All, Meat, Recipes
Porchetta
This porchetta recipe is an updated twist on the traditional Italian preparation, using pork belly alongside pork tenderloin in place of the usual loin and belly cut, bringing a more tender texture to the dish.
Perfect served as the centerpiece of a special celebration, and just as good thinly sliced on sandwiches the next day. Pro tip: use a razor blade to cut through your pork skin with ease.
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How to Make It
Ingredients
Herb Paste
- 2 tbsp chopped rosemary
- 1 tbsp thyme leaves
- 2 tsp fennel seed
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 to 2 tsp chili flakes
Porchetta
- 1 small pork tenderloin, trimmed, 1 lb to 1 ½ lb (454 g to 641 g)
- 10-inch square slab skin-on pork belly, about 5 ½ lb (2.5 kg)
- 3 tbsp kosher salt, divided
- Butcher’s twine
Instructions
- To make the herb paste, heat a medium pan over medium heat. Add rosemary, thyme, fennel, and peppercorns. Toast, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a mortar. Grind with a pestle until spices are coarsely ground. Add parsley and garlic. Grind to form a paste. Stir in lemon zest, oil, and chili flakes. Set aside.
- To assemble porchetta, pat tenderloin and belly dry with paper towels. Season tenderloin and meat side of belly with 1 ½ tbsp salt. Flip belly, then score through skin, across the grain to the meat, about ½-in apart and ¼-in deep.
- Arrange long pieces of twine horizontally on a large work surface, about 1-in apart. Place pork belly skin-side down over twine with score marks parallel to twine. Spread herb paste onto meat-side of pork belly. Place tenderloin in centre of pork belly. Tie twine, wrapping belly tightly around tenderloin. Season skin and score marks with remaining 1 ½ tbsp salt. Place porchetta, seam side-down, on a rack set inside of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or roasting pan. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight or up to 2 days.
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Roast porchetta until an instant thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 160°F, approximately 3 ½ hours to 4 ½ hours. Carefully remove porchetta from oven, then increase temperature to 450°F. Return porchetta to oven and roast until skin is crispy and puffed, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for 30 minutes before slicing. Remove and discard twine as you slice. Serve hot or at room temperature.
How to Store It
Cooked Porchetta will keep refrigerated in an airtight container up to 5 days.
How to enjoy it
The herb paste can be prepared mostly by hand if you don’t have a mortar and pestle. Finely chop all the herbs and garlic. Toast and grind the spices in a spice grinder or mini chopper, then combine in a bowl.
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