Italian Porchetta Recipes

PORCHETTA ITALIANA

Steps:

• Oil the shoulder roast inside and out and rub the salt and pepper into the flesh. Rub the garlic, rosemary and dillweed into the flesh. Put shoulder into a leakproof and container and pour the wine in and around the shoulder. Cover tightly and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 3 days.
• Remove the meat from the refrigerator and tie it at about 1 inch intervals to form an even roll. Bring the meat to room temperature for about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Paint the roast with browning sauce and bake the roast until it has internal temperature of 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Estimate 30 minutes cooking time per pound. Remove from oven, tent with foil and let stand for 15 minutes before carving.

PORCHETTA (AUTHENTIC ITALIAN PORK ROAST)

Steps:

• Open the piece of pork onto the butcher paper or clean countertop, skin side down.
• Sprinkle generously with the salt, then work the salt into the pork.
• Next, add the rosemary. We used fresh rosemary as I have a bush in my garden. Rub it and crush it between your fingers to release the oils.Add the freshly ground black pepper all over the porchetta. Now add the fennel pollen. Sprinkle evenly over the pork, but save a little of the pollen for after the porchetta has been rolled.
• Roll it tightly, but as you roll it, sprinkly some salt onto the unseasoned pork. Continue rolling until you reach the end.
• Keeping the seam side down, start tying the pork. Another pair of hands will make this part immensely easier. There's no need for fancy ties or sailors' knots, just wrap, double knot and cut.
• Repeat every few inches. The goal is only to keep the porchetta closed, so don't tie it too tightly, either. As you can see, ours is far from perfect, but unless you're serving the Queen of England, it won't matter.
• Turn the roast seam side up and add more seasonings, including the rest of the fennel pollen to the non-skin parts of the pork which are exposed (including the ends).
• Place seam side down on a rack on a roasting pan or baking tray. Cover the ends with aluminum foil and secure with toothpicks.
• Drizzle with olive oil and rub all over the skin with your hands. Sprinkle with more salt and rosemary.
• Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
• Place in the hot oven when it comes to temperature and roast for 1 hour, then lower the temperature to 350°F (170°C) and continue to cook for about another 2 hours. Check the center of the roast when it reaches 170°F (76°C) remove from the oven. Take the foil off the ends and place on top of the porchetta, and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.
• Using a sharp knife, remove one or two of the pieces of twine. Cut into slices and serve on crusty Italian rolls, or bread, Italian style!

ITALIAN PORCHETTA SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• For the herb rub: Add the garlic, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the oregano, rosemary and thyme and pulse into a rustic paste. Season with salt. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the rub for the mayonnaise spread.
• For the pork: Lay the pork belly on a cutting board, skin-side-up, and score the skin at 1-inch intervals, 1/2-inch deep with a sharp knife. Rotate the pork 90 degrees and score the skin again, to create a diamond pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt; be sure to get into all the crevices. Flip the pork over, sprinkle generously with salt, then rub the meat side with the herb rub. Roll the pork belly up as tightly as possible and tie it crosswise with butcher's twine at 2-inch intervals.
• Place the pork in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Pour 1/2 cup water into the bottom of the pan. Roast the pork to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Check periodically to ensure there is still some liquid in the bottom of the pan and add a little water to prevent scorching. Baste the pork belly with pan drippings a couple of times during cooking.
• Once the pork reaches 150 degrees F, raise the oven to 475 degrees F and continue roasting until the skin is super crispy, 30 to 40 minutes. For even browning, flip the pork halfway through the second roasting period.
• Transfer the porchetta to a cutting board and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Remove the rack from the roasting pan and pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the pan drippings. Set the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until lightly caramelized, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the mayonnaise spread: Mix together the mayonnaise, capers, parsley, lemon zest and juice and the reserved herb rub. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the porchetta into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• To assemble the sandwich: Slather both halves of a ciabatta roll with mayonnaise spread. Layer the bottom half with slices of porchetta and top with caramelized onions and arugula.

ITALIAN PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Using paper towels, wipe the pork belly to get it as dry as possible. Wrap the entire belly in towels and leave for an hour to soak up more moisture.
• Preheat oven to 200ºF/150ºC
• In a dry frying pan, roast the fennel seeds and peppercorns until they start to jump around the pan a little. Pour into a pestle & mortar or spice grinder and grind into a rough powder, like breadcrumbs. You can also finely chop using a large knife.
• Combine the fennel mix with the salt, sage, rosemary and garlic.
• Place the pork, skin down on a work surface and, using a sharp knife, make a shallow criss-cross pattern on the surface of the meat.
• Sprinkle over all the fennel mix and massage into the meat.
• Along the long edge, roll the meat into a long sausage. Place the seam edge on the bottom, and using string slide under the rolled pork and tie at 2-inch intervals to secure the porchetta roll. Gently stab or prick the skin with a sharp knife all over, this will help crispen it later.
• Place the porchetta roll onto a rack in a roasting tin so that it's not touching the surface. Pour in around 2-3 cups of water. You can also use white wine if you like. Sprinkle over a little salt.
• Roast in the oven for 4 hours. After about 2 hours, top up the water in the pan.
• You can also baste the pork a few times after around 2-3 hours.
• After 4 hours, crank up the heat to 450ºF/230ºC and keep a keen eye on the pork. Check every 30 seconds or so to ensure the skin is not burning.Tap the skin with a knife to see how crisp it's getting and remove when you're happy with the crispness. You should see blistering and bubbling between 5-10 minutes. I can't stress enough, to keep an eye on the pork as it'll burn quickly!
• Cover loosely with foil and rest for 20-30 minutes.
• When ready, slice the pork and serve.
• Serve on it's own as a sandwich, or as part of a larger Italian feast.

STUFFED PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Score the pork belly skin with a sharp knife in a cross pattern. Score down to just before where the skin meets the fat, rather than the fat itself. Bring a large saucepan of water to a simmer and add the bicarbonate of soda. Lower the pork into the water, poach gently for 5 mins, then remove it from the water and leave to cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, toast the fennel seeds and chilli flakes in a dry frying pan over a high heat for 1-2 mins, then tip into a bowl and leave to cool. Grind the spices in a spice grinder or with a pestle and mortar, then mix with 1 tbsp fine sea salt.
• Once the pork has cooled, turn it skin-side down and pierce the underside of the meat all over with a knife. Rub the meat with the spiced salt rub, cover and put it in the fridge for at least 8 hrs or overnight. Can be prepared 24 hours ahead.
• The next day, make your stuffing. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the onion and fennel. Season and cook gently over a low heat for 10 mins. Add the coriander seeds and garlic, and cook for another 2 mins, then add the mince. Cook for 8-10 mins until the mince is browned. Set aside and leave to cool.
• Transfer the mince and onion mix to a bowl and add the sourdough, pine nuts, orange zest, apricots, herbs, lemon juice and nutmeg. Season well, then mix together thoroughly with your hands. Add the egg and mix again.
• Lie the pork belly on a board, skin-side down. Form the stuffing into a sausage shape running all the way down the middle of the belly. Wrap the sides of the belly around the stuffing and tie with butcher's string. Place seam-side down in a roasting tin, uncovered, and chill for at least 2 hrs, preferably overnight. You want the skin to dry out completely so that it crisps up when you roast it.
• To cook the pork, remove it from the fridge and leave it for at least 1 hr to come to room temperature before you cook it. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4 and cook the pork for about 2 hrs, turning the tin every 30 mins or so. After 2 hrs, turn the heat up to 220C/ 200C fan/gas 7 and cook for another 20 mins. When the pork is done, a thermometer pushed into its centre should read 77C. If the skin looks in danger of burning, cover it with foil - but only do this once it has crackled.
• Once the pork has cooked, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 30 mins. When you're ready to carve, put the pork on a big chopping board. Using a sharp knife, slice the meat into rounds.

PORCHETTA: STUFFED AND ROLLED ITALIAN PORK ROAST

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Spread out the loin so it's flat and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Chop off the top of the fennel bulb and save the fuzzy fronds. Quarter the bulb then slice very thinly. Finely chop the fronds.​
• In a skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and add the sliced fennel bulb, onion, garlic, fennel seeds, pepper flakes, and rosemary. Sauté about 8 minutes until lightly browned.
• Add the ground pork to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until it is no longer pink.​ Add the reserved fennel fronds. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust the seasoning as needed. Transfer to a mixing bowl and allow to cool.
• Add the panko, beaten egg, and lemon zest to the cooked pork mixture.​
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Lay the pork belly, skin-side down, on a work surface. Use a sharp paring knife to score a cross-hatch pattern into the belly. This enables the extra fat to be rendered and allows the skin to crisp.
• Turn the belly over, skin-side up, and pierce small slits all over. Use a meat tenderizer to pound the pork belly all over.
• Lay the flat pork loin on top of the pork belly. Spread the browned ground pork mixture evenly over the pork loin.
• Roll the belly and loin together like a jelly roll. Tie with butcher's twine at intervals to hold it all together.
• Liberally season the porchetta with salt and pepper and set it on a rack in a roasting pan or a rimmed baking sheet.
• Roast for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 145 F on an instant-read thermometer . If the porchetta skin is not yet browned, increase the oven temperature to 500 F and roast 10 more minutes.​
• Let the porchetta rest 20 minutes, then carve into slices and serve.

ITALIAN PORCHETTA SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• For the herb rub:.
• Add the garlic, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the oregano, rosemary and thyme and pulse into a rustic paste. Season with salt. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the rub for the mayonnaise spread.
• For the pork:.
• Lay the pork belly on a cutting board, skin-side-up, and score the skin at 1-inch intervals, 1/2-inch deep with a sharp knife. Rotate the pork 90 degrees and score the skin again, to create a diamond pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt; be sure to get into all the crevices. Flip the pork over, sprinkle generously with salt, then rub the meat side with the herb rub. Roll the pork belly up as tightly as possible and tie it crosswise with butcher's twine at 2-inch intervals.
• Place the pork in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Pour 1/2 cup water into the bottom of the pan. Roast the pork to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Check periodically to ensure there is still some liquid in the bottom of the pan and add a little water to prevent scorching. Baste the pork belly with pan drippings a couple of times during cooking.
• Once the pork reaches 150 degrees F, raise the oven to 475 degrees F and continue roasting until the skin is super crispy, 30 to 40 minutes. For even browning, flip the pork halfway through the second roasting period.
• Transfer the porchetta to a cutting board and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Remove the rack from the roasting pan and pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the pan drippings. Set the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until lightly caramelized, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the mayonnaise spread:.
• Mix together the mayonnaise, capers, parsley, lemon zest and juice and the reserved herb rub. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the porchetta into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• To assemble the sandwich:.
• Slather both halves of a ciabatta roll with mayonnaise spread. Layer the bottom half with slices of porchetta and top with caramelized onions and arugula.