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Crispy Filipino lechon kawali serve on a black rectangular platter, with steamed jasmine rice in the background, with lechon sauce, and spiced vinegar
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The Ultimate Guide to Crispy Lechon Kawali: A Filipino Classic

This crispy lechon kawali recipe delivers the perfect balance of tender, juicy pork belly and a gloriously crunchy skin. Boiled with aromatic spices and air-fried to golden perfection, this Filipino classic is then finished with a hot oil pour for an irresistible crackle. Whether you’re serving it with rice or dipping it in tangy vinegar or lechon sauce, this recipe is sure to impress with its rich flavor and satisfying crunch.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Wait Time2 hours 50 minutes
Total Time4 hours 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Filipino

Equipment

  • Air fryer oven
  • Large pot
  • Small pot
  • Wire rack
  • Tray
  • Freezer safe dish
  • Fork
  • Tongs
  • Paper towel

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs pork belly
  • 4 cups of water
  • 5 Tbsps salt plus more to taste
  • 2 Tbsps whole pepper corn
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 garlic bulb
  • 5 pieces dried bay leaves
  • 1 ¼ cup vegetable oil

Instructions

Infuse With Aromatics

  • Peel onion and roughly dice to about 2 inch pieces.
  • Peel whole garlic and slice in half.
  • Add water in a large pot.
  • Add the pork belly, 1 Tbsp salt, peppercorns, garlic, onion and bay leaves.
  • Place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil.
  • Boil for 30 minutes or until pork is fork tender.
  • Turn off heat.
  • Using tongs, remove pork from the pot.

Draw Out The Moisture

  • Place on a wire rack over a tray and let it cool down for 30 minutes.
  • Pierce the pork skin all over with a fork.
  • Sprinkle 3 Tbsps of salt all over the pork and massage it in. This will help to remove excess water.
  • Place pork into an uncovered freezer safe dish or container, and freeze overnight. Note: If you can’t afford to freeze the pork overnight, you can place it in the fridge for 2 hours.

Air Fry

  • Remove the excess salt.
  • Using a paper towel, pat dry the pork to remove excess water.
  • Pour 1 Tbsp oil onto the pork and massage all over. Ensure that you distribute evenly all over the pork.
  • Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of salt on pork skin and rub it in.
  • Place pork in an air fryer and cook for 40 minutes at 400°F.
  • Place pork onto a wire rack over a tray.

Pour Hot Oil

  • Place remaining oil in a small pot and heat on the stove over medium to high heat.
  • Turn off heat and remove pot from stove.
  • Carefully pour hot oil over the pork. Step back while you do this so as to not splatter hot oil onto yourself.
  • Let pork rest on the wire rack for 10 to 20 minutes. This will help to prevent the pork from drying out and preserve the natural juices.

Serve and Enjoy!

  • Place on a cutting board and chop to desired portions.
  • Serve with lechon sauce, spiced vinegar and steaming jasmine rice.

Notes

To achieve the magical crispiness of the pork, there are several steps that should not be skipped:
  1. Piercing the pork skin. This helps to ensure that the salt will be evenly distributed all over the meat.
  2. Rubbing salt all over the pork before placing in freezer or fridge. The salt will help to draw out moisture from the pork.
  3. Placing pork into the freezer or fridge. This will also help to remove any excess water from the pork.
  4. Patting the pork dry with paper towel. 
If you haven’t already noticed, there’s a theme to the above steps. The key is to draw out moisture from the pork and make sure that any excess water is removed before placing it in the air fryer.