Dinner · 150 min · filipino

Crackling Crispy Pata

This is the kind of Filipino dinner you’ll make on repeat — pork leg and bay leaves, 150 minutes, big payoff. At 560 calories and 48g protein per serving, it fits easily into a high-protein day. Leftovers keep well, so it doubles as next-day lunch without any extra work.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 4 lb Pork leg
• 4 Bay leaves
• 1 tbsp Black peppercorns
• 1 head Garlic
• 3 tbsp Salt
• 8 cups Cooking oil

Steps

1. Simmer the pork leg with bay, peppercorns, garlic, and salt, 75 minutes, until the meat is tender but the leg still holds its shape.
2. Drain and air-dry the leg uncovered in the fridge overnight — dry skin fries crisp; damp skin fries into leather.
3. Prick the skin all over with a fork; the tiny holes let steam escape so the skin puffs instead of ballooning.
4. Heat the oil to 350°F in your deepest, heaviest pot, and have a lid and splatter screen within reach.
5. Fry 18 to 22 minutes, turning once with long tongs, until the entire leg is deep mahogany and the skin crackles like glass.
6. Drain upright 10 minutes. The skin should shatter at the tap of a knife. Serve whole for drama, with spiced vinegar, soy-calamansi dip, and absolutely nothing else needed.

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