Easy Roast Pork ala Beancounter

Picture Dr Evil and Mini-me, only cuter, with better fashion sense and a lot more hair. *LOL* That's a bit much! But that's a little bit how it's like when I’m looking after Tikay (Eliyah). I'm frantically cooking in the kitchen with a tiny person dangling in front of me.

So, coming up with easy to prepare meals is not just pertinent, it's a matter of life and death...again too much drama! *LOL*

The love for Lechon (Filipino Roast Pork) is culturally embedded in my genes. But I haven't got time to source a pig, slaughter it and spit roast it for half a day. Fortunately, there are less bloody versions of this much-loved dish. Apart from the traditional spit roast there is the Lechon Kawali (Deep Fried) and the Lechon sa Hurno (Oven Roast) varieties, the latter being the least complex but very tasty nonetheless.

The secret to my Easy (oven) Roast Pork is the cut of meat. Low fat advocates look away now...The best and the only cut I use when roasting this way is a fatty pork belly. Ok, ok! It does not have to be really fatty. That is just to annoy "low fat" people. But a good layering of fat is vital. This would almost always guarantee a roast that is not dry. Pork Belly is quite forgiving in that an extra hour in the oven (due to the onset of dementia) would still result in an edible roast albeit crispy and a wee bit charred!

My recipe is easy but by no means quick. There isn’t a lot of fussing around with ingredients, in fact there are only three, but it involves a few hours of cooking.

The recipe is actually quite basic but that's the beauty of it. Once you feel confident you should be able to embellish without fear. You can add garlic and rosemary sprigs for example.

Also, this roast pork works really well served the traditional Pinoy way with a sweet and tangy lechon sauce eaten with rice. Or you can opt for a more western style of serving with gravy (made from the drippings), roast potatoes and steamed vegetables.

Easy Roast Pork ala Beancounter

1 piece of pork belly
Sea salt
Pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to about 200C.
2. Rub the pork belly with salt and pepper.
3. Put about a cup of water in your roasting tray. Place the meat (skin side up) on a rack on top of the roasting tray making sure the meat is not touching the water. Put it in the oven.
4. After about 30 minutes reduce the heat to about 150C. Cook for another 2-3 hours depending on the size of the meat. This is when the fat becomes really important. The melting pork fat will keep the meat moist. Check it after 2 hours and see how the crackling is forming. If it is done to your liking take it out of the oven at this point.
5. Let the meat rest for a few minutes before serving.