Porchetta is a classic Italian pork roast, great in sandwiches. Left to infuse with herbs, fennel and salt overnight, the flavor is delicious, the fat crisp. So good.
A few weeks ago when we were reviewing the add-on options for our meat delivery, I saw pork belly as one of the options and immediately thought of porchetta.
I had never made it before, but had memories of eating delicious porchetta sandwiches from food stalls in London years ago and decided it was about time I gave it a go. So, the pork belly was ordered and a plan was hatched.
After doing a bit of research, it’s another of those old recipes that has many variations, so I came up with the following that tries to make the most of the tasty herb and fennel filling/marinade without being too complicated. It was certainly incredibly delicious and fed us with tasty sandwiches for days (in fact we still have some leftovers in the freezer).
How do you make a porchetta?
On the face of it, it might seem like a bit of work to make porchetta because of the time involved, but there really isn’t that much hands-on time. Let me break down the steps:
The night before:
- Mix up the rub and spread it all over the pork,
- Tie it up and refrigerate overnight, at least (if you need a bit more help with tying the pork, see pictures and lengthier description in my Spanish-style stuffed pork tenderloin which uses the same technique).
- Dab off excess moisture as the rub gets to work.
The day of cooking:
- Start with a long, low roast followed by a short high burst to crisp it up.
- Let it rest a little then carve.
Much as I love pork belly (as I explain in my delicious crisped pork belly with whisky-soy sauce), for this recipe it’s best in partnership. After looking at a few options on making porchetta, I decided the best way to make it was with both a pork belly and a pork tenderloin, to be most like the cut originally used in traditional recipes.
This gives a good balance of both fatty and less fatty cuts to balance fattiness, meatiness and flavor, without you having to do a home butchering job as some recipes I saw would have you doing. It also makes a more reasonable size of roast for a small to medium-sized crowd.
Top tip
It’s important to give a blast of the hotter oven at the end as this crisps up the skin. However keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn. And look how beautiful it becomes!
It’s also incredibly tasty, thanks to that rub. And the fact it’s crisped pork belly which I think is always good, even if it isn’t necessarily the healthiest. But everything in moderation, right? As you can see there’s a whole lot of delicious meat in there too, and it also takes on all that tasty flavor.
Porchetta is a great dish that you definitely need to try at least once. It makes a great main for a holiday or party – some simple sides like roast potatoes and greens would work well. And while big, it’s just as good if there are less of you, since as I say the leftovers are great in sandwiches and you can freeze it. I might just have to order a pork belly again soon to make again.
Remember to pin this for later.
An Italian way to roast pork that's so full of flavor (and makes fantastic sandwiches!)
- 2 lb pork belly 900g, 1 slab, approx
- 1 pork tenderloin around 1-2lb/450-900g
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 cloves garlic or 3, depending on size, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fennel fronds
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh sage chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme chopped
- 1 lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp salt divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
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Pat the pork belly dry to remove any excess moisture. Score the fat side of the belly in a wide cross pattern, cutting into the fat but not as far as the meat. Turn belly so meat side is up. Lay tenderloin on top and trim the end if it hangs over the end - you want it about the same length. You can either tuck the chopped off piece in any thinner bit inside or use for something else. Alternatively you can cut and lay two pieces side by side if it is very long (as I did).
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Toast the fennel seeds a minute in a dry skillet/frying pan until fragrant. Crush them with a pestle and mortar and add all other ingredients. Start with the garlic, which should be roughly chopped then crushed with the seeds. Only use 1tsp salt at this stage. Alternatively, add all ingredients to a small food processor and pulse. Either way, you want a relatively smooth paste.
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Spread about 3/4 of the paste over the meat side of the belly and around the tenderloin pieces so they are evenly coated.
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Tie up the belly by rolling the belly around the tenderloin and tying at one end, then using the long end of the string, move along about 1-2in and loop again by threading through and keep repeating until you reach the other end, then tie off at the other end. Each time you loop/tie, pull the string tight so it's against the meat but not too tight that it squeezes the loin out.
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Rub the remaining herb paste over the outside of the belly along with the additional 1/2tsp of salt.
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Refrigerate at least a day uncovered. Dab once or twice to remove any excess moisture.
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On day of cooking, allow the pork to come to room temperature as you preheat oven to 275F/135C.
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Roast for approx 2hrs. (Note this is time if both tenderloin and belly are about 2lb each; give a bit less or more if smaller/larger). You're looking to cook until a meat thermometer gives internal temp of 150F/65C.
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Increase oven temperature to 450F/230C and roast until the skin is brown and crisp but not burnt - keep a close eye on it. This will be around 15-25min.
I'd recommend using a non-stick roaster with rack to cook this on such as the Circulon Nonstick Bakeware 17-Inch by 13-Inch Roaster with U-Rack
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Try these other meaty mains:
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- pork carnitas tacos with tomatillo salsa verde
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- roast boneless leg of lamb on a bed of mint
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- bacon wrapped Cornish hens
Kaila (GF Life 24/7) says
I love the herb combination that you added to this dish. Although, I’ve never had pork belly before, the flavor profile sounds delicious. Happy FF, and have a wonderful weekend. 😀
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, Kaila, the herbs are really great. It’s a great introduction to pork belly too! Happy FF to you too, hope you had a good weekend.
Dini @ The Flavor Bender says
That looks SO GOOD!! I love that you kept the flavours simple, but that crust on it looks just phenomenal!! Honestly! I’ll have to make that soon and make some sandwiches too 🙂
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, Dini. It is really tasty, and the crust….yum!
Julie is Hostess At Heart says
Oh heavens this looks just gorgeous! You’ve done an amazing job. I would just love to turn out something like this for guests or just sit at your table with a slice!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, Julie, if I make it again any time soon I’ll let you know 🙂
Sarah says
I love porchetta, and yours looks divine! Can’t wait to give it a try 🙂
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, Sarah, it is so tasty!
NancyC says
This looks so delicious! Great to make for a special meal!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, Nancy!
Christine says
This is exquisite. I love pork so so much. Thanks for joining the fun at #saucysaturdays.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, Christine, pork can be great, especially dishes like this.
swayam says
That looks lovely and sounds brilliant.. !! Now I have to go and get me some porchetta 😉
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, Swayam, it’s a great dish!
Jennifer Stewart says
I am interested in what meat delivery you use… It’s hard to find good meats where I am (small town) and if I could get a delivery service it would be totally worth it! I love that you incorporated pork belly in the recipe. I am not usually a bug fan of it because everywhere I have had it, it is under cooked and squishy! I would love it crispy. I like the richness of the taste of fat but I certainly don’t like biting into it. Thanks for linking up with Saucy Saturdays! I have a pork loin in my freezer that is begging me to use it in the recipe:)
Caroline's Cooking says
We use a relatively local company, Walden Local Meats – I’m not sure where you are whether they would be in your area, but hopefully there is an equivalent, as I do find it really helps both to get consistently good-quality meat and also cuts I might not otherwise get much to try. And to me, pork bely has to be crispy, it’s definitely worth trying!
Healthyhomemaker.com says
Can you please clarify.. first you say you used pork loin to avoid butchering, then the ingredient list says tenderloin a different cut.. then the directions say loin. Is it
the tenderloin or pork loin a very different piece of pork.
Caroline's Cooking says
Apologies for the confusion – it’s the tenderloin I have used. The tenderloin comes from the loin and it is possible to make this with loin as well, you would just have a larger central area and the belly would not go the whole way round. Personally I prefer using the tenderloin as I think these cuts together are more moist and flavorful, but point taken on the confusion and I have updated to be clearer. Thanks for noticing and pointing out – I hope you go on to make this and enjoy.
Amy Nash says
This sounds absolutely wonderful and I could see this being served as the “roast beast” for a holiday feast!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks Amy, indeed it would be fantastic for a Holiday feast (or any, really!)
Lara says
How have l not had this before?! It looks delish!!!
Caroline's Cooking says
I think that needs to change! Thanks Lara.
Christine says
Thank you Caroline, for this wonderful recipe, which we cooked for our Christmas lunch – very easy, looked amazing and tasted fantastic – a real treat! Christine in London
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks for your comment Christine, so glad you enjoyed it. I can imagine it being a wonderful Christmas main.
Julia says
Mine is in the oven right now. I can’t wait!!
Julia says
That was…AMAZING!
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! It has such fantastic flavor, I might need to make it again soon myself!