Porchetta Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Crush fennel seeds in mortar with a pestle for 1 minute. Add garlic, sage, pepper, rosemary, salt, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest; pound into a thick paste, 2 or 3 minutes. Add olive oil and pound until rub is evenly incorporated.
• Cut a slit 3/4 of the way through the center of the tenderloin, leaving 1 inch on each end uncut. Spread 1 tablespoon of the rub inside the slit; close up roast. Spread the remaining rub evenly over the roast. Wrap bacon strips around the roast, trying to keep seams on the bottom.
• Wrap roast in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; place roast in the center.
• Roast in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 134 degrees F (57 degrees C), about 25 minutes. Let roast rest for 10 minutes and internal temperature rise to 140 to 145 degrees F (60 to 63 degrees C).

Steps:

• Place pork roast on a work surface. Use a sharp knife to make a lengthwise cut about 1 inch from the edge of the meat, slicing down but not cutting through. Open the meat flat along the cut. Keeping the knife parallel to the cutting board, continue to slice the roast open so you can unroll it into a large, flat piece. (You can also ask your butcher to butterfly the roast for you.) When the meat is unrolled, make small slashes through any connective tissue or extra-thick parts so the roast is as even in thickness as possible.
• Drizzle cut surface with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Rub oil into meat and generously season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt, black pepper, sage, rosemary, orange zest, garlic, and crushed fennel seeds. Press seasonings in firmly with your hand, roll up the pork roast, and tie the roast in several places with kitchen twine.
• Place the pork roast on a rack, set the rack on a plate, and sprinkle meat with remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Refrigerate the roast uncovered overnight to dry-age.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Lightly oil a baking dish and place roast into dish. Rub meat with 2 teaspoons olive oil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until outside is seared, 15 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) and continue to roast until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast reads 145 degrees F (65 degrees C), about 1 hour more. Loosely cover roast with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice thinly to serve.
• Mash anchovy fillet in a small bowl and add red pepper flakes, white wine vinegar, and Italian parsley. Stir to combine. Serve drizzled on pork.

Steps:

• Put belly skin side down; arrange loin in center. Roll belly around loin so the short ends of the belly meet. If any of the belly or loin overhangs, trim meat. Unroll; set loin aside.
• Toast fennel seeds and red pepper flakes in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Tip spices into a bowl; let cool. Finely grind spices in a spice mill and transfer to a small bowl, along with the sage, rosemary, and garlic; set fennel mixture aside.
• Assemble porchetta according to steps 1-5.
• Refrigerate roast, uncovered, for 1-2 days to allow skin to air-dry; pat occasionally with paper towels.
• Let porchetta sit at room temperature for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 500°F. Season porchetta with salt. Roast on rack in baking sheet, turning once, for 40 minutes. Reduce heat to 300°F and continue roasting, rotating the pan and turning porchetta occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 145°F, 1 1/2-2 hours more. If skin is not yet deep brown and crisp, increase heat to 500°F and roast for 10 minutes more. Let rest for 30 minutes. Using a serrated knife, slice into 1/2" rounds.
• To assemble:
• 1. Set belly skin side down. Using a knife, score the belly flesh in a checkerboard pattern 1/3" deep so roast will cook evenly.
• 2. Flip belly skin side up. Using a paring knife, poke dozens of 1/8"-deep holes through skin all over belly. Don't be gentle! Keep poking.
• 3. Using the jagged edge of a meat mallet, pound skin all over for 3 minutes to tenderize, which will help make skin crispy when roasted.
• 4. Turn belly and generously salt both it and loin; rub both with fennel mixture. Arrange loin down middle of belly. Top with orange slices.
• 5. Roll belly around loin; tie crosswise with kitchen twine at 1/2" intervals. Trim twine. Transfer roast to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.

Steps:

• Score skin and fat all over pork, taking care not to cut down to the meat.
• In a food processor or mortar and pestle, combine fennel fronds, rosemary, sage, garlic, lemon zest, salt, fennel seed, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Pour in oil. Pulse or mash until it forms a paste. Rub all over pork. If using a boneless roast, tie with kitchen string at 2-inch intervals. Transfer to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 6 hours and preferably overnight.
• Remove pork from refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before you want to cook it. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Transfer pork to a rimmed baking sheet and roast 35 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees and cook an additional 2 hours 45 minutes to 4 hours, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 180 degrees, which will give you sliceable, tender meat. (Bone-in roasts will take longer than boneless ones.)
• Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Make sure everyone gets some of the cracklings.

Steps:

• Lay the pork on a large chopping board and cover with cling film. With a rolling pin, mallet, or other suitable blunt object, pound the meat as close to an even 1" thickness that you can manage.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium high. Add all of the chopped onion, half the minced garlic, half the fennel seeds, all of the rosemary and bay, half of the ground cloves, salt and pepper, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until all the fragrance has been released from the herbs and spices. Transfer to a plate to cool.
• Spread and rub this mixture over and into the pork, then roll the meat up as tightly and neatly as you can. Tie with kitchen string at intervals.
• Mix the remaining ingredients (minced garlic, fennel seeds, ground cloves, olive oil) and rub it over the outside of the pork. Cover it with cling film and refrigerate 24 hours, or at least overnight.
• Remove the meat 40 minutes before cooking to allow it to return to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150C/300F Take the cling film off the pork and place the pork joint in to a roasting tin.
• Cook the pork for 4 hours to 5 hours, until it is falling apart when you test it with a knife or fork. If the spices on the surface start to char too badly (a little blackness is a good thing), tent foil loosely over the roast. (I find I need to cover it for the last hour of cooking.).
• CROCK POT - at this stage, cook the pork in a crock pot for 4 to 5 hours on high, or on automatic for up to 8 hours.
• Remove from the oven and leave to rest at least 30 minutes to one hour. Slice, pull or shred the meat and serve in warmed ciabatta rolls.