Homemade Lechona (Colombian Stuffed Pork)

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Lechona is the stuffed roast pork of Tolima, in central Colombia: rice, peas and seasoned pork baked inside the skin until it turns to crackling. The traditional version is a whole pig roasted for ten hours; this one uses a rolled piece of skin-on pork belly and feeds eight from a home oven.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 10

Chilling and resting1 15

Total Time2 40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Colombian

Keyword: homemade lechona

Servings:

Calories: 465kcal

Author: Angela Giraldo

Ingredients

3 pounds skin-on pork belly, in one flat piece about 1.4 kg; ask for the skin on and the fat layer intact. Not bacon: it must be fresh, uncured pork

For the stuffing

1 pound pork meat, cut into small pieces about 450 g; shoulder works well
¼ cup pork fat (lard)
4 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon sazón with saffron Latin-aisle seasoning packet, Goya is the usual brand; or a pinch of ground annatto with salt and garlic powder
¾ cup peas
1 ¼ cups cooked white rice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, melt the pork fat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, until softened and fragrant but not browned.
In a large bowl, mix the pork meat, cooked rice, ground cumin, sazón, peas, potatoes, salt and pepper.
Add the pork fat and onion mixture to the bowl and stir it through. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour: this lets the seasoning penetrate the meat and firms the filling so it is easier to roll.
Rinse the pork belly in cold water and pat it thoroughly dry, especially the skin: any moisture left now is moisture that stops it crackling later. Lay it skin-side down on a work surface, spread the filling over it, and roll it up so the filling is fully enclosed. Tie it at intervals with kitchen twine.
Preheat the oven to 325 °F (165 °C).
Cover the roll with aluminium foil, set it in a baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes.
Uncover and bake for a further 25 minutes, so the skin dries out, browns and crisps. It is done when a thermometer pushed into the centre of the filling reads 160 °F (71 °C).
Take it out and move it to a cutting board. Let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing, or the filling falls apart as you cut.

Notes

This is the home version and does not need a whole pig. You can add carrots, corn or chilli to the stuffing. Use a meat thermometer rather than judging by the skin: the surface browns long before the centre of a stuffed roll is done, and 160 °F (71 °C) in the middle of the filling is the number to look for.

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