Porchetta

Porchetta (Italian Slow-Roasted Rolled Pork Belly)

A traditional Italian porchetta rubbed with garlic, rosemary, fennel and black pepper, rolled tight and slow-roasted until the skin is shatteringly crisp and the meat beneath is meltingly tender. Served sliced thick in crusty bread rolls, exactly as it is sold at Italian markets.

Prep

45 min

Cook

240 min

Total

285 min

Serves

8-10

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •2 kg (4½ lb) pork belly, skin on, boneless, in one piece; ask the butcher to score the skin if possible
• •300 g (10½ oz) pork loin or shoulder, optional, for stuffing the center; traditional porchetta uses the whole deboned pig
• •8 cloves garlic
• •20 g (¾ oz) fresh rosemary, leaves only
• •15 g (½ oz) fresh sage, leaves only; optional but common
• •20 g (2 tbsp) fennel seeds, toasted and crushed
• •15 g (1 tbsp) coarse black pepper, freshly cracked
• •20 g (1½ tbsp) coarse sea salt
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil
• •1 whole lemon, zest of, optional, modern variation
• •2 m (6½ ft) butcher's twine, for trussing

Steps

1. 1 Pat the pork belly completely dry with paper towels. Place skin-side up on a board and, if not already scored, use a sharp knife to cut shallow parallel lines through the skin about 5 mm apart (do not cut into the fat).
2. 2 Toast the fennel seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, then crush coarsely with a mortar and pestle.
3. 3 Finely chop the garlic, rosemary and sage. Combine in a bowl with the crushed fennel, black pepper, salt, olive oil and lemon zest (if using) to form a wet paste.
4. 4 Lay the pork belly skin-side down. Rub the herb paste generously and evenly over the entire flesh side. If using pork loin/shoulder, lay it along the long edge as a center stuffing.
5. 5 Roll the belly tightly along its length to form a compact cylinder. Tie at 2-3 cm intervals with butcher's twine, working from one end to the other.
6. 6 Wrap the tied roast tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate uncovered overnight (at least 12 hours) to dry the skin — this is essential for crackling.
7. 7 Remove from the fridge 1 hour before roasting to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F).
8. 8 Place the porchetta on a rack in a roasting pan and roast at 150°C (300°F) for 3 hours, basting occasionally with the rendered fat.
9. 9 Increase the oven temperature to 230°C (450°F) and roast for a further 30-45 minutes until the skin puffs and crackles and the internal temperature reaches 75°C (165°F) on a meat thermometer in the thickest part.
10. 10 Rest the porchetta uncovered for at least 20 minutes before slicing. The internal temperature will continue to rise slightly and the juices will redistribute.
11. 11 Cut into thick slices with a sharp serrated knife and serve stuffed into crusty Italian rolls (panini), traditionally with nothing more than a pinch of salt.