Slow Cooker Lechon made easy in the crockpot! Moist and juicy on the inside and golden and crunchy on the outside, it's an easy and convenient weeknight dinner or party dish everyone will love!
Lechon kawali is my favorite comfort food ever. Just the sight of these crunchy morsels is enough to make my Filipina heart go pitter-patter!
But as much as I love this Pinoy delicacy with all my foodie heart, I don't make it at home as often as I'd like. The simmering, the cooling, the deep-frying, who has time for that? And don't get me started about all that hot oil splattering all over the kitchen!
Now, I have found lechon sa hurno as a better alternative but even that comes with inconvenience. Who wants to tie up the oven for five long hours? The last thing I want especially in the horrendous heat of hot summer months is to have my oven humming all day long to roast one lonely slab of meat.
So how to satisfy cravings for crispy pork without a whole lot of work? Slow cooker Lechon is your newfound answer!
What inspired this recipe technique? One of G's favorite foods is Mexican Carnitas, a deep-fried slab of pork shoulder much like our lechon kawali. Instead of deep-frying the meat in a vat of sizzling lard, I like to cook it in the crockpot until tender and then finish it off in the oven on high heat until beautifully golden and crisp.
I was prepping one the other day when it got me thinking this method might work on lechon as well and work it did! Just look at that gorgeous crackled skin in the photos!
Trust me, my peeps, it can't get easier than making lechon kawali in the slow cooker. For a recipe this super easy, albeit taking a few hours, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the crispy yet juicy pork morsels you get!
All you do is generously season the meat, place it in the crockpot with NO liquids added, and allow it to cook while you go about your daily chores. When tender, arrange the pork on a roasting pan (in my case, a cookie rack set over a foil-lined pan) to finish off on high heat in the oven until golden and crunchy.
Cooking tips
- You can use boneless pork belly or with ribs. To make the chopping easier, you can have the butcher cut the bones.
- DO NOT add liquids! Don't panic, have faith. The pork is not going to burn or dry out, it will release its own juices as it slow cooks in the crockpot.
- To keep the lechon tender and succulent,ย cook in the slow cooker until tender but not falling apart.
- Roast on a wire rack so it's elevated by a few inches to allow the heat to circulate around the pork and crisp it all over.
- Let the roast pork stand for about 10 minutes before cutting to pieces so the juices will redistribute and keep the meat moist and flavorful.
How to serve
Serve as a main dish or appetizer with lechon sauce or spicy vinegar for dipping. It's easy to make for everyday family dinners yet impressive enough for special gatherings.
How to use leftovers
- Lechon is best enjoyed hot and fresh from the oven as the skin tends to lose its crispness over time.ย If you want to prep ahead, cook the pork in the crockpot until tender, store in the refrigerator or freezer, and roast in the oven when ready to serve.
- Use leftovers in pinakbet or sisig!
More pork recipes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork belly with ribs
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Season pork with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, massaging all over theย meat.ย
- Place meat in the slow cooker (NO LIQUIDS) and cook on low for about 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for about 4 to 5 hours until tender but not falling apart.
- Remove pork from the slow cooker and arrange on a roasting rack skin side up.
- Bake in a 430 F oven for about 30 to 40 minutes or until skin is golden and blistered.ย
- Remove from heat. Skin will crisp as it cools. Let stand for about 5 to 10 minutes before cutting.
Notes
- You can use boneless pork belly or with ribs. To make the chopping easier, you can have the butcher cut the bones.
- DO NOT add liquids! Don't panic, have faith. The pork is not going to burn or dry out, it will release its own juices as it slow cooks in the crockpot.
- To keep the lechon tender and succulent,ย cook in the slow cooker until tender but not falling apart.
- Roast on a wire rack so it's elevated by a few inches to allow the heat to circulate around the pork and crisp it all over.
- Let the roast pork stand for about 10 minutes before cutting to pieces so the juices will redistribute and keep the meat moist and flavorful.
Nutrition Information
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
Floi says
Ive tried this a handful of times and tonight I placed a verrry fatty one that the skin didnt crisp in the slow cooker like ive done before. I used the toaster oven under broil and that did the job! Definitely trial and error. Even if the 7-8hrs is super easy cuz ur just leaving it, it definitely helps to look in the last 6-7 hrs to see if the meat is already done as it will come out very hard and chewy. Trial and error for me but thats for the post! Have u tried the air fryer yet? If so, what temp and how long?
Charles says
We tried this turn out great will never fry again
Thanks
Lalaine Manalo says
Glad it turned out great for you, Charles!
Matt says
Have you tried this method using a pork tenderloin or any other pork cuts?
Lalaine says
Hello Matt,
Unfortunately, pork tenderloin won't work very well in this recipe as it doesn't have enough fat to be moist and juicy and I don't think that cut is sold with a thick cap of skin like a pork belly. The skin is what makes a very "lechon".
Eigh20 says
Hi, I normally don't write reviews but I just want to say that this is the best home made pork belly recipe I've used by far. To the person who wrote the review about the lacking ingredients, you know you can always tweak to your own preferences right?, anyway, thank you so much for sharing this method. It turned out to be the best one I've made.
Lalaine says
Thank you for your feedback! I am glad you enjoyed this recipe, it's really tasty and easier to make than traditional lechon kawali ๐
You wont post this says
lacks lemongrass, not really lechon
Derrick says
Lechon from Cebu uses lemongrass. When you go north, they usually don't use any seasoning except salt or maybe even gralic
M. M. Sands says
Everyone's own grandmother always makes the only "real" and "the very best" version of every recipe on the planet. Traditions and recipes vary from family to family, from region to region, and from century to century. Personal taste, the availability of any given ingredients, family traditions, and talent for cooking, are what tend to dictate these variations. Cuban or Puerto Rican Lechon is also "real" Lechon. That's why one adds the name of the region, country, restaurant, or cook of origin, to indicate the use of specific ingredients, cooking methods, or other variations.
Inna says
Hi!
Is this okay in the Dutch oven? If so how long should it roast inside the oven and whatโs the temperature?
Lalaine Manalo says
You can cook the belly in a Dutch oven until tender and then roast it according to recipe ๐
Minda says
Tried this recipe with 2 slabs of fresh pork belly on top of each other, following the recipe to the letter with one slab (finishing to crisp in the oven while still hot), and it turned out perfect. I saved the 2nd slab to cool in the fridge and crisp in the hot oven tomorrow and see if there's a difference.
Thanks so much, Lalaine for making out lives easier. ๐ I've been making your Lechon sa Hurno with great success, but I think this is my new favorite method. Frees up the oven too for baking deserts and sides. Thanks so much again!
Lalaine says
Thank you so much, Minda, for the feedback. I've never tried doing more than one slab at a time and good to know they'll cook ok. Please let me know how the cooled one turns out! Happy holidays ๐
Minda says
Hi Lalaine. Had pork overload while my husband was home for Christmas from the UAE (Pork is scarce in the Middle East), so had to freeze the second slab.
Finally got to crisp it in the hot oven today and it turned out just as perfect as the first one that I put in the hot oven to crisp straight from the slow cooker. Crisp time was about 10 minutes shorter, but the finished product was just as skin-crisp and meat-moist/tender. Yum!
This will be the only way I'll be cooking my Lechon! Thanks again!
Lalaine Manalo says
Hi Minda! Glad it worked out well for you!!
Joy Tuballa says
Can I use pork shoulder or any cut of the pork meat?
Lalaine Manalo says
You can use pork shoulder but need the thick cap of fat for the "crispy lechon experience"
Gloria says
Hi Lalaine. I was wondering if you tried the new air fryer for the lechon. It does well with frozen eggrolls.
Lalaine says
My daughter just got me an air fryer for Christmas, I haven't opened the box yet but I am excited to try it with lechon definitely the first on the list ๐
Liz says
Have you tried this recipe in the airfryer yet? I was curious if it comes out the same (or better)? I've tried your recipe and it turned out great, but if it's faster/easier in the airfryer, that sounds even better!
CELIA says
HI Lalaine, was wondering if this would work as well if I use whole chicken instead for pork
Celia says
Hi Lalaine, you think this will work as well if I use chicken instead of pork?
Lalaine says
I've never tried making a "lechon-style" chicken but I often cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker. It comes super tender but the skin is not crisp. Maybe broiling the chicken after slow cooking might help to brown and crisp the skin.
Moonbeam Bimm says
I tried this for dinner tonight... it was wonderful!!! I had to improvise a bit, I only had regular pork belly without ribs, and I did not have any garlic, so I used paprika instead. As I moved it into the oven, I sprinkled a tiny bit of brown sugar on the 'skin', and browned it.
It was amazing!! Thank you for sharing this receipt, so I could do something with this pork belly! (I was afraid I was going to be stuck with it, not knowing what on earth to do with it!)
=)
Lalaine Manalo says
Glad the recipe worked well for you!
Richelle Torres says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. The meat came out very tender. I over spiced the skin before putting in crock pot and it came out of crock pot with a black crust. Lesson learned for next time so I don't alter the beautiful lechon skin.
Lalaine Manalo says
I tend to that, too. The spices especially the garlic powder turn dark and kind of bitter when roasting. I think infusing flavor with fresh garlic is a better option ๐
Kae says
Will it be OK to layer two pork belly on top of each other while cooking it in the crockpot? Thanks much!
Lalaine says
Hello Kae,
I usually just cook one large enough to fit in the slow cooker but two at the same time might work.
MAAN says
We made it and it's good. Thanks for posting the recipe.
Lalaine says
Thanks for the feedback, Maan. Glad you enjoyed the lechon.