Porchetta Recipe

Step 1

Roll the pork belly into a long log and then mark where the skin overlaps. Unroll and remove the skin from the overlapping part.

Step 2

Unroll and remove the skin from the overlapping part.

Step 3

Use a paring knife to poke shallow holes all over the surface of the skin. Try not to go too deep and make lots of holes.

Step 4

Turn the pork belly over and cut diagonal lines into the meat to form a cross-hatch pattern.

Step 5

Grind the fennel seeds and chili flakes until coarsely ground. Transfer them to a bowl and add the orange zest, orange juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, parsley, 1 tablespoon of sea salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and sage and mix to form a paste.

Step 6

Run this paste all over the meat, using your fingers to work the rub into the meat.

Step 7

Roll the pork belly into a tight log and tie it with butcher twine at 1" intervals.

Step 8

Optional: if there is a lot of meat sticking out from the ends of the porchetta roll you can cut it off for a neater presentation. (see notes)

Step 9

At this point, the porchetta will be VERY long. Cut it in half to make it easier to cook.

Step 10

Rub the pork belly log with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sea salt over the skin. Put the porchetta on the rack set over the baking dish and put it into your fridge for 24-72 hours.

Step 11

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the porchetta from your fridge and rub more olive oil over the skin. Put it into your oven on a middle rack and let it roast for 3-4 hours. It will be done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 12

Remove the porchetta from the oven and turn the temperature to broil. Lift the porchetta on the cooling rack off the baking dish and carefully drain all the fat from the bottom of the baking dish into a heatproof bowl. Put the porchetta back onto the baking dish and baste the skin with the fat in the bowl.

Step 13

Once the oven comes up to temperature put the porchetta back into the oven. The skin will turn dark brown and bubbly under the high heat, but watch it very carefully so that it doesn't burn. Every 5-7 minutes, use 2 pairs of tongs to carefully rotate the porchetta so that the skin crisps all around. You'll know it's ready when it's dark mahoggany brown and the skin has lots of little bubbles in it.

Step 14

Remove the baking dish from the oven being very careful not to spill any of the hot fat that's in the baking dish. Let the porchetta rest for 15-20 minutes before carving it with a serrated knife.