Porchetta (Authentic Italian Pork Roast)
An authentic Italian porchetta recipe.
Ingredients
- 8 lbs porchetta roast fresh, with skin (up to 10 lbs)
- 3 Tbsp sea salt I used Maldon (see notes on amount of salt)
- 3.5 oz fennel pollen (do not use ground fennel) see notes
- 3 cloves garlic fresh, finely chopped (omit, or use more as desired) or crushed
- 2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 5 Tbsp rosemary fresh (use less if using dried rosemary)
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil good quality
Instructions
Prepare the Porchetta
- Open the piece of pork onto the butcher paper or clean countertop, skin side down.
- Sprinkle generously with about 2 tablespoonfuls of salt, then work the salt into the pork.
- Next, add the rosemary and crushed garlic. We used fresh rosemary as I have a bush in my garden. Whether you use dry or fresh, rub it and crush it between your fingers to release the flavor and/or oil. Rub the garlic over the porchetta.
- Now add the fennel pollen. Sprinkle evenly over the pork, but save a little of the pollen for after the porchetta has been rolled.
Roll the Pork Belly and Tie it.
- Roll the pork belly tightly, but as you roll it, sprinkle some salt onto the unseasoned pork. Continue rolling until you reach the end.
- Keeping the seam side down, start tying the pork. Another pair of hands will make this part immensely easier. There's no need for fancy ties or sailors' knots, just wrap, double knot and cut, unless you prefer another method.
- Repeat every few inches. The goal is only to keep the porchetta closed, so don't tie it too tightly, either. As you can see, ours is far from perfect, but unless you're serving the Queen of England, it won't matter.
Finish the Preparation and Roast.
- Turn the roast seam side up and add more seasonings, including the rest of the fennel pollen to the non-skin parts of the pork which are exposed (including the ends).
- Place seam side down on a rack on a roasting pan or baking tray. Cover the ends with aluminum foil and secure with toothpicks.
- Drizzle with olive oil and rub all over the skin with your hands. Sprinkle with more salt and rosemary.
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
- Place in the hot oven when it comes to temperature and roast for 1 hour.
- Lower the temperature to 350°F (170°C) and continue to cook for about another 2 hours. Check the center of the roast when it reaches 170°F (76°C) remove from the oven. Take the foil off the ends and place on top of the porchetta, and allow to rest for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Using a sharp knife, remove one or two of the pieces of twine. Cut into slices and serve on crusty Italian rolls, or bread, Italian style!
- Buon appetito!
Notes
- PLEASE NOTE: amounts are only suggested for most of the ingredients! If you use a very salty-salt, you will need less salt than using Maldon (which is not a very salty-salt.)
- Be careful about which fennel pollen you purchase. I found one on Amazon which labeled as pollen, but is actually ground fennel seeds! This will ruin your porchetta! If it is inexpensive, it is probably not good quality fennel pollen. The brand I link to is one I have used, and is reliable, as is Dario Cecchini's brand (the most famous butcher in Italy.)
- If you can, use more fennel pollen than suggested. You can see from the photo in Orvieto, they use a lot. The reason I have 3.5 oz is because one package of fennel pollen will make 2 porchette. However, if you can afford to use 7 oz in one roast, I recommend it.
Nutrition
Serving: 4oz | Calories: 988kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 99g | Saturated Fat: 35g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 47g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 1105mg | Potassium: 345mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.01g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 3mg
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