Pork Bagnet - Lechon Kawali Ilocano

The Pork Bagnet is the Ilocano version of lechon kawali. Cook the slab of pork twice and chop it into cubes, then deep fry the pork for a few minutes more till the skin is blistered, crisp and crackling. Serve with a side sauce of either the following: Sweet lechon sauce or salty bagoong balayan (fish and shrimp paste) sprinkled with calamansi or lime -- this was the Ilocano way of my late father-in-law. Lechon Kawali is good served with a side of 'achara' sweet-savory papaya pickles. This is an Asian In America recipe adapted from a previous blog post. Serves 2 to 4 as an entree.

Cook Time3 20

Total Time3 20

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Asian, Filipino, Ilocano

Keyword: Filipino Ilocano Pork Bagnet Lechon

Servings: people

Calories: 1175kcal

Author: Elizabeth Ann Quirino

Equipment

Large stockpot: 6 quarts or 8 quarts
Roasting pan with rack: 9 inches x 13 inches or larger
Large skillet or Wok: 12 to 14 inches diameter

Ingredients

2 pounds pork belly, whole slab liempo in the Philippines
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup achara (green papaya pickle relish), for serving recipe on previous blog post
lechon sauce for serving; bottled found in Asian markets or online sources
steamed rice for serving

Instructions

Place whole slab of pork belly in a deep stockpot. Fill with enough water to cover the pork. Add salt and black pepper to the meat and liquid. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. When the liquid boils, lower heat to a simmer. Cook this amount of 2 lbs pork. for one hour till meat is tender at the sides and no more pink parts are visible.
When boiled pork is cooked, drain the liquid. Transfer the pork to an oven roasting pan which has a wire rack. Place the pork on the rack. Roast in the oven at 250 F for two hours (for 2 lbs. of pork belly). The pork should be slightly brown at the end of cooking.
Transfer cooked pork slab on a flat tray and allow to air dry for 1 to 2 hours. The more dry the pork the more crisp it will get later.
To cook crisp pork pieces of lechon kawali: over medium high heat, add oil in a large skillet. Oil should be hot enough in about 3 to 4 minutes. If taking the temperature with a thermometer, oil should be about 350F.
Chop the pork pieces into 2-inch square cubes. Deep fry in the oil till the pork skin looks golden brown and has blisters. Cook the pieces for about 8 minutes till crisp.
Serve while the pork belly pieces or lechon kawali are piping hot and crispy with a side of "lechon sauce" (bottled or homemade). Serve with rice and homemade 'achara' (green papaya pickles).
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Nutrition