Slow Cooker Lechon made easy in the crockpot! Moist and juicy on the inside and golden and crunchy on the outside, it’s easy and convenient weeknight dinner the whole family 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. I mean, the simmering, the cooling, the deep-frying, who has time for that? And don’t get me started with 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 to roast one lonely piece of meat? And with summer just around the corner, the last thing I’d want in the horrendous summer heat is to have my oven humming all day long. So how to satisfy a lechon craving? 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 butt 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 might work on lechon and work it did! Look at that gorgeous crackled skin!
Trust me, my peeps, doing it in the slow cooker is probably the easiest way out there to make lechon. 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 it’s tender, arrange the pork on a roasting pan (in my case, a cookie rack set over a foil-lined pan to catch drips) to finish off on high heat in the oven. Make sure the pork is off the pan by a few inches so the heat circulates around the pork and crisps it all over.
Just remember, NO liquids added in the crockpot!
A major part of the battle in lechon making is keeping the meat succulent. Nothing worse than dried out pork, don’t you think? And that’s the beauty of this slow cooker lechon. It’s golden and crunchy on the outside yet moist and juicy on the inside. For a recipe this super easy, albeit taking a few hours, you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
Slow Cooker Lechon made easy in the crockpot! Moist and juicy on the inside and golden and crunchy on the outside, it's easy and convenient weeknight dinner the whole family will love.
- 3 pounds pork belly with ribs
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
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Season pork with salt, pepper and garlic powder, massaging all over meat. Place meat in crockpot (NO LIQUIDS) and cook on low for about 7 to 8 hours or until tender but not falling apart.
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Remove pork from the crockpot and arrange on a roasting pan or rack. Bake in a 430 F oven for about 30 to 40 minutes or until skin is golden and blistered. Remove from heat. Skin will crisp as it cools. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before cutting.
Will it be OK to layer two pork belly on top of each other while cooking it in the crockpot? Thanks much!
Hello Kae,
I usually just cook one large enough to fit in the slow cooker but two at the same time might work.
We made it and it’s good. Thanks for posting the recipe.
Thanks for the feedback, Maan. Glad you enjoyed the lechon.
Is it ok to use frozen meat in the slow cooker?
I’ve never really tried using frozen meat for this lechon and I wouldn’t recommend it. For one thing, it will take forever to cook especially in a slow cooker.
Hi Lalaine,
Do you place the meat in the slow cooker fat side up or fat side down?
Hello Jay,
I put it the skin side up. The fat cap helps keep the meat moist as it “melt” in the slow cooker.
Hi Lalaine, just wanted to let you know I tried your recipe and it came out delicious!
I put the pork belly in the slow cooker before I left for work set it for 7 hrs. Come back from work 10 hrs later with lots of pork juices.
Baked it in the oven while I get the veggies ready … Viola … Dinner is ready within 10 minutes!
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Yay for easy weeknight dinners 🙂
Hi, Lalaine! Instead of oven, may I use an air fryer instead?
I’ve never tried it in an air fryer but I’m pretty sure it would work. I’ve done this in a turbo before and had great results.
Do you think that I can do this recipe in a pressure cooker? I’m going to try.
Hello Cal,
Yes, it would work. 🙂
Any idea how long it will take to cook in the pressure cooker? Just got an instant pot, and would love to try it!
I haven’t really tried cooking this in a pressure cooker but I think 20 to 30 minutes would be a good bet as you want the meat tender but not falling apart. Here is an instant pot time chart you might find helpful http://instantpot.com/cooking-time/meat-poultry-beef-pork-and-lamb/
can you use the pork belly without the ribs as I have never seen pork belly with ribs in our area.
Hello Ken,
Yes, without ribs will be fine. 🙂
Followed this recipe to impress my Filipina wife. Worked like a charm-she said it was the best she’d ever had!
Thanks for posting.
I am glad she like it. Cooking lechon in the slow cooker is a lot easier and more convenient than the traditional boiling and frying 🙂
Thank you for this recipe Ms Lalaine! Can i put it at low then high if i want to cut time with th slow cooker? Thank You Lowwen
hello Lowwen
You can set the slow cooker on high or low depending on how much time you have. I usually do mine on low because I have on overnight or when I am at out the whole day. If you want to cut on time, set it on high for about 4 to 5 hours. 🙂
I just cooked this tonight, oh boy, it was so yummy, earned some brownie points from my two boys (one f them is hubby).
Hello Chat
I am glad the hubby and kids enjoyed it. Super yummy talaga ang crispy skin!
Wow I’m drooling right now, I wanted to dry this so I could incorporate flavors that exactly right on my taste, I love the taste of garlic so I’m gonna pouring a lot of it. Thanks Ms. Lalaine, your pix looks so delicious, so crunchy balat hehehe
You’re welcome, Bernadette. I hope you enjoy it, very addicting talaga yung balat 🙂
I don’t have an oven but can I use turbo broiler to crisp up the skin instead? thanks! 🙂
Yes, I think the turbo will be fine. Just adjust the cook time as it’s more powerful than a conventional oven. 🙂
Somehow, I’m afraid to leave the pork in the slow cooker w/o liquid while I go to bed overnight. At the back of my mind, it might burn or I might burn the house, hehe…
Hello Ela
Trust me, this would work, just set it on low. 🙂 I placed mine at midnight and went to bed. It was ready by the time I got up. You’ll actually end up with a pool of liquid once the pork is done, a lot of fat extracted from the pork belly.