Porchetta Recipe

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 (case in point: you don’t need to de-bone a whole pig). The only potentially tricky part is scoring the skin. If you are buying the meat from your butcher you can have them do it for you. Or, use your sharpest knife or a razor blade. It’s worth the effort for the amber-colored cracklings it produces. The recipe feeds a crowd, so make it for a large gathering. Or plan on leftovers, which make excellent sandwiches for lunch the next day.

Porchetta (Authentic Italian Pork Roast)

an authentic Italian porchetta recipe

Prep: 20min

Total: 3h35min

Serving Size: 4 oz

Nutrition Facts: calories 250 calories, Carbohydrate 1 grams carbohydrates, Cholesterol 3 milligrams cholesterol, Fat 15 grams fat, Fiber 0 grams fiber, Protein 1 grams protein, Saturated Fat 1 grams saturated fat, servingSize 4 oz, Sodium 48 milligrams sodium, Sugar 0 grams sugar, Trans Fat 0 grams trans fat, unSaturated Fat 2 grams unsaturated fat

Ingredients:

• one fresh porchetta roast with the skin (ask your reputable butcher) weighing 8 to 10 lbs
• Kosher or sea salt (I used Maldon)
• fresh or dry rosemary
• wild Tuscan fennel pollen (if you can source it) at least 1 oz, but as you can see, more is better in this case (it is expensive, though) this brand is from Italy’s most famous butcher
• freshly ground black pepper
• good quality extra virgin olive oil
• crusty Italian bread rolls for serving

Instruction:

1. Open the piece of pork onto the butcher paper or clean countertop, skin side down.
2. Sprinkle generously with the salt, then work the salt into the pork.
3. 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.
4. Roll it tightly, but as you roll it, sprinkly some salt onto the unseasoned pork. Continue rolling until you reach the end.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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).
8. Place seam side down on a rack on a roasting pan or baking tray. Cover the ends with aluminum foil and secure with toothpicks.
9. Drizzle with olive oil and rub all over the skin with your hands. Sprinkle with more salt and rosemary.
10. Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
11. 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.
12. 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!

Porchetta | Basics with Babish

FAQ

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