What is Cebuchon?
Cebuchon is the combination of “Cebu” and “lechon”. It’s a boneless, pork-belly roll version of traditional Filipino lechon and its name is directly named after Cebu–a region well-known for its style of lechon that’s stuffed with herbs like lemongrass, scallions, and basil. Lechon, or roasted suckling pig, originated from Spain and eventually made its way around the world due to colonialism. It’s one of my favorite Filipino dishes and a party (especially a boodle fight) is simply not complete without lechon! Its extra crunchy and crispy skin is rivaled by the tender meat that’s stuffed with so many aromatics like scallions, garlic, and lemongrass. It was always such a treat to get to eat lechon at parties because it’s a bit of a hassle (and expensive) to just order a whole pig on a regular weekday. This is where Cebuchon (or lechon belly) comes into play–you get the same crispy skin and flavorful meat, but at a smaller scale.
How to choose the belly
It needs to be large enough that when you roll it, the ends meet, so the filling doesn’t fall out. It also needs to be large enough in diameter after rolling, so the claws of the rotisserie can fit most of its prongs in. Seafood City is the place to go because they typically have pork belly at the appropriate size at the meat counter. Slabs of pork belly about 4-5 lb per pork belly have worked well for this. When you choose meat, make sure to pick the pork belly pieces that do not come with ribs otherwise you will need to cut those off at home. Also, remember to choose cuts that still have the skin intact so you can get crispy skin. I made the mistake of buying pork belly from Costco and they did not come with skin, so my lechon belly would not crisp up.
Brining ingredients and method
To get the most seasoning into the meat, this recipe uses a brine that’s first infused with aromatics for 10 minutes on a boil. The brine itself has sugar, salt, peppercorns, garlic, lemongrass, onions, bay leaf, water, and star anise. After it’s infused and chilled down, I add vinegar for additional flavor and a tenderizer for the meat. It goes without saying that the longer the brine, the better the flavor. I like to brine for at least four hours or overnight if I have enough time. Make sure to brine in the fridge to keep your meat from spoiling.
Seasoning and stuffing ingredients
The seasoning and stuffing for this Cebuchon are what make it Cebu-style lechon. I add plenty of salt and pepper, garlic slices, sliced onions, bay leaves, scallions, and lemongrass. After brining, pat dry the meat with paper towels and season generously with salt in between all the folds.
Rolling & tying the belly for rotisserie
When tying up the lechon belly, I like to use at least 5-6 pieces of twine wrapped individually to keep the roll in shape during cooking. The closer you tie the twine to the edges, the longer the roll will be and allow for more crispy skin. In my experience, I like using separate strings of twine to wrap the pork belly instead of using one long string and trussing it with loops. I found I could tie tighter knots and hold the meat together better. For my Vietnamese pork belly recipe, I simply tied it all up with one long string, which was fine because the belly was just rolled into itself, without having to hold all this stuffing in.
Tips for cooking on the rotisserie
Here are some tips for making the best Cebuchon:
Use a drip tray. Without this a lot of fat can drip and cause a lot of fire and smoke, blackening your belly.Monitor the grill temperature. Grill burners will vary so use the thermometer on your grill, or a third-party one to monitor the internal temperature of the grill. This is the only accurate way to make sure you’re cooking at the right temperatures.Follow safe grilling practices. Refer to your grill manual for safe placement of your grill away from structures, and distances of how high the roof above should be. This is especially since we’re hooking up an electric rotating rotisserie. Also, keep a fire extinguisher nearby just in case.
Lechon belly is best-served kamayan style with a side of sinangag (garlic rice), pork BBQ skewers, and some tangy atchara. If you want a dipping sauce, there’s nothing easier than an even ratio of cane vinegar and soy sauce. If you do have leftovers, you can keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. I like to re-toast them in the oven for 5 minutes at about 350°F.
