Best 6 Simplified Stuffed Porchetta Roast Recipes

PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Prepare the pork belly by first scoring the skin lightly in a diagonal checkerboard pattern, allowing for 1 inch between score lines. Take care not to cut through the skin entirely to the fat layer. The idea is to score it just enough that the skin splits while roasting for maximum crispiness and crackling!
• Next, turn the pork belly skin side down, and use a two pronged roasting fork or a metal kebab skewer to poke 1 inch deep holes on the underside of the belly about 1 inch apart.
• Prepare the marinade paste by mixing the ground fennel seeds, sage, rosemary, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, salt, sugar, black pepper, lemon zest, and olive oil. A quick tip is to lightly toast your own fennel seeds in a dry pan for an incredible burst of flavor. They toast very quickly over medium heat, so be careful not to burn them.
• Rub the marinade all over the pork belly, including the sides and the skin. Place the marinated pork belly skin-side up on a sheet pan, cover in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator overnight. 12 hours of marinating time is ideal.
• The next day, take the marinated pork belly out of the refrigerator and let it sit out at room temperature for about 2 hours. When it's at room temperature, position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 475 degrees F.
• Now you're ready to roll your pork belly into that signature porchetta shape. Put the pork belly skin side down. Roll the pork belly from the uncut side until it reaches the other side of the pork belly. Due to the thickness of the cut, it's more like a fold than rolling. Have your butcher string handy, and tie the roast with string around the roast tightly several times, about 1-inch apart.
• Spread the sliced onion on a sheet pan, and add just enough water to cover the surface of the entire sheet pan. Place the roast on top. If there are still lots of herbs and spices on top of the pork roast, brush them off the skin and place them on the sides, otherwise they will burn.
• Put the roast in the oven for 15 minutes at 475 degrees F. Rotate the roasting pan 180 degrees, and then roast for another 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325F, and continue roasting for 2 hours.
• Check the pan every 20 minutes, adding enough water to keep the pan juices from burning. It is important not to let the pan drippings burn, since you will be serving your porchetta with it.
• After a total of 2½ hours in the oven, the skin of your porchetta should be a slightly dark golden brown, and you should be able to see the diagonal scores. At this stage, the skin may look crisp, but if it is still smooth, it will likely still be a bit tough and leathery. So, to make the porchetta skin cracklin' and crispy, turn the oven temperature back up to 450F.
• Roast the porchetta for another 10 to 15 minutes once the oven reaches 450F, and check it every 5 minutes, or until you see the skin bubble up. The skin on top of the roast will bubble up first, and, when this happens, place a long but narrow piece of foil on top of the roast lengthwise to cover the top end-to-end, leaving the sides of the roast exposed to the high heat. Keep roasting until the skin on both sides get more of that bubbly crackling look.
• Use your own judgment on how much you want to crisp up the skin. The general the rule of thumb is that if the skin is bubbled up, it will be crispy, and if it is somewhat smooth, then the skin will still be a bit tough and leathery. Once you're satisfied, take the roast out of the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes.
• After the roast has rested, cut and remove the butcher's string carefully, as it will be stuck to the skin. Transfer the roast to a serving plate, and cut the roast where the string was tied to get perfectly portioned 1½-inch thick slices.
• Pour the pan juices through a strainer into a gravy separator. If you want more pan juices, pour hot water on the pan to deglaze it first. Pour the juices into a bowl or small gravy pitcher and serve on the side.

PORCHETTA (ITALIAN GARLIC AND HERB STUFFED PORK LOIN)

Steps:

• Step 1: Place the garlic, sage, rosemary, salt, pepper, fennel seeds, and orange zest in a food processor and finely chop them. Add in the lemon juice and enough olive oil to obtain a thick paste. ShareTweetPin1K Shares Step 2: Butterfly the pork loin: Place the pork loin on a cutting board. Using a long slender sharp knife, cut through from 1 side of the loin almost to the other side about 3/4 inch from the bottom. Roll open the pork. Continue cutting and unrolling the loin until you have a flat piece of pork that's evenly 3/4 inch thick. Generously spread the inside of the pork with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the herb paste and roll the loin back together so it's once again cylindrical. Generously spread the outside of the loin with more herb paste. Don't forget to coat the ends. The loin should be coated with a 1/8-inch-thick layer of paste. Set any left over paste aside for another use. ShareTweetPin1K Shares Step 3: Preheat the oven to 375°F. ShareTweetPin1K Shares Step 4: Tie up the stuffed loin: Arrange the 4 pieces of butcher's string going east to west on a work surface parallel to one another, each 1 inch or so apart. (Both ends of the loin should extend about 1 inch beyond the strings when they're tied.) Place 1 strip of pancetta down the center of the strings so that it is perpendicular (lay it north to south) to them. Arrange 2 more strips of pancetta parallel to and on either side of the first strip. Arrange the loin lengthwise on top of the middle strip of pancetta. Arrange the remaining strip of pancetta lengthwise on top of the loin. Pull the ends of each string up over the loin and tie them tightly together to hold the pancetta and loin in place. Put the pork loin in a roasting pan. ShareTweetPin1K Shares Step 5: Roast the pork until sizzling and brown on the outside and cooked to taste, 1 to 1 1/2 hours for medium. To test for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer into the side of the loin; when done to medium the internal temperature should be 160°F, medium-well 175°F. As the loin cooks, from time to time spoon any juices that gather in the bottom of the roasting pan over the meat. ShareTweetPin1K Shares Step 6: Transfer the porchetta to a cutting board and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the strings. Cut the pork crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Serve the porchetta by itself (more formal) or pile it onto ciabatta rolls along with olive relish and caramelized onions. ShareTweetPin1K Shares

CRISPY ROASTED PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Score the skin of the pork belly with an extremely sharp knife or a razor blade (or ask your butcher to do it). Poke the flesh side all over with the tip of a paring knife.
• Put the fennel seeds and peppercorns in a small dry skillet; toast over medium heat until very fragrant and a few shades darker, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool, then grind in a spice grinder. Mix the ground spices with the red pepper flakes, sage, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, orange zest, garlic and 2 tablespoons salt. Rub the mixture into the flesh side of the pork belly.
• Roll the belly up as tightly as possible and secure it with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Rub the outside with the baking powder and 1 tablespoon salt. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 to 2 days.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Set the rolled pork belly in a large roasting pan and roast until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 hours. Increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees F and roast until the skin is golden brown and crisp all over, about 20 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

STUFFED PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Score the pork belly skin with a sharp knife in a cross pattern. Score down to just before where the skin meets the fat, rather than the fat itself. Bring a large saucepan of water to a simmer and add the bicarbonate of soda. Lower the pork into the water, poach gently for 5 mins, then remove it from the water and leave to cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, toast the fennel seeds and chilli flakes in a dry frying pan over a high heat for 1-2 mins, then tip into a bowl and leave to cool. Grind the spices in a spice grinder or with a pestle and mortar, then mix with 1 tbsp fine sea salt.
• Once the pork has cooled, turn it skin-side down and pierce the underside of the meat all over with a knife. Rub the meat with the spiced salt rub, cover and put it in the fridge for at least 8 hrs or overnight. Can be prepared 24 hours ahead.
• The next day, make your stuffing. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the onion and fennel. Season and cook gently over a low heat for 10 mins. Add the coriander seeds and garlic, and cook for another 2 mins, then add the mince. Cook for 8-10 mins until the mince is browned. Set aside and leave to cool.
• Transfer the mince and onion mix to a bowl and add the sourdough, pine nuts, orange zest, apricots, herbs, lemon juice and nutmeg. Season well, then mix together thoroughly with your hands. Add the egg and mix again.
• Lie the pork belly on a board, skin-side down. Form the stuffing into a sausage shape running all the way down the middle of the belly. Wrap the sides of the belly around the stuffing and tie with butcher's string. Place seam-side down in a roasting tin, uncovered, and chill for at least 2 hrs, preferably overnight. You want the skin to dry out completely so that it crisps up when you roast it.
• To cook the pork, remove it from the fridge and leave it for at least 1 hr to come to room temperature before you cook it. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4 and cook the pork for about 2 hrs, turning the tin every 30 mins or so. After 2 hrs, turn the heat up to 220C/ 200C fan/gas 7 and cook for another 20 mins. When the pork is done, a thermometer pushed into its centre should read 77C. If the skin looks in danger of burning, cover it with foil - but only do this once it has crackled.
• Once the pork has cooked, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 30 mins. When you're ready to carve, put the pork on a big chopping board. Using a sharp knife, slice the meat into rounds.

PORKETTA ROAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a small bowl, combine the dill seed, fennel seed, oregano, lemon pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Mix well and apply to the roast. Place roast in a 10x15 inch roasting pan.
• Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until internal pork temperature reaches 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

EASIER PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• To make the rub, put the garlic in the food processor and pulse to get it started. Add the oregano, parsley, thyme, sage, anchovies, and giardiniera, salt and pepper, lemon zest and juice. Pulse together. Add the oil and pulse some more until it forms a paste.
• To butterfly your pork, place the meat fat cap side down on your cutting board. Using a super sharp knife, slice the pork lengthwise parallel to the counter, starting about an inch above the fat cap. Slice along the meat so that it unrolls as you cut along. Try to cut it so that the meat touching the counter as it unrolls is uniformly thick. Make smaller slashes in any thicker spots.
• Season the pork with salt and pepper. Rub the herb-anchovy mixture all over the inside of the pork. Roll it up and, using butcher's twine, tie it very tightly about every two inches. Score any visible fat in a crosshatch pattern and season the outside with salt and pepper. Place the pork onto a roasting rack in a roasting pan, fat cap side facing up. Pour 1 cup of water in the bottom of the pan to keep the drippings from burning.
• Roast until super fork tender and "pullable" and the internal temp registers 200 degrees F, about 4 1/2 to 5 hours. Take out and let rest for at least 20 minutes.
• Pour the liquid and renderings from the roasting pan into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until slightly reduced. Season to taste.
• Either pull or carve the roast-your preference. I like to carve it so you can see the stuffed interior. Place on a platter, garnish with plenty of parsley, and serve with the pan sauce and fresh lemon wedges.