Lechon Sisig a la Marketman, finished off on a large sizzling cast iron “plate” on a charcoal fire. Yum. I did a post on sisig a few years ago, here, but was not impressed. Then a few months ago, I decided to try and make sisig from an already roasted, leftover lechon head, and THAT was an absolute hit. So last week, I decided to try it out again, hoping the first lechon sisig experiment wasn’t just a serendipitous fluke. And the twist this time was to finish it over the charcoal grill at the our lechonan in Cebu. I have been thinking of different lechon-based dishes, in anticipation of a lechon eyeball, if that pushes through, and things like lechon sisig, sinigang na lechon, carcar chicharon, several whole roasted lechons, paksiw na lechon and re-fried lechon are all on that tentative list of possible dishes…
The inspiration for this dish came from this large cast iron grill plate that I found at the Metro Department Store at the Ayala Mall in Cebu. At just PHP350 or so ($8), it was well-priced and I could think of several uses for the plate like making teppanyaki beef or chicken, yakiniku, sauteed bean sprouts, seared steaks, etc. Then I realized it could also probably be a wonderful cooking and serving vessel for Lechon Sisig a la Marketman. The little “gutter” on the perimeter of the pan was perfect for collecting excess oil or fat from whatever dish you were cooking… To use, I just placed it over the existing grill with a very hot charcoal fire burning underneath. I left it there for some 5-10 minutes to heat up, and tested it by dropping a little blob of sisig onto the hot plate to see if it sizzled enough…
I pre-cooked the lechon sisig on a traditional stove, recipe here, using just lechon head parts chopped up, ginger, onions, garlic, chillies, vinegar, kalamansi, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Then, when the cast iron plate was hot, hot, hot, I added the sisig and let it cook for a few more minutes (warning: the fat can really splatter from this dish!), added an egg or two and some mayonnaise for creaminess without using the brain (please add the brain if you would like, that will provide the natural creaminess) and immediately take this off the flame and serve with lots of rice…
The results? EXCELLENT. Some bits of crisp brown, nearly burnt sisig stuck to the pan, almost like tutong in paella. And creamy, tasty and delicious lechon sisig on top. This could have used even more chillies (for some reason, the fat in this dish can mask the chili heat, so add more if you like it spicy) but it was really very, very good. A huge hit with the office crew, who polished off this dish over grilled liempo. Oh, and a final tip for making this all so easy. We bought the lechon head the day before we were going to cook it, then chopped it up into small bits and immediately stored the 8+ cups of meat, skin, cartilage and fat in the fridge overnight. Then when we made the lechon sisig the next day, it took just a few minutes to prep the other ingredients and cook the dish!
23 Responses
will this be served on the EB?
lee, if you and your wife make it to Cebu, I will make this for the EB… :)
hi,, that looks so yummy!!!!!!!!! even while im on vacation in vietnam.. i still check ur blog!!!
Gosh, that looks so terribly yummy. Your tentative menu for the EB certainly makes for one heck of a come one! Lee, if you and your wife go, the others will thank you for this dish. =)
Will definitely be there!
Well I know I used my left over lechon to make lechon fried rice, or put the meat in my ginisang monggo. Or add it to my binagoongan. And yes I add it to my stir-fried snow peas with oyster sauce, meat added to the last minute.
Did you season your cast iron griddle before using? I found out from recent actual experience that seasoned cast iron or steel pans are quantum leap better than the shiny newfangled Sitram space-age alloy coated non-stick pans. This could be part of the reason some of the precious sisig bits stuck. I wouldn’t let the tutong bits go to waste though if I were you.
Apicio, this was used straight from the mall after a wash… But yes, seasoned cast iron is both superb and economical. We also didn’t have an oven at the office kitchen… but I suppose I could have seasoned it on the grill… For others, wondering if Apicio and I are thinking about salt and pepper for the pan — to season a cast iron pan, just coat it lightly with some cooking oil, then put it in a hot oven for an hour or two. The more you use your cast iron, the better, and more seasoned it gets. But try to avoid anything acidic like vinegar, kalamansi, tomatoes etc. in large volumes on cast iron as you will be getting more than your daily dosage of the mineral iron… :) When young couples get married, and we are invited to he ceremony, we sometimes send a set of cast iron pots and pans as a wedding present. Not only are they practical, economical and will statistically last longer than most marriages, but they can be used as a weapon if you have an intruder in the house…
Holy pig scrapings! A lechon party with sidings of lechon dishes!
ohhh the sisig looks yummy :D I am craving for sisig lately. You can start your own restaurant MM :D
Where’s the rice?! =) The sisig looks scrumptious–sigh… How I wish I can join the EB ;)
I think I better start my daily workout regiment and Xenical in preparation for the Lechon EB!!!! hehehe
my kids love sisig… will definitely try your recipe… :)
To see sisig like this at 10:30pm is just wrong. Hehe. MM, this sisig of yours is just so tempting and without a doubt delicious!
what a dull life it would be without gustatory pleasures such as this!!!
Gadzooks. This looks amazing! I miss sisig so bad!
It does look excellent! And that bit about a set of cast iron pots and pans as a wedding present, well, I’m still waiting for ours. ;)
EB, i’m sooo going to be there. no veggies allowed :-)
oh my, lechon EB, now THAT’s my kind of EB!!! Thanks MM, for me, a lechonaholic and cholesterolaholic, i’m willing to bet, it’s gonna be a HUGE success!!! When is this??? Wait for me, i’m still in canada but going home soon. hu hu hu
i agree you should put up a restaurant MM, showcasing your cebu fushion recipes =)i hope for it to have a branch in manila..
Sana at the end of september to early october ang EB para nasa Cebu ako.
appreciate to receive more recipes from you. thanks
you need a defibrillator when serving that lechon sisig. I want to have that large cast iron. Sana meron dito sa SM in Manila or Market Market