Our niece Mila recently celebrated her first birthday, and in true Filipino fashion, my husband's family celebrated it with Lechon Baboy, or roast pig.
Get in my belly!
My husband, stepson, and in-laws arose around 3 am on a Saturday morning to stuff and stitch up the pig, start the fire, and get the pig to roasting. I slept in (7:30 am) after a late night of cooking (er, watching my mother-in-law cook), dishwashing, drinking, rolling lumpia (Filipino eggrolls), playing with babies, and talking with my husband's sisters and mom. While the pig roasted we made coffee, ate breakfast and got our day started by frying up the lumpia and making Pancit (a Filipino noodle dish frequently served on birthdays as it symbolizes long life).
A few hours later, the pig was ready and it was all I could do to resist trying to eat the crispy pig skin while we were readying it for transport to the birthday party. While quality control is important, so is the preservation of tastebuds for when the pig is actually cool enough to eat.
Getting the birthday celebration in full swing, my mother-in-law carved up the pig (we happily taste tested some crispy pork belly), and we started setting out the dishes for the guests – pancit, lumpia, hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, pickled cucumbers and onions, baked beans, and a mountain of sweets. The pig was juicy and tender and the skin, crispy and hot. We served it with a thick and spicy garlic vinegar sauce on the side. It was truly a feast.
Ang sarap, indeed!
So how does a pig roast happen? If you've never been to one, here's a recap:
First: Buy beer. Lots and lots of beer. Scotch wouldn't hurt either…
You'll need more than one!
Second: Buy a pig. Our pig was about 50 pounds, and it was so big that we had to store it in the bathtub, packed on ice. The tub was clean, and we kept the pig wrapped in plastic sheeting.
Third: Dig a hole. Not just any hole. Ours was precisely measured and constructed to ensure even roasting of the entire pig. My husband and father-in-law created a ledge on which to burn the wood until it essentially became charcoal. Once that happens it gets scooped into the pit below the pig. After all, you don't want big campfire-style flames directly underneath your pig. It will burn the skin before the pig cooks all of the way through. There are some great resources here and here for setup, fire-control, cook times, etc. Google is your friend!
My husband looks good with a shovel!
Fourth: Season the pig and prepare whatever it is that you're going to stuff it with. For the seasoning, we rubbed down the skin and insides with something called White's Seasoning Salt – a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and "spices." We seasoned the pig at around midnight, put it bag in it's bag, and packed it back on the ice. For the stuffing, my mother-in-law used bundles of fresh lemon grass, celery and onions.
Fifth: Since you're stuffing the pig, this probably means you'll need something to stitch it up with. We used some copper wire and pliers… If you happen to be the advanced planning sort of person, a trussing needle and some heavy duty twine or bamboo threading would probably be better.
Sixth: Once you've stuffed and closed the pig, you'll want to secure it to a pole. A bamboo pole works well, but if you have proper spit roasting equipment, that works, too! Slide the pig onto the pole and secure the feet together with wire or bamboo ties. To keep the pig from sliding around during rotation, my father-in-law drilled holes in the pole and secured the pig to it by wrapping the snout with wire and securing that with a nail through the pole.
Seventh: Get the fire started and when the wood coals are ready, put the pig on to roast. Most advance planners would also get some sort of fancy device that auto-rotates the pig on the spit. But we had Eman, my brother-in-law, to turn the pig and ensure even roasting.
You should follow general guidelines for cooking times (a 50 pound pig would probably take somewhere between 5-6 hours), but testing the meat with an instant read meat thermometer is also a good idea.
A pig roast may seem like an extravagant way to celebrate the birthday of a one year old, but what it was really about was bringing family together. A common cause in pursuit of a special and momentous celebration. We spent a lot of time talking, sharing knowledge, working and learning together. That's something that a Chuck E. Cheese celebration just can't provide. While a pig roast is a lot of hard work, being with family and celebrating together in that way was a joyful and memorable experience. One that I don't think I'll forget anytime soon.
Our nephew, Sam, reaches for toys on the Filipino pinata.
So-Called Instant Pudding 