Porchetta
Ingredients:
- 8 – 10 lb (3.6 – 4.5 kg) section of pork belly (boneless)
- 2 lb (.9 kg) pork loin or tenderloin
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) salt
- 1 Heaping Teaspoon (5+ ml) black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 Teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground dried sage
- 1/2 Teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground dried thyme
Preparation and Cooking
Note on advance preparation: Ideally the Porchetta is seasoned, rolled and tied several hours (or even overnight) before cooking, so the seasonings can infuse into the meat.
With a sharp knife, butterfly the pork belly so you have a single piece of meat that is half the thickness and twice the “length”. Pay careful attention to where the skin/fat side is, as this will want to be on the outside of the Porchetta after it’s been rolled up. You want the thickness to be as even as possible, so feel free to trim any thick areas – those bits can be redistributed when it is rolled to promote a uniform diameter Porchetta
Layout the butterflied pork belly with the skin/fat side on the bottom (not visible) and spread the garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper evenly over the exposed surface.
Trim the pork loin, if necessary, so that it forms a strip the length of the short side of the butterflied belly. Try to keep it of roughly uniform thickness – it’s fine if it’s in several pieces.
Place the loin meat along the short side of the belly (look underneath to ensure that you’re at the end without the skin) and begin rolling it, as tightly as possible. When you reach the end, the exterior of the roll should be all – or nearly all – skin or fat.
Tie the roll every 2 inches (5 cm), or so, with butcher’s twine.
Two hours before cooking, remove the rolled Porchetta from the refrigerator.
Twenty minutes before cooking, preheat the oven to 475ºF (246ºC).
Place the Porchetta in a large roasting pan and cook uncovered at 475ºF (250ºC) for about 40 minutes. At the end of that time, turn the oven down to 300ºF (150ºC) and cover the Porchetta loosely with aluminum foil and allow it to cook for another 3 – 4 hours until the internal temperature (at the center) reaches 175ºF (80ºC). At this point, remove the foil and continue baking (raising the heat if necessary) for another hour or so until the skin reaches the desired stage of brownness. Crispy is good.
