What is Porchetta and How do I make it at home?

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Porchetta: Reading Material and Study Aids

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Porchetta Pork Roast

This rich, crackling-coated pork roast has all the intense garlic, lemon and herb flavors of a classic Italian porchetta, but is much simpler to make. It utilizes inexpensive pork shoulder rather than pork belly (which can be difficult to find, depending on your local market).
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Culinary 4

Ingredients

  • 1 7- to 8-pound bone-in, skin-on pork shoulder roast, or a 6- to 7-pound boneless roast fat trimmed to 1/4-inch thickness
  • ¼ cup chopped fennel fronds
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
  • 5 garlic cloves grated or mashed to a paste
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seed
  • ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

  • Score skin and fat all over pork, taking care not to cut down to the meat.
  • In a food processor or mortar and pestle, combine fennel fronds, rosemary, sage, garlic, lemon zest, salt, fennel seed, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Pour in oil.
  • Pulse or mash until it forms a paste. Rub all over pork. If using a boneless roast, tie with kitchen string at 2-inch intervals. Transfer to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 6 hours and preferably overnight.
  • Remove pork from refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before you want to cook it. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Transfer pork to a rimmed baking sheet and roast 35 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees and cook an additional 2 hours 45 minutes to 4 hours, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 180 degrees, which will give you sliceable, tender meat. (Bone-in roasts will take longer than boneless ones.)
  • Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Make sure everyone gets some of the cracklings.
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Porchetta with Pork Belly and Loin

The second way to make porchetta without using a whole suckling pig is to wrap pork belly around a pork loin. This procedure gets a little closer to the original but is slightly more involved (however the flavors are worth it). If you can substitute a whole clove of smoked garlic for the 3 raw cloves in the recipe…. do it. The flavor is an immense improvement.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Culinary 4
Servings 12

Ingredients

  • 1 5 – 6 pound piece fresh pork belly skin on
  • 1 2-3-pound boneless, center-cut pork loin trimmed
  • 3 tablespoons fennel seeds
  • 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons fresh sage minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/2 orange seeded, thinly sliced

Instructions

Prepare

  • Put belly skin side down; arrange loin in center. Roll belly around loin so the short ends of the belly meet. If any of the belly or loin overhangs, trim meat. Unroll; set loin aside.
  • Toast fennel seeds and red pepper flakes in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Tip spices into a bowl; let cool. Finely grind spices in a spice mill and transfer to a small bowl, along with the sage, rosemary, and garlic; set fennel mixture aside.

Assemble

  • Set belly skin side down. Using a knife, score the belly flesh in a checkerboard pattern 1/3″ deep so roast will cook evenly.
  • Flip belly skin side up. Using a paring knife, poke dozens of 1/8″-deep holes through skin all over belly. Don’t be gentle! Keep poking.
  • Using the jagged edge of a meat mallet, pound skin all over for 3 minutes to tenderize, which will help make skin crispy when roasted.
  • Turn belly and generously salt both it and loin; rub both with fennel mixture. Arrange loin down middle of belly. Top with orange slices.
  • Roll belly around loin; tie crosswise with kitchen twine at 1/2″ intervals. Trim twine. Transfer roast to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.

Roast

  • Refrigerate roast, uncovered, for 1-2 days to allow skin to air-dry; pat occasionally with paper towels.
  • Let porchetta sit at room temperature for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 500°. Season porchetta with salt. Roast on rack in baking sheet, turning once, for 40 minutes. Reduce heat to 300° and continue roasting, rotating the pan and turning porchetta occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 145°, 1 1/2-2 hours more. If skin is not yet deep brown and crisp, increase heat to 500° and roast for 10 minutes more. Let rest for 30 minutes. Using a serrated knife, slice into 1/2″ rounds.