Porchetta

August 23, 2023

It's just not Christmas without a succulent Porchetta at the family table for lunch. And let's not forget about that crispy pork crackle that'll keep you coming back for another crunch, and another.

Prep time overnight

Cook time 2 hours

Ingredients

Pork

3kg pork belly, butterflied and skin scored
Rock Salt

Stuffing

2tsp fennel seeds
1tsp salt
x4 garlic cloves, chopped
x6 springs rosemary, leaves picked of stalk, roughly chopped
x10 sprigs thyme, leaves picked of stalk, roughly chopped
x1 bunch sage, leaves picked, roughly chopped
2tbs Bippi hot chilli oil, plus extra
x4tbs extra virgin olive oil
2tbs pine nuts
x1 Orange, plus zest
x1 Fennel, plus fennel fronds

Instructions

Day one: Place the pork belly in a tray with the skin side facing up. Pat the pork belly skin dry with a paper towel and cover the skin (skin only, not the underside flesh) in rock salt. Place in the fridge uncovered for 3-hours.
In a mortar and pestle grind the salt and fennel seeds to a powder. Then add in the garlic, rosemary, thyme and sage and pound to break up. Add the Bippi hot chilli oil and extra virgin olive oil and continue to pound until you have a well combined, crushed texture that will spread over the pork belly. Set aside.
Take the pork out the fridge after 3-hours and scrape off all the salt with a spoon, reserving the salt in a small bowl to use later. Pat the pork belly dry with a paper towel, then open the butterflied pork belly, laying it skin side down, with the skin further away from you. Spoon the herb stuffing mixture all over the flesh of the pork belly, rubbing it in with your hands so the entire flesh of the pork belly is covered lightly. Grate the orange zest, and sprinkle the fennel fronds and pine nuts over the stuffing. Spoon some extra Bippi hot chilli oil extra heat and colour (optional).
Roll the pork tightly, starting from the end closest to you (the end that has no skin underside) to the end farthest from you (skin underside end). The pork belly skin will be on the outer when rolled fully. Tie the pork belly with a butcher's knot, using butcher's twine, starting from the centre and working your way out, spacing the knots approx. 4-5cm apart.
Once the pork is all tied up, place it in a tray and cover the outer skin layer in the reserved rock salt. Place in the fridge uncovered, overnight.
Day two: Take the pork belly out the fridge at least 30-mins before cooking it, and preheat the oven to 240C fan forced.
Scrape the rock salt off the pork belly and discard. Pat the pork belly dry and rub the outer skin in extra virgin olive oil, and flaky salt. Lay the pork belly in a tray on a bed of sliced oranges and fennel.
Transfer toward the top shelf of the oven and cook for 45-minutes — 1 hour at 240C. Check the porchetta every 20-mins or so, as depending on your oven it may cook quicker and you don't want the crisp crackle to burn. You may also need to rotate the tray if one side is cooking quicker than the other. By this stage you will have some great crackle well formed. Then turn the oven down to 120C and cook for a further 1-hour, rotating the tray every 15-mins.
Remove from the oven after the 2-hours total cooking time, and rest for 20-mins before serving. Cut the butchers twine and slice the porchetta in 1-2cm pieces. Serve with roast potatoes, salads and alongside your family Christmas recipes.