Bellychon (Oven-Smoked Style)

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Watch the Bellychon Recipe video below:

^{Music Credits: Hot and Spicy Salsa by Jesse Mante}

This Roasted Pork Belly Recipe tasted like a real Lechon, charcoal roasted. But it’s not, its just baked in my oven. My kitchen smelled like a Lechon! I cooked this Pork belly for our New Year’s Eve.. it was simply the best. Try it today, Mama’s Guide Recipes authentic Lechon Belly at hindi maputla. Namumula mula kahit sa oven lang.

I was kinda hesitant to share this recipe at first because it turned out amazingly delish! It’s a secret recipe that is no longer a secret from now on.. But I’m glad to share this to all the visitors of Mama’s Guide Recipes. This is also good for food business. Let me know if you tried it and love the recipe.

Cooking Notes: You may brine it instead of boiling or steam it before baking to let all the flavors get absorbed. I chose to boil it quickly because I don’t have enough space for the large pot in the fridge for the brining procedure.

You will need Butchers Twine, Jute String, Jute Twine or Abaca String, you can buy it in National Bookstore Arts and Crafts section, or in Lazada or Shopee for about ₱45-65.

INGREDIENTS:

2.3 kilos Pork Belly Slab (12″ long)
For Boiling (or Brining):
1 white onion
3 cloves garlic
2 stalks green onions/scallion
4 pcs bay leaves (laurel)
1 tbsp dried bay leaves
1 tbsp dried oregano leaves
1 tbsp pepper corns
3 tbsp salt
For the Rub and Filling:
1 lemon, juiced
4 large cloves of garlic, crushed
½ white onion
6 stalks lemongrass
2 stalks green onion/scallion
2 tbsp rock salt
pepper
2 tbsp cajun seasoning
2 tbsp wright liquid smoke (mesquite flavor)
For the Glaze: (will make the skin reddish when baked)
3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp oil
Butchers Twine or Abaca Strings

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large deep pot, boil the pork for about 5 mins with onions, stalks of green onions, garlic, bay leaves, dried basil leaves, dried oregano leaves, peppercorns and salt. Turn off heat after and let it cool.
Invert the pork belly and boil the other side, (the uncooked part). Just let it boil again for about 5 mins. Don’t cook too long, our goal is just to let the meat absorb all the aroma and flavors.
(Be careful not to tarnish the skin while boiling and when inverting).
Let it cool after, and remove it from the broth. Let it drip and let it dry. Wipe it with paper towels to dry up the skin.
Keep it in the freezer overnight, without cover, and let the pork skin totally dry up.
The next day, thaw it and let it air dry, wipe it with paper towels on top if it gets moistened. (Dry up the skin with a blow dryer if possible).
Wipe the belly exterior with paper towels, squeezed lemon juice, pour in liquid smoke on the inside belly, then rub it with cajun seasoning and salt all over the meat (except the skin).
Stuff it in the center with cloves of garlic, slices of white onion, stalks of lemongrass and green onions.
Roll it into a cylinder, tie it up with strings to secure the filling.
Brush it with the “milk-oil” glaze on top of the skin. Cover it with foil on top and transfer into a greased sheet of pan lined with baking paper and foil.
Bake it in the oven at 180°C for about an hour. Remove the foil then glaze it again. Bake it again for another one hour without foil or cover. (But please check it every 30 minutes or shorter. Baking time will vary, because we don’t have the same oven. I used a 42 liter American Heritage electric oven toaster, with top and bottom heat).
On the last 30 minutes of baking you can adjust the pork on the top part of the oven to let the skin crackle (to toast well).
You need to be on watch at this stage.
Once it becomes reddish and golden brown, and you think you got the perfect crispy skin. (If you want it really really crispy, patagalin mo pa sa oven.. the longer it cooks the longer it becomes crispy outside and just lower the oven heat). Then, take it out of the oven and transfer into a serving platter.
I got extra green onions so I let it lay on a bed of green onion leaves (otherwise use banana leaves).