Porchetta Roast
Delicious porchetta roast with fennel, pine nuts, oranges, garlic and fresh herbs.
Servings: 20
Ingredients
- 1 6-8 pound pork belly
- 2 pound pork loin
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup pignoli nuts
- 2 Tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 8 cloves garlic
- 3 large oranges
- 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 Tbsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500f and move rack to lower third. Dry off pork belly skin and trim the belly and loin to fit together for one complete roll. Mince 8 cloves of garlic, zest 2 oranges and chop the parsley and rosemary. Toast the fennel seeds and pignoli nuts in a pan on medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes being careful not to burn. When toasted set aside.
- In a clean pan saute garlic in a 1/4 cup of olive oil on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs, chili flakes, herbs, pignoli nuts, fennel seeds and the juice of 2 oranges. Mix well to form a paste. Set aside.
- Score dry pork belly in crisscross pattern on skin side. On other side score 1/4" deep lines into the pork. Season the non skin side with 2 tsp of kosher salt. Next place stuffing mixture onto meat and evenly distribute it by pressing it into the meat. Sprinkle all of the orange zest on top.
- Season pork loin with 1 tsp of kosher salt and place on one side of belly to start rolling. Roll the porchetta tightly and tie off every 1" or so to make a uniform cylinder.
- Dry the porchetta one last time with paper towels, then season with 2 Tbsp of kosher salt. Rub it into the skin all over. Place the porchetta on a wire rack inside a roasting pan. Inside the roasting pan pour 1 cup of water making sure that the liquid does not touch the roast.
- Roast the porchetta in the oven for 45 minutes on 500f turning once at halfway point. After 45 minutes turn heat down to 300f and continue cooking until 145-150f internal temperature is reached. Make sure to rotate the roast every 30 minutes to achieve even cooking. For an 8 pound roast it should take 2.5-3 hours more.
- When finished remove from oven and let rest for 20-30 minutes before serving. Remove twine, slice and enjoy!
Notes
- Try to use skin on pork belly - the dish is still excellent without.
- Make sure to salt the belly on both sides and the loin.
- To get a perfect cook check internal temperature with an instant read thermometer every so often.
Nutrition
Calories: 795kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.3g | Protein: 76.3g | Fat: 47g | Cholesterol: 193mg | Sodium: 650mg