A pig’s head should be cleaned thoroughly and cut in half down the middle before roasting. When purchased online from vendors like Heritage Foods USA (http://heritagefoodsusa.com), they are delivered in this manner. Pig’s head can be found in ethnic butcher shops in big cities, especially in Chinatown. Large amounts of crisp skin and copious amounts of flavorful cheek meat come from the roasted head. Fergus advises serving the roasted head at room temperature over a bed of arugula or watercress, which are tangy seasonal greens. It tastes great hot with braised fava or kidney beans on a chilly day.
Table Of Contents
- How Long Does it Take to Roast a Pig
- How to serve and store
- More pork appetizers
- Oven-Roasted Pig Head
Last weekend, I prepared this roasted pig head for our blog’s holiday series, but I later decided not to publish it. The lechon was a success; I was just dissatisfied with the outcome of the above photo.
It doesn’t really look like something you’d serve for Noche Buena; rather, it resembles something from a horror film.
But since everyone was asking for the recipe after I posted a photo of the pig head on Instagram, I figured I might as well post it. After all, how attractive can a pig’s snout look?
Remembering those roasted pork morsels now, I can’t believe I thought of NOT posting the recipe on the blog. What was I thinking? Just look at the super crunchy skin and moist meat! Pretty or not, this roasted pig head is sure to be the star of any holiday party!
I’ve used this lechon sa hurno technique on pork belly and shoulder with great results and I was glad to see it works well on a pig head, too. The low and slow roasting method really makes for amazing melt-in-your-mouth tender meat.
Maybe one day I’d find a small suckling pig that would fit in my oven; it would be an exciting experiment.
How Long Does it Take to Roast a Pig
The roast pig head needed a total of 6 hours to prepare: 3 1/2 hours at 180°F to slowly cook the meat, 2 1/2 hours at 320°F to begin browning, and 40 minutes at 430°F to crisp up the skin. Please take note that I used half of a pig head that weighed about 5 pounds; if you use a whole or larger piece, you may need to adjust the cook time.
Per additional pound of meat, I advise adding an additional 25 to 30 minutes at 180°F and 25 to 30 minutes at 320°F. Wrap the ears in foil if they are browning too quickly.
How to serve and store
- Enjoy this roasted pork as an appetizer with your favorite drinks or as a main dish with steamed rice. Chop into serving pieces and serve with a dipping sauce such as spiced vinegar or lechon sauce.
- Lechon is best enjoyed freshly cooked as the skin tends to lose crispness over time. Turn leftovers into sisig or paksiw!
