italian pork roast

Try this Porchetta recipe or the famous Italian Pork Roast. Rubbed with herbs and slowly cooked it&#039;s juicy inside with delicious crispy skin!

Porchetta (Italian Pork Roast)

pork belly (, about 5 kg)

pork

dry white wine

extra virgin olive oil

garlic

rosemary sprigs

sage

bay leaves

peppercorns

fennel seeds (,

salt

rosemary

fennel seeds

Put all herbs in a food processor and pulse until finely grind.

Place pork belly skin side down on a work surface. Perform long cuts about ½ inch (1 cm) deep. This will the meat better absorb all the aromatics so as facilitate rolling it into a log. Rub with salt also working it into the cuts.

Pour wine and extra virgin olive oil. Rub it into the meat.

Slice garlic cloves and place in-between the cuts in the meat.

Evenly coat the meat with herbs, saving a little for the pork fillet.

In the same manner rub pork fillet with wine, oil and herbs and arrange on the pork belly.

Roll the pork belly tightly into a cylinder.

Using kitchen twine, tie the roll at 1-inch intervals.

Let porchetta rest for 2-3 hours at room temperature or in the fridge overnight.

Prepare the meat

When ready to roast, preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).

Using a sharp knife poke holes all around the pork rind. Rub it generously with salt.

Fill baking sheet with water, rosemary (fresh of dry), a few bay leaves and fennel seeds. Place the baking sheet on the lowest rack in the oven. Wrap both ends of porchetta with aluminum foil to prevent from burning. .

Place porchetta on the wire rack right on top of the baking sheet filled with water

Before roasting

Bake in a preheat to 355 F (180 C) oven for 30 minutes.

Cooking Phase 1

Then lower the temperature to 245 F (120C) and bake for 3 hours.

Cooking Phase 2

Increase the temperature to 355 F (180 C) again and bake for another 30 minutes OR until the temperature at the core of porchetta has reached 160-162 C  (71-72 C). I highly recommend using a thermometer inside porchetta and positioning it in the center (core) for the most accurate and most important JUICY porchetta.

Cooking Phase 3

Once the inside temperature of porchetta has reached 160-162 C  (71-72 C), shift the wire rack with porchetta closer to the grill without touching it. Turn up the temperature to 430 F (220 C) and roast for 3-5 minutes checking on porchetta frequently until skin is crispy but pay attention not to burn it.

Porchetta is ready when it has reached temperature of 165 F (74 C) on the inside. If it goes higher than 170 F (76 C) you risk overcooking it which results in dry meat.

Cooking Phase 4

Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hours before serving.

Let rest and serve

This cut of meat is never seen in American markets - and not every town has a butcher shop. They sell something they call Porchetta but it is a very lean cut of meat. I remember something like this from my childhood in New York but unfortunately ( for meat shopping) I don’t live there anymore.

This authentic porchetta recipe perfectly balances crispy skin, tender meat, and aromatic herbs. Buon appetito!

Porchetta Recipe

(7-8

fennel

fresh rosemary, chopped

salt Salt

black pepper

olive oil

water

white wine (optional

Prepare the pork

If using a bone-in roast, butterfly the pork shoulder by slicing it open and flattening it so you can roll it up later (or ask your butcher to do this). If using a boneless roast, it is already ready for rolling.

Prepare the seasoning paste

In a small bowl, combine the chopped fennel fronds, rosemary, garlic paste, kosher salt, fennel seeds, and black pepper. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and stir to form a thick paste.

Season and Tie the pork

Rub the seasoning paste generously on the inside of the pork shoulder (save a little bit for rubbing on the ends after it is tied). Massage the herbs and garlic into the meat to ensure full flavor. Roll the pork roast tightly, with the skin side on the outside. Use kitchen twine to tie the roast at regular intervals (once every few inches) to keep it securely rolled. Having an extra set of hands here is helpful!

(Optional) Refrigerate the pork

Let the tied roast rest in the uncovered refrigerator overnight. This will help dry out the skin for better crackling during roasting. It will still be good if you don&#8217;t have time for this step.

Preheat the oven

Preheat your oven to 450˚F. If you refrigerated the meat- remove the porchetta from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 1-2 hours.

Add more seasoning

Turn the roast seam side up and rub additional olive and salt all over the outside of the meat, even onto the exposed ends of the pork roast. Place the roast seam side down on a rack set over a roasting pan or baking tray. Pour 1 cup of water and optional white wine if using, inside the roasting pan, ensuring the liquid does not touch the roast. 

Roast the pork

Once the oven is hot, place the porchetta in and roast for 1 hour. After the first hour, lower the temperature to 300°F  and continue roasting for about 2 more hours. Check the internal temperature in the center of the roast; when it reaches 165°F, remove the porchetta from the oven. It will keep cooking to 170°F after it rests. If desired, make a pan gravy with the drippings (not traditional, but delcious). 

Finish and rest: Losley cover the porchetta with aluminum foil to keep it warm while it rests. Allow the roast to rest for about 20-30 minutes to let the juices redistribute for carry-over cooking.

Slice and serve

Using a sharp knife, remove one or two pieces of the twine and slice the porchetta into thick rounds. Serve porchetta alongside roasted vegetables, crusty bread, or a fresh salad for a traditional Italian feast!

This is an incredible recipe that results in perfect porchetta every single time!

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Porchetta (Italian Pork Roast)

Porchetta Recipe

Top 2 italian pork roast recipes from across the web

The most viewed italian pork roast recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Porchetta (Italian Pork Roast)

Porchetta Recipe

The most viewed italian pork roast recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine