Counter 02 · Pork
Rolled Porchetta with Fennel and Garlic
Skin-on pork belly wrapped around a lean loin with fennel pollen, garlic, rosemary and lemon, tied tight and roasted until the outside shatters and the center stays juicy.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 3 hr 30 min
- Serves
- 10
- Level
- Hard
Porchetta is the pride of central Italian market stalls, where it is carved warm into crusty rolls. Wrapping a lean loin inside a sheet of belly protects the loin while the belly bastes it, so both cook evenly. Two things make or break it: an uncovered rest in the fridge for at least a day so the skin dries, and a thermometer, since the loin needs to reach 145 F while the crust gets its final high-heat blast. Leftovers make the best sandwiches of the week.
Method
-
Lay the belly skin side down and score the meat side in a shallow 1-inch diamond pattern. Trim the loin so the belly wraps around it with about 1 inch of overlap.
-
Mix the fennel seeds, fennel pollen, garlic, rosemary, lemon zest, pepper flakes, black pepper and 2 tbsp salt. Rub it into the scored belly and all over the loin.
-
Set the loin on the belly, roll tightly, and tie with butcher twine every 1 inch. Rub the remaining salt on the skin and refrigerate uncovered on a rack 24 to 48 hours.
-
Let the roast sit out 1 hour. Heat the oven to 300 F, set the porchetta on a rack in a roasting pan and roast about 3 hours, until the center of the loin reaches 135 F.
-
Raise the oven to 500 F and roast 15 to 25 minutes, turning the pan, until the skin puffs and crackles all over and the loin reads 145 F.
-
Rest 20 minutes, snip the twine, and slice 1/2 inch thick with a serrated knife, saving the drippings to spoon over the slices.
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