How to make the pig skin for lechon, crispy and consistently.

[soc.culture.filipino]

Looking for aid....help....

We are 1 for 9 on the scoreboard of how to make the skin on
the pig crispy when making lechon. Once, only once were we
able to make the skin crispy...and it did not look very
appetizing either.

All the other eight times were complete success,
esthetically speaking, for the first four hours of cooking
on an automatic rotisserie, that we have designed
ourselves - that is until four hours...then hell broke
loose each time. The skin burst and we ended up with a
denuded lechon that has rubbery skin.

We have been using 35 to 40 lb suckling pig. We have tried
slow fire, to quick, brisk rapid fire, from slow turn to
medium fast turn...put the charcoals closer, move them
farther...brush the skin with water, water and salt, milk,
oil, olive oil, but with virtually no success.

What are we doing wrong? What is the recipe for making a
suckling lechon, crispy?

Thanks.

PusongPinoye2

P.S. This is part of a friendly, gentlemen's bet. No
commercial agenda here. It is simply mind-boggling.
Appreciate any tips or guidelines.

Ppe2

* Sent from AltaVista http://www.altavista.com Where you can also find related Web Pages, Images, Audios, Videos, News, and Shopping. Smart is Beautiful

[Rangerman]

I've been thinking about this for a long time.
How about after you're done with your lechon the regular way, set it aside
for several hours, then deep fry it?
I think with "tsitsaron" that's how the skin expand and turn crispy.
I've never done it myself but it should be interesting to find out if it
works, don't you think?

"soc.culture.filipino" <pusongpino...@aol.com.invalid> wrote in
message news:0d7ea8a4...@usw-ex0108-061.remarq.com...

[Pusong Pinoye2]

>Subject: Re: How to make the pig skin for lechon, crispy and consistently.
>From: "Rangerman" theran...@hotmail.com
>Date: 8/14/00 3:01 PM Pacific Daylight Time
>Message-id: <8n9poh$2u8i$1...@newssvr03-int.news.prodigy.com>

You are absolutely right. And we tried this on our second to the last try,
about three weeks ago.

Actually, we had no choice. We were desperately trying to salvage the
situation.
So when the skin burst and split wide open and denuded the pig, one
quick-thinking friend gathered the skin and stuck some in an barbecue oven.
And deep fried some...resulta que - lechon kawali...krispy nga, but not lechon
crispy....

But thanks for the idea. Keep it coming, please.

PusongPinoye2

[Dirty Sick Pig]

soc.culture.filipino wrote:
>
> Looking for aids....

Go to a cathouse.

> What are we doing wrong? What is the recipe for making a
> suckling lechon, crispy?

Suckling lechon is called De Leche Lechon in RP. The roasting
procedures are different because of the thin, tender skin of the very
young piglet. Actually, it will turn tough if you don't watch what
you're doing. I know how to do it but publishing the procedure might
contribute to the end of the pig species of which I am a part. :D

Ok. I'll think about it.

ExSucklingPig

[Tansong Isda]

Dirty Sick Pig wrote:

Hows this then....
Soak your pig part (whatever) in brine, steam it then coat with molasses
and water mixture then deep fry....twice cooked.

[Pusong Pinoye2]

>Subject: YOU WILL PAY FOR KILLING A PIG!
>From: Dirty Sick Pig drtys...@hotmail.com
>Date: 8/15/00 3:54 PM Pacific Daylight Time
>Message-id: <3999CA1...@hotmail.com>

>
>soc.culture.filipino wrote:
>>
>> Looking for aids....
>
>Go to a cathouse.
>
>> What are we doing wrong? What is the recipe for making a
>> suckling lechon, crispy?
>
>Suckling lechon is called De Leche Lechon in RP. The roasting
>procedures are different because of the thin, tender skin of the very
>young piglet. Actually, it will turn tough if you don't watch what
>you're doing. I know how to do it but publishing the procedure might
>contribute to the end of the pig species of which I am a part. :D
>
>Ok. I'll think about it.
>
>ExSucklingPig

=============

One time lang naman, please.

Somebody already warned us about the same thing. Some even say, the color of
the skin has something to do with it...

Sonamagun...hanggang paglelechon may color discrimination pa rin?

Appreciate any tips.

PusongPinoye2

[anymouse]

somebody wanted to know:

>
> > What are we doing wrong? What is the recipe for making a
> > suckling lechon, crispy?
>

Well, when I was in the Philippines and just an unknowledgeable Kano I
was told to "Find a Filipino who knows how to do it." I think posting
your query to this newsgroup might be a start in the right direction.
BTW have you read in the US newspapers how the fried pig skins are
becoming the "in" thing here? I have eaten them all my life but, I'm
glad to see them gaining in popularity. They are kind of dry and tend
to clog up the swallowing mechanism. I guess that's why a good, cold
San Miguel was always so good with them.

[Pusong Pinoye2]

>Subject: Re: YOU WILL PAY FOR KILLING A PIG!
>From: pusong...@aol.com (Pusong Pinoye2)
>Date: 8/16/00 10:06 AM Pacific Daylight Time
>Message-id: <20000816130601...@ng-fg1.aol.com>

>
>>Subject: YOU WILL PAY FOR KILLING A PIG!
>>From: Dirty Sick Pig drtys...@hotmail.com
>>Date: 8/15/00 3:54 PM Pacific Daylight Time
>>Message-id: <3999CA1...@hotmail.com>
>>
>>soc.culture.filipino wrote:
>>>
>>> Looking for aids....
>>
>>Go to a cathouse.

Malutong ba ang balat doon?

Ppe2

[skylon]

Isn't that the same as pork rinds which has been around for 100's of years
is this the same thing or something different. If it is the same pork rinds
have always been popular around where I am from.
"anymouse" <anym...@sandlot.org.invalid> wrote in message
news:anymouse-9FFCA1...@news.ridgecrest.ca.us...

[skylon]

I like the bbq flavored ones myself and cheese flavor are also good

[anymouse]

In article <FJYm5.178$b5.3...@nntp3.onemain.com>, "skylon"
<sky...@ipa.net> wrote:

> I like the bbq flavored ones myself and cheese flavor are also good
>

I think they are talking about the whole pig. When cooked over the open
fire the way I always saw it done when I was in the Philippines it turns
out with a really super crispy skin which is really hard and crunchy.
Getting it that way without burning it is quite an art. I had a
neighbor who was an expert at it and we always hired him to do ours.

The pig skins you and I are used to are also eaten in the Philippines.
They are often served with a hot pepper sauce but they were never salted
so I didn't care for them much. When I was a kid we butchered hogs in
the winter and rendered the lard in a big old 3-legged cast iron pot.
The kids seemed to get first shot at the cracklin's and I sure did love
them.

[Vic Lagden]

Boil the meat first, if to big scald the carouse many times.
Regards Vic
"Rangerman" <theran...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:8n9poh$2u8i$1...@newssvr03-int.news.prodigy.com...

>
> I've been thinking about this for a long time.
> How about after you're done with your lechon the regular way, set it aside
> for several hours, then deep fry it?
> I think with "tsitsaron" that's how the skin expand and turn crispy.
> I've never done it myself but it should be interesting to find out if it
> works, don't you think?
>
>
> "soc.culture.filipino" <pusongpino...@aol.com.invalid> wrote in
> message news:0d7ea8a4...@usw-ex0108-061.remarq.com...
> > Looking for aid....help....
> >
> > We are 1 for 9 on the scoreboard of how to make the skin on
> > the pig crispy when making lechon. Once, only once were we
> > able to make the skin crispy...and it did not look very
> > appetizing either.
> >
> > All the other eight times were complete success,
> > esthetically speaking, for the first four hours of cooking
> > on an automatic rotisserie, that we have designed
> > ourselves - that is until four hours...then hell broke
> > loose each time. The skin burst and we ended up with a
> > denuded lechon that has rubbery skin.
> >
> > We have been using 35 to 40 lb suckling pig. We have tried
> > slow fire, to quick, brisk rapid fire, from slow turn to
> > medium fast turn...put the charcoals closer, move them
> > farther...brush the skin with water, water and salt, milk,
> > oil, olive oil, but with virtually no success.
> >

> > What are we doing wrong? What is the recipe for making a
> > suckling lechon, crispy?
> >

> > Thanks.
> >
> > PusongPinoye2
> >
> > P.S. This is part of a friendly, gentlemen's bet. No
> > commercial agenda here. It is simply mind-boggling.
> > Appreciate any tips or guidelines.
> >
> > Ppe2
> >
> >

[Dirty Sick Pig]

Vic Lagden wrote:
>
> Boil the meat first, if to big scald the carouse many times.
> Regards Vic

Vic, carouse means something else. Hehe. Kiliti-kiliti!

HornDogPig

[lala...@gmail.com]

did you ever solve that issue? Ours does the same thing - within 4 hours the skin breaks apart and gets hard as leather.

[jeffrey.f...@gmail.com]

Have you tried brining it first for a day after that, patting it dry the skin fan would help for a couple of hours. Then cooked it its either in a oven or outdoor charcoal.

[azco...@gmail.com]

I've tried roasting pigs here in Florida for 8 years and have the same issues. I've roasted about 20 pigs for Filipino parties specially for my kids birthdays. At most, I can only get about 40 percent of the entire pig skin crispy. The skin always breaks after 4 hours. Last time I visited the Philippines I went to a restaurant that serves lechon. I noticed that they had some break too. They told me that the native pigs make a big difference. They also crossbreed the native pigs with the white pigs. This made some sense, but I still refuse to accept it. I'm guessing that the fat content and thickness affects the roasting. In Florida, I've tried using young wild pigs. The skin will not break or split as much but they're tougher to bite. Possibly risking your teeth.
-Roger34974

[femi...@gmail.com]

[femi...@gmail.com]

On Monday, March 7, 2016 at 4:21:05 AM UTC, azco...@gmail.com wrote:
> I've tried roasting pigs here in Florida for 8 years and have the same issues. I've roasted about 20 pigs for Filipino parties specially for my kids birthdays. At most, I can only get about 40 percent of the entire pig skin crispy. The skin always breaks after 4 hours. Last time I visited the Philippines I went to a restaurant that serves lechon. I noticed that they had some break too. They told me that the native pigs make a big difference. They also crossbreed the native pigs with the white pigs. This made some sense, but I still refuse to accept it. I'm guessing that the fat content and thickness affects the roasting. In Florida, I've tried using young wild pigs. The skin will not break or split as much but they're tougher to bite. Possibly risking your teeth.
> -Roger34974

https://www.facebook.com/perl.doel/videos/1749323295288244/
hello, this is what i cooked last summer...send me message to help you... you can check my fb. by the way, i live here in the UK...

[cpp...@cathaypacific.com]

I am from the Philippines and already tried roasting a pig twice and experience the same problem as you guys. The skin gets as gummy as and no one can it eat.
We even try to shoot the skin with a pistol and bullet did not even went in.

I will try again this coming new year and would like some more advice.

I already had one too many advices from my relatives and here they are:

1. Roasting the Lechon should only take a maximum of 3 hrs tops.
After that, everything goes south just like my first try that took me 5 hrs.

2. The mistake I made was the height of the pig to the fire pit.
It has to be lower than what you expect.
Worry about exceeding the 3hr limit than burning it too quickly.
Too much heat would result to crispy skin but inside meat is raw.
Too low heat would result to gummy skin but cooked inside meat.

3. The heat of the fire pit should be contained on all 4 sides.
Cover the sides of the cooking pig if there is a lot of wind.
Wind is a big factor, do not allow it to cool down the pig.
That is a big mistake I made in my first try since I just did the cooking outside
our house without any cover.

4. Whatever you put in the outside of the skin of the pig will not affect the
crispiness after its cooked.
It's all about the heating process.

5. Let the pig dry for couple of hours before cooking.

Let me know of any more advices that I can take into consideration.

[karenvi...@gmail.com]

here's a clue that may be of help. http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/4537/%E2%80%98yan-ang-isang-sikreto-ng-cebu-lechon%E2%80%93apoy-don%E2%80%99t-use-coals-use-fire%E2%80%99/

[mark.am...@gmail.com]

If you were able to do a giant cooler brine this will help because this will allow to flavor your entire pig but do it overnight. Then rinse it off and dry it well and place the lemongrass, onions, garlic, salt and pepper inside and sew it up some add milk to the outside of skin to have an even bronze color coat threw out. In P.I when we did did it we built a cinder block out and had our helpers constantly twisting the skewer by hand. The trick everyone does is correct. But one thing o don’t see anyone doing is basting your pig. Which I also do while making porchetta in the oven. This allows the heat to hit the skin while it is rotating. I make a mixture of vinegar and garlic with salt pepper and vegetable oil. Once your lechon hits two and half hour mark it should start getting its color. You should baste it every 15-20 minutes the entire pig from snout to tail. The vinegar and all the that seasoning wil soak into the skin the oil basted inThe mixture will help the lechon crisp up. And if you do plan to do one try not to go over a 50-60 lb pig if you need to serve more people then make two roast pig. Why because the father they get the tougher and thicker the skin. You want them prime and also where skin is still thin to stay nice and crisp. If you plan to leave it out on display. It would help to place under heat lamps. Pig usually stays crispy for couple hours if you just let it sit out. Another alternative when all else fails when you do it is cut into large square sections so you would cut the pork belly in half and baste it with oiland broil once the skin doesn’t become crispy. I have a friend who does this at restaurant and eventually after first hour just kept the head on display and rest in the back to place in broiler to crisp up. Just line the meat section in foil to keep the rest of the meat from hardening up while still keeping it warm. Hope it helps.

[bernel...@gmail.com]

This is what I learn from our town old timer lechon expert, mix 1 part baking soda and six ten part milk and brush on the pig while its roasting it really make the skin crunchy....