Lechona al Horno (Home-Style Stuffed Pork Roast)
A home-oven version of Tolima's festive lechona: seasoned pork, rice and yellow peas rolled inside crackling pork belly skin and roasted slowly until the meat is tender and the skin shatters. Served with arepa and lime.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Season the filling
In a large bowl, mix the pork shoulder with the scallions, garlic, cumin, achiote, salt and pepper. Gently stir in the cooked split peas and half-cooked rice until evenly combined; if you have time, cover and marinate in the fridge for a few hours.
- 800g pork shoulder
- 8 scallions
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground achiote
- 2 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 200g cooked split peas
- 150g half-cooked rice
✅ Done when: mixture is evenly combined and lightly marinated
Prepare the skin
Lay the pork belly skin side down and lightly sprinkle the meat side with about 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and cumin, taken from the amounts in step 1. Pat the skin completely dry with paper towels and rub it with the extra salt kept for the skin, since dry skin crisps better in the oven.
- 2kg pork belly with skin
- 1/4 tsp, plus extra for the skin salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
✅ Done when: skin is completely dry and lightly salted
Roll and tie
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Roast slowly
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Make the skin crispy and serve
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Season the filling
In a large bowl, mix the pork shoulder with the scallions, garlic, cumin, achiote, salt and pepper. Gently stir in the cooked split peas and half-cooked rice until evenly combined; if you have time, cover and marinate in the fridge for a few hours.
- 800g pork shoulder
- 8 scallions
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground achiote
- 2 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 200g cooked split peas
- 150g half-cooked rice
✅ Done when: mixture is evenly combined and lightly marinated
Prepare the skin
Lay the pork belly skin side down and lightly sprinkle the meat side with about 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and cumin, taken from the amounts in step 1. Pat the skin completely dry with paper towels and rub it with the extra salt kept for the skin, since dry skin crisps better in the oven.
- 2kg pork belly with skin
- 1/4 tsp, plus extra for the skin salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
✅ Done when: skin is completely dry and lightly salted
Roll and tie
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Roast slowly
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Make the skin crispy and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
The true lechona tolimense is a whole pig, deboned, stuffed with its own meat, rice and yellow peas, and roasted for up to 12 hours in a wood-fired oven. It's the star of weddings, festivals and big family parties across central Colombia.
This home version uses rolled pork belly to capture the same flavours and crackling in a regular oven.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Juicy, well-seasoned meat and rice under a layer of crackling — a true celebration dish.
💡 Fun Fact
The crispy skin, called 'cuero tostado', is so prized that at lechona parties guests often ask specifically for a piece with extra cuero.
Tolima
4.44°N, -75.23°W
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