baking powder mixture will help to draw moisture out of the skin.

-The spice rub mixture is totally based on your flavor preferences.  Mix it up!  I really love the pairing of ginger and pork, so I’ve added some ground and fresh ginger to my mixture.

-Tightly rolling the roast is very important here. You can have someone help you roll it up to make it easier. You can also roll the roast, tie it, cut it in half, and freeze half of it for several months, if the full belly is too big. I recommend this over getting a smaller cut because the large piece of meat is easier to handle overall and the next time you want to make it, all you have to do is thaw, pat dry and roast. 😉

INGREDIENTS

SPICE RUB:
3 tablespoons minced fresh or dried rosemary
1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh or dried sage
1 tablespoon minced fresh or dried thyme
1 tablespoon diced and rendered pancetta or bacon
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons crushed fennel seeds
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger 
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

2 teaspoon brown sugar

**Set aside 1/4 of the spice rub to sprinkle on meat with the stuffing**

STUFFING:
1/2 Red Onion or 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced (I use both)
2 stalks lemongrass, Crushed

2 stalks celery, sliced down the middle lengthwise

2 scallions

6 cloves garlic, crushed

5 strips pancetta or thick cut bacon
PORK BELLY:
5 pounds whole pork belly (skin-on)
1/2tablespoons sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup milk for basting
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place all spice rub ingredients into a small bowl. Mix well. 
2. Place the pork belly skin-side up and score the entire surface with a sharp knife, making sure not to cut into the meat. Pat both sides dry with a paper towel and set the pork belly, skin-side down.
3. Sprinkle the spice rub onto the pork belly and generously rub onto the entire surface of the meat.

4. Arrange lemongrass, celery, red onions and garlic on 1/3 of the pork belly. Leave enough space to start the roll.  Very tightly roll the belly into a log, making sure no gaps remain on the inside and tie roast with butchers twine, making ties 1 inch apart (you can use bamboo skewers to help hold the rolled belly together, while tying up with twine).                                         
          

5. Place rolled roast into a roasting dish and refrigerate, uncovered, for 6 hours. This allows more moisture to evaporate.
6. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
7. Pat pork belly dry with a paper towel and generously rub with spices and baking powder mixture.
8. Roast pork belly for about 2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 140˚F, basting with milk every 30 minutes. Then continue to roast for an additional 1 hour or until the meat, passed the skin, is soft and tender.

9. Increase oven temperature to 450˚F,  brush the whole roll with milk and roast for about 20 minutes, to get the golden brown color and skin extra crispy.
           
10. Remove from the oven and allow pork belly to rest for about 15 minutes (internal temperature should finish at 155-160˚F). Thinly slice with a serrated knife and serve.

   Let rest for 15-20 min           Datu Puti and Lechon sauce for dipping

Serve with Rice and your choice of Veg :) 

ENJOY!!!

_______________💚________________