Porchetta Crispy Pork Belly Food

PORCHETTA PORK ROAST

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.

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.

CRISPY ROASTED PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the oil, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl; mix and set aside.
• Butterfly and open the pork belly like a book so you can roll the pork tenderloin in two rotations.
• Smother the pork belly in some of the spice mixture and set the pork belly aside.
• Smother the pork tenderloin in the spice mixture.
• Place the pork tenderloin at one end of the pork belly and roll until the pork belly ends meet or overlap.
• Tie off the porchetta with baker's twine or pull baker's netting over the porchetta and tie off the ends. Wrap the porchetta in aluminum foil and place on a grill insert inside a deep roasting pan. Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan and cover with foil.
• Roast for 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the foil.
• Remove the porchetta from the roasting pan and remove the foil. Place the porchetta on the insert and place back into the oven, uncovered (this will make the pork belly skin crispy). Continue to roast until the pork belly skin has reached the desired crispness, about 1 hour.
• Remove the porchetta to a cutting board. Slice and serve with the Aioli.
• Place the garlic in a food processor and mince finely. Add the turmeric and mix. Add the mayonnaise and mix; do not overmix, as the mayonnaise can separate.

PORCHETTA (PORK BELLY-WRAPPED PORK LOIN)

Steps:

• Score the skin of the pork belly in a diamond pattern; avoid cutting all the way through to the meat.
• Combine garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, fennel seeds, coriander, sage, rosemary leaves, oregano, and cayenne pepper in a blender; pulse into a paste.
• Rub pork belly and pork loin with salt. Flip pork belly so the skin is facing down. Place the loin in the center and wrap the belly around it. Cut off any overlapping ends of the belly and any overhanging portions of the loin; you want a nice, neat package.
• Unwrap the belly from the loin. Rub all sides of the loin with the paste; don't skimp-use all of it. Re-roll the belly around the loin. Pat the skin dry with a paper towel and use kitchen twine to tie it off in 2-inch segments. (This will make it hold its appealing cylinder shape as it cooks.)
• Place roast on a wire rack on top of a rimmed pan or pot. Place in the refrigerator, uncovered, until the skin is air-dried, about 48 hours.
• When ready to cook, remove roast from the refrigerator. Transfer to a roasting pan and let sit for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• Place the roast in the lower half of the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and cook until meat is tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), about 2 1/2 more hours.
• Remove from the oven and tent with foil; let sit for 30 minutes. Remove twine and cut into 1-inch slices. Serve immediately.

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.