Outdoor Porchetta Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What cut of meat is porchetta made from? ›

Though you can make porchetta from a single cut of boned pork belly or shoulder, a combination of fatty belly and lean, tender loin – with the skin left on the belly for maximum crisp – offers the best of both worlds. You'll probably need to go to a butcher to make sure you get pieces of the right shape.

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Place fat-side up on a wire rack in a roasting pan. Roast for one hour, until the fat is crisp. Reduce heat down to 325º F (160°C) and cook until the internal temperature reaches 168° F (75°C), about 60 to 80 minutes longer; test in several spots to be sure of your measurement.

In North America

In the Upper Midwest, porchetta, more often spelled "porketta", was also introduced by Italian immigrants to the iron ranges of Minnesota and Michigan. Porketta remains a popular local dish in towns such as Hibbing, Minnesota, with distributors such as Fraboni Sausage.

The skin wasn't dry enough. Make sure to pat the pork completely dry before rubbing in the salt and oil as excess moisture will stop it from crisping up. It's important to score the skin if you want it really crisp. You'll need a sharp knife for this, or ask your butcher to do it for you.

Both names sound similar, but pancetta (another Italian delight) derives from cured pork belly, whereas porchetta comes from pork roast!

One of the best ways to eat porchetta, and what we Romans love in any type of weather, is as a sandwich with no other ingredients than bread and meat: the famous panino con la porchetta… The simpler the better! The bread should be strictly homemade to perfectly absorb the fat and seasoning.

Alongside a good green salad, such as peppery rocket (arugula) leaves, would go well. Nigella's Raw Beetroot, Dill And Mustard Seed Salad also has flavours that would complement the garlicky pork. As a starter a selection of antipasti is usually an easy and relaxed option.

Both uncooked or raw pork and undercooked pork are unsafe to eat. Meat sometimes has bacteria and parasites that can make you sick. Thorough cooking kills any germs that might be present.

How much porchetta to serve per person? Most of the time you'll want to buy ½ pound of uncooked meat per person. But once you start eating pork belly it's incredibly hard to stop, which is why we plan on 1 pound per person.

We prefer to start the cooking at a low temperature so the meat stays succulent, then drain off the pan juices and deglaze the pan with a little wine before giving the meat a final blast of heat.

Why is my Porketta tough? ›

And since overcooking shrinks meat fibers and squeezes our juices, overcooked pork is tough and dry. It's well worth investing in a meat thermometer or slender multi-use digital thermometer, to take away the guesswork .

The heat at which you cook pork cracklins can also cause them to become hard. If the temperature is not high enough, the skin won't crack properly, resulting in a rubbery texture. Make sure to cook pork skin in oil that has a smoke point of 400 degrees.

You'll want to find a rectangular section of pork belly. It's very important that the belly still has the skin on—the best part of porchetta is the crispy skin! If possible, try to find a belly that still has a little bit of loin meat attached. If you can't, the recipe will still work just fine.

Ask for a rectangular slab of skin-on pork belly, about 5-6 pounds and a bone-less pork loin about 3-4 pounds. You may need to trim here and there to ensure the belly fits around the loin. I paired this porchetta with a light peppery arugula-parlsey gremolata and roasted rosemary potatoes.

Cuts for Traditional Porchetta: Belly and Loin

Traditional porchetta is made by butchering a hog such that the boned out loin is still attached to the boned out belly.

Porchetta Substitutes:

The reason a porchetta is so good is that the fat of the pork belly keeps everything moist, but again a pork loin done right can definitely be a nice substitute. Another good option is a pork butt with the bone removed.

Ham v. Porchetta: Ham is a cooked haunch. Usually made on Easter Sunday, followed by bean soup later in the week. Porchetta is a full, roasted pig that has been stuffed with fennel and garlic, and is eaten at Italian festivals and gatherings.