A whole lechon looks intimidating, but carving it is mostly about one rule: protect the crackling. Take the skin off first, keep it uncovered, and the rest is easy.
What you'll need
- A sharp cleaver or heavy knife
- Kitchen shears
- A large board and a tray
Step by step
- Let it rest a few minutes after it arrives.
- Take the skin off first in large sheets with shears — this is the secret to keeping it crisp.
- Cut the skin into serving pieces and leave it uncovered.
- Section the meat off the bone in big pieces.
- Chop the meat to bite-size with the cleaver.
- Serve meat and crackling separately so steam from the meat never softens the skin.
key
Skin and meat apart. The single biggest carving mistake is piling crackling on top of hot meat — the trapped steam turns it chewy in minutes.