Pea walks through the entire lechon (spit-roasted pig) preparation process from start to finish — buying the live pig from a local farmer, cleaning and shaving it, stuffing it with spices, sewing it shut, and roasting it over coals. She also demonstrates how to make dinuguan (pig's blood stew) from the innards. The video serves as both a cooking tutorial and a window into provincial Filipino Christmas tradition, with Pea noting this is the foundation for her upcoming Christmas village surprise video.
What's Covered
Lechon as a Filipino Christmas essential
- "Lechon" is the Spanish word for pig
- No celebration, fiesta, or holiday gathering is complete without one
- Being able to afford a lechon is considered a status symbol
- Pea promises an A-to-Z walkthrough of the full preparation
Buying the pig from a local farmer
- Filipinos don't go to pig farms — they buy from local farmers, neighbors, friends, or relatives
- This pig is about four months old, roughly 50 kilograms (110 pounds)
- Priced at 100 pesos per kilo alive (about $2 per kilo / 2.2 lbs), so roughly 5,000–6,000 pesos total
- A pig this size can feed up to 100 people
- Pea notes they use every part of the pig, including the blood (for dinuguan) — nothing goes to waste
- She skips filming the slaughter itself ("this pig is going to sacrifice for the nourishment of the village people")
Cleaning and hair removal process
- Hot water is poured over the pig's body to loosen the skin and hair
- They use a spoon to scrape off the thick, stringy hair — the spoon's edge is sharp enough to work well and is the traditional tool
- The process must be repeated constantly, flipping the pig and cleaning all parts — takes 10–20 extra minutes
- Pea says she's used to this from growing up in the province, where they did it every year
Gutting and preparing for stuffing
- A straight cut is made down the belly to remove the innards
- The innards are set aside for dinuguan
The spice stuffing — a detailed ingredient list
- "Lots and lots of garlic" — crushed, skin left on, with the instruction "there's no such thing as too much garlic"
- Red onions
- Two types of chilies: small red hot ones for heat, big green ones for fragrance/aroma
- Eight stalks of lemongrass (noted as very healthy and aromatic)
- Whole black pepper
- Giant onion leeks
- Seasoning (half a 250g bag = 125 grams)
- Five-spice powder — Pea says most people don't use it for lechon, but she likes it for the fragrance
- Salt and bay leaves
- Everything goes inside the pig
Stuffing and spicing the cavity
- Salt, whole black pepper, and bay leaves rubbed into the interior like a massage — spread into the pockets around the rib cage
- Garlic and onions stuffed in generously
- Chilies pushed inside and spread around the rib cage
- Lemongrass stalks squeezed to release aroma before inserting
- Onion leeks stuffed in
The "secret ingredient": Sprite soda
- Used as a meat tenderizer
- About one liter (five 200ml bottles) poured inside the cavity
- Pea says it's "no longer secret"
Sewing the pig shut
- The sewing needle is a sharpened piece of an umbrella spoke
- Thread is nylon
- Crisscross stitching pattern, pulled very tight
- Pea jokes: "Good thing I listened to my mother's sewing lessons as a kid — but this one is different because it's sewing meat"
- She also jokes it's "like an operation" and notes she's a nurse
Mounting and pre-roasting preparation
- The pig is placed on a spit that enters from the rear and exits through the mouth (not filmed — "too graphic")
- All-purpose cream is rubbed all over the pig's exterior skin to help it crisp up during roasting
- Some people use soy sauce for coloring, but Pea's method uses all-purpose cream
- Pea and Jen massage the cream everywhere — body, ears, neck, feet, all surfaces
- "Milk is good for your skin — it makes it soft and smooth"
Roasting
- Takes 3–4 hours because of the pig's size
- Must be turned occasionally for even cooking
- End result should be red and crispy
Dinuguan (pig's blood stew) preparation
- Garlic is sautéed first, then ginger (for aroma), then onions
- All innards go in: intestines, stomach, heart — plus the blood
- Cook for 10–15 minutes
- Taste: a little bloody, salty, slightly sour from calamansi juice squeezed on top
- Best paired with beer
Teaser for the next video
- Pea says the lechon will be brought to surprise a village as part of her year-end Christmas special (the "Village That Santa Forgot" episode)
- "Join me in two days as we celebrate Christmas in the Philippines"