The other day when I stopped by the market and took a video of the man in the porchetta truck hand slicing thick slices of fatty pork into a waiting panino I got a LOT of message about how it wasn’t fair of me to share such deliciousness. Especially since at the moment you can’t get here. While I wouldn’t suggest that you buy an entire pig and make a traditional porchetta in a fire fueled oven at home, I do have the next best thing.
Traditional porchetta is a thing of beauty: an entire pig, seasoned with rosemary and sage and roasted slowly in a wood burning oven. Most people eat porchetta either at a road side stands or markets. Making it at home is usually not an option since A) not many people have the crowds necessary to devour an entire pig and B) even if you did, you probably don’t have an oven big enough.
The following recipe is my home version. A true porchetta contains the loin as well as the belly, but this recipe is pure belly. This not only ensures a tender, tasty outcome, but it also means that the entire roast will be cooked through, without any part drying out or remaining undercooked.
When ordering your pork belly make sure you tell your butcher you would like yours with the skin on please. And if you can get him to score the skin, in a diagonal diamond pattern, all the better. If not, you can always jab yours with the point of your knife. This part is essential though, since it allows the fat from the skin to leak out during cooking, so that the skin turns into crisp crackling.
The pork belly needs to marinate for a day before cooking and then it takes about seven hours to complete the process, so be sure to leave yourself plenty of time. And don’t worry too much about timing: in most parts of Italy porchetta is served at room temperature. So if you can let it cool off completely, or cool it and serve it it the next day even better!
Porchetta at Home
Yield 8-10
The pork belly needs to marinate for a day before cooking and then it takes about seven hours to complete the process, so be sure to leave yourself plenty of time. And don’t worry too much about timing: in most parts of Italy porchetta is served at room temperature. So if you can let it cool off completely, or cool it and serve it it the next day even better!
Ingredients
- 7 pounds of pork belly with skin attached
- 1 cup of sage leaves
- 1 cup of rosemary leaves
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tablespoon of fennel seeds
- zest from 1 lemon
- 3 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper (or more to taste)
- 5 tablespoons of olive oil
Instructions
Wash and pat dry your pork belly. Lay on a flat surface, with the skin side up. If the butcher has not scored the skin you can try to do it yourself (it is rather hard) or else use a very sharp knife to poke a lot of holes in the skin.
Place the remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until finely chopped.
Rub about half of the ingredients over the inside of the belly. Roll the roast up as tightly as you can, and using twine, secure it evenly along the entire length of the roast. If you've never done this before, you may need someone else to help hold it together.
When you have tied your roast, rub the rest of the seasoning all over the outside and both ends, as well as getting some into the slits on the skin.
Place the roast in a glass pan and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Take the roast out of the refrigerator 3 hours before you are ready to cook it.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place the porchetta on a V-shaped rack in a pan and place in the oven. Let cook, undisturbed for three and a half hours.
Take the porchetta out of the oven and let cool at least 2 hours before cutting and serving. In most parts of Italy (Abruzzo excepted) porchetta is served cool or at room temperature. So if you can let it cool off even more, or cool it and serve it the next day, even better.
To cut the porchetta use a slightly serrated knife, which will help you cut through the skin. I've actually used an electric knife, which works quite well or a bread knife. Cut into half inch slices.
This recipe is from my book The Italian Table, where you’ll find more recipes and meal plans.
If you’d like to join me in Umbria to eat some porchetta at a road side stand, you can! Our full list of tours is here. We’ll be heading to Umbria, Sicily, Puglia and Abruzzo in 2022 and 2023.
Thanks for this recipe, Elizabeth that I will certainly try this summer. One question that I have is regarding the skin. It is obviously very tough if even hard to cut when raw (!)….is it actually edible once cooked or do you typically remove it?
Yes, if cooked correctly and scored, it becomes friable and crisp.
Thanks so much for this. I have tried a couple of highly touted recipes but never get to the authentic wonderfulness, especially crisp-enough skin. Will try yours and hope!
Let me know how it turns out!
That comment was from Candy G
Thank you for the recipe, Elizabeth. Looking forward to making soon. What side dishes typically accompany the porchetta?
I usually like some kind of beans, like stewed cannelini beans for instance. Sauteed greens, like chicory or Swiss chard, and/or a green salad. Keep it simple!
Hi Elizabeth, I just made this from your repost earlier this year. It is absolutely delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe
Great!! Glad you enjoyed it!