Best Porchetta Recipes

PORCHETTA PORK ROAST

Steps:

• 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.

PORCHETTA-STYLE ROAST PORK

Steps:

• Stir fennel seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until slightly darker in color and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer seeds to spice mill and cool. Add kosher salt, peppercorns, and dried crushed red pepper. Grind to medium-fine consistency (not powder).
• Place pork in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Rub garlic all over pork, then coat with spice mixture. Loosely cover pork with waxed paper. Refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush large rimmed baking sheet with oil. Place roast, fat side up and coating intact, in center of sheet. Drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons oil. Roast pork 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Roast pork until very tender and thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 190°F, about 3 hours 15 minutes longer. Transfer pork to cutting board; reserve baking sheet. Let pork rest 15 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour all pan juices into 2-cup measuring cup. Spoon off fat that rises to top. Place reserved baking sheet across 2 burners. Pour wine and broth onto baking sheet and bring to boil over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Boil until wine mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 4 minutes. Add degreased pan juices and whisk to blend. Pour pan sauce into small bowl (sauce will be thin).
• Thinly slice roast. Serve with sauce.

CHEF JOHN'S PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Place pork roast on a work surface. Use a sharp knife to make a lengthwise cut about 1 inch from the edge of the meat, slicing down but not cutting through. Open the meat flat along the cut. Keeping the knife parallel to the cutting board, continue to slice the roast open so you can unroll it into a large, flat piece. (You can also ask your butcher to butterfly the roast for you.) When the meat is unrolled, make small slashes through any connective tissue or extra-thick parts so the roast is as even in thickness as possible.
• Drizzle cut surface with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Rub oil into meat and generously season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt, black pepper, sage, rosemary, orange zest, garlic, and crushed fennel seeds. Press seasonings in firmly with your hand, roll up the pork roast, and tie the roast in several places with kitchen twine.
• Place the pork roast on a rack, set the rack on a plate, and sprinkle meat with remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Refrigerate the roast uncovered overnight to dry-age.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Lightly oil a baking dish and place roast into dish. Rub meat with 2 teaspoons olive oil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until outside is seared, 15 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) and continue to roast until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast reads 145 degrees F (65 degrees C), about 1 hour more. Loosely cover roast with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice thinly to serve.
• Mash anchovy fillet in a small bowl and add red pepper flakes, white wine vinegar, and Italian parsley. Stir to combine. Serve drizzled on pork.

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 (ITALIAN ROAST PORK)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Combine sage, garlic, thyme, rosemary, fennel pollen, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl.
• Make ten 1/2-inch incisions all over the pork. Stuff the incisions with 1/3 of the sage mixture. Brush olive olive over the pork and rub on remaining 2/3 of the sage mixture. Transfer to a roasting pan.
• Roast pork, skin-side up, in the preheated oven until golden, about 2 hours.
• Pour wine into the roasting pan. Continue roasting pork, basting with wine at regular intervals, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), about 3 hours.
• Let pork rest, covered in aluminum foil, for 10 minutes before slicing.

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 - ITALIAN MARKETPLACE SLOW ROAST PULLED PORK SANDWICH

Steps:

• Lay the pork on a large chopping board and cover with cling film. With a rolling pin, mallet, or other suitable blunt object, pound the meat as close to an even 1" thickness that you can manage.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium high. Add all of the chopped onion, half the minced garlic, half the fennel seeds, all of the rosemary and bay, half of the ground cloves, salt and pepper, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until all the fragrance has been released from the herbs and spices. Transfer to a plate to cool.
• Spread and rub this mixture over and into the pork, then roll the meat up as tightly and neatly as you can. Tie with kitchen string at intervals.
• Mix the remaining ingredients (minced garlic, fennel seeds, ground cloves, olive oil) and rub it over the outside of the pork. Cover it with cling film and refrigerate 24 hours, or at least overnight.
• Remove the meat 40 minutes before cooking to allow it to return to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150C/300F Take the cling film off the pork and place the pork joint in to a roasting tin.
• Cook the pork for 4 hours to 5 hours, until it is falling apart when you test it with a knife or fork. If the spices on the surface start to char too badly (a little blackness is a good thing), tent foil loosely over the roast. (I find I need to cover it for the last hour of cooking.).
• CROCK POT - at this stage, cook the pork in a crock pot for 4 to 5 hours on high, or on automatic for up to 8 hours.
• Remove from the oven and leave to rest at least 30 minutes to one hour. Slice, pull or shred the meat and serve in warmed ciabatta rolls.

PORCHETTA

Steps:

• 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 porchetta according to steps 1-5.
• 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°F. Season porchetta with salt. Roast on rack in baking sheet, turning once, for 40 minutes. Reduce heat to 300°F and continue roasting, rotating the pan and turning porchetta occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 145°F, 1 1/2-2 hours more. If skin is not yet deep brown and crisp, increase heat to 500°F and roast for 10 minutes more. Let rest for 30 minutes. Using a serrated knife, slice into 1/2" rounds.
• To assemble:
• 1. Set belly skin side down. Using a knife, score the belly flesh in a checkerboard pattern 1/3" deep so roast will cook evenly.
• 2. 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.
• 3. 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.
• 4. Turn belly and generously salt both it and loin; rub both with fennel mixture. Arrange loin down middle of belly. Top with orange slices.
• 5. 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.

ROASTED PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Using a sharp knife, slice open the butt, following the fat cap, until you are able to roll it flat.
• Make a paste with the olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs, fennel seeds and zest. Take half of the salt and sprinkle the exposed inside of the butt. Do the same with half of the black pepper. Pour the herb paste onto the butt. Spread evenly into the meat. Roll the meat up back onto itself creating a large pinwheel of pork and herbs. Secure the roast together using butchers twine. Sprinkle the outside of the roast with the remaining salt and pepper. Place the butt onto a roasting rack inside of a roasting pan.
• Place the butt into the oven and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until the inside is 140 degrees F. Let cool and slice.

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.

PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put the pancetta in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it forms a paste. Transfer to a bowl and mix in by hand the garlic, citrus zests, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, capers and 2 tablespoons salt until thoroughly blended.
• Put the ham flesh-side up on a cutting board and score the meat with the tip of a sharp knife every inch or so in a cross-hatch pattern. Rub the pancetta paste into the meat, making sure to get it into the score marks. Flip the ham over and score the skin with the knife as you did the flesh. Roll the ham up skin-side out and secure with kitchen twine. Season the skin lightly with salt.
• Put the pork in a roasting pan and transfer to the oven to roast for 2 hours.
• Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and roast until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees F and the skin is nice and crisp, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes. Thinly slice the porchetta before serving.

PORCHETTA-STYLE ROAST PORK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in center. In a food processor, combine garlic, fennel seeds, rosemary, lemon zest, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3 tablespoons oil; pulse to a paste. Pat pork dry. On a rimmed baking sheet, rub pork all over with garlic mixture and wrap with pancetta, overlapping slightly; secure with twine at 2-inch intervals.
• Toss potatoes, onion, and lemon slices with remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper; scatter around pork. Drizzle with 1/3 cup water; roast, basting with juices, until pancetta is crisp and a thermometer inserted in thickest part of meat registers 138 degrees, 40 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; tent with foil.
• Return sheet to oven and continue to roast vegetables, tossing once, 10 minutes more. Remove strings from pork and slice. Serve, alongside vegetables, and drizzled with pan juices.

CRISPY ROASTED PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Score the skin of the pork belly with an extremely sharp knife or a razor blade (or ask your butcher to do it). Poke the flesh side all over with the tip of a paring knife.
• Put the fennel seeds and peppercorns in a small dry skillet; toast over medium heat until very fragrant and a few shades darker, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool, then grind in a spice grinder. Mix the ground spices with the red pepper flakes, sage, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, orange zest, garlic and 2 tablespoons salt. Rub the mixture into the flesh side of the pork belly.
• Roll the belly up as tightly as possible and secure it with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Rub the outside with the baking powder and 1 tablespoon salt. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 to 2 days.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Set the rolled pork belly in a large roasting pan and roast until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 hours. Increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees F and roast until the skin is golden brown and crisp all over, about 20 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

BUCA DI BEPPO PORCHETTA RUSTICA (COPYCAT)

Steps:

• Place the pork loin in baking pan, fat side down.
• Combine salt, pepper and rosemary in small bowl.
• Rub pork with olive oil, then season both sides with seasoning mixture.
• Bake pork loin, fat side up, in a 350° convection oven with the wind on.
• Rotate pork after 30 minutes.
• Cook pork another 20 minutes and check internal temperature. The pork is done when the thickest part of the loin reaches an internal temperature of 140°.
• When pork is almost done, place the butter in a sauté pan and melt over medium heat. Do not allow butter to burn.
• Add shallots and sauté until they are translucent.
• Deglaze pan with the red wine. Bring to a boil, add brown sugar, cinnamon, filberts, blueberries and capers and reduce sauce to a glaze.
• Slice pork approximately 3/8 of an inch thick or to your desired portion size.
• Transfer pork to plate and ladle sauce over meat.
• Serve with roasted vegetables and enjoy!
• *You can substitute toasted pecans if filberts or hazelnuts are not available to you.

PORCHETTA - ITALIAN MARKETPLACE PULLED PORK SANDWICH (CROCK POT)

Steps:

• Rub the roast all over with the olive oil, then rub with the seasonings. Place roast in bottom of crock pot, and top with the bay leaves and chopped onion.
• Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour, then reduce heat to LOW and cook 10-12 hours more until meat is falling apart, yet tender, and done.
• Remove to a large cutting board and let cool slightly, then use two forks to pull apart the meat into chunks, discarding the bay leaves.
• Stuff into warmed and buttered Italian ciabatta rolls, and dig in!

PORCHETTA SANDWICH

Steps:

• Make the salsa verde: In a medium bowl, mix together shallot, parsley, chives, vinegar, oregano, and salt; whisk in olive oil until emulsified. Stir in mustard and lemon juice; set aside.
• Make the sandwich: Cover split sides of rolls with salsa verde. Place 3 porchetta slices and some of the crackling on one half of each of the rolls; top with arugula and sandwich together with remaining roll half; serve.

WEEKNIGHT PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Toss chopped garlic, chopped rosemary, fennel seeds, salt, and 1 tablespoon oil in a small bowl; season with pepper.
• Rub garlic mixture all over tenderloin (if you have time to do this in the morning, great; refrigerate pork until dinner). Scatter rosemary sprigs in a large baking dish and set tenderloin on top. Wrap bacon slices around tenderloin, tucking ends underneath so bacon stays put. Nestle halved heads of garlic around tenderloin and drizzle everything with remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
• Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of tenderloin registers 145° for medium, 40-45 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.

CHEF JOHN'S BABY PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Crush fennel seeds in mortar with a pestle for 1 minute. Add garlic, sage, pepper, rosemary, salt, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest; pound into a thick paste, 2 or 3 minutes. Add olive oil and pound until rub is evenly incorporated.
• Cut a slit 3/4 of the way through the center of the tenderloin, leaving 1 inch on each end uncut. Spread 1 tablespoon of the rub inside the slit; close up roast. Spread the remaining rub evenly over the roast. Wrap bacon strips around the roast, trying to keep seams on the bottom.
• Wrap roast in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; place roast in the center.
• Roast in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 134 degrees F (57 degrees C), about 25 minutes. Let roast rest for 10 minutes and internal temperature rise to 140 to 145 degrees F (60 to 63 degrees C).

TUSCAN-STYLE TURKEY ALLA PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange prosciutto slices vertically side by side on a cutting board, overlapping each by 3/4 inch. Place turkey, skin side down, on the prosciutto slices, with wings at top and legs at bottom. Arrange turkey tenders at each side to fill in the space between the wings and legs.
• Sprinkle turkey with 2 tablespoons salt, including the back side of the tenders and under any other loose pieces of meat. Sprinkle garlic, fennel fronds, fennel seeds, rosemary, sage, and fennel pollen evenly over turkey. Arrange turkey so there are no separations (turkey should be in one even layer).
• Starting from the bottom, roll turkey tightly with prosciutto, keeping prosciutto in place. Tie together with kitchen twine at 3-inch intervals.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown rolled turkey on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a roasting rack set on a large rimmed baking sheet or in a roasting pan. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center reaches 165 degrees and juices run clear, about 50 minutes. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with gravy.

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN (PORCHETTA) ROAST PORK

Steps:

• Lay the pork roast in front of you horizontally. Cut the roast horizontally, starting on a long side, stopping 3/4" from the other side. Don't cut all of the way through. Lay meat open on your cutting board.
• Mix herbs and spices together in a small bowl. Generously coat inside of roast with half of the spice rub. Return meat to its original shape and rub outside of roast with second half of seasoning blend. Using kitchen string, tie roast back together securely every inch or so.
• Place in a medium-sized roasting pan. Add 1/2 cup of water, cover and bake for 40 minutes per pound at 325 degrees covered. I like to uncover during the last 10-15 minutes to brown a bit. Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and let rest 10-15 minutes. Slice as you would a pork roast.
• ****There is quite a competition as to whose porchetta is the best and whose is the most "authentic". Some like it very peppery. (Think hot Italian sausage.) Some like it a little more mild. Feel free to adjust the seasonings to your personal taste. The spice blend varies from region to region, but this is the most commonly used one here.