← Nouns Cooking · Italian

Ingredients

• 2.5 kg skin-on pork belly in one rectangular piece
• 2 tbsp Fennel seeds
• 2 tsp black peppercorns
• 3 tbsp rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• 10 sage leaves, finely chopped
• 6 cloves Garlic, finely grated
• 1 tsp Chilli flakes
• 1 lemon, zest only
• 1 tbsp flaky or coarse salt, plus extra for the skin
• 2 tbsp Olive oil

Method

1. Toast the fennel seeds and peppercorns in a dry pan over medium heat for 1–2 min until fragrant, then crush them coarsely. Mix with the rosemary, sage, garlic, chilli, lemon zest, salt and oil to make a thick paste.
2. Lay the belly skin-side down. Score the meat side in a criss-cross about 1 cm deep, then rub the paste all over it, pushing it into the cuts.
3. Roll the belly up tightly from a long side so the skin wraps the outside, and tie it with kitchen string every 3 cm. Pat the skin very dry, rub it with salt and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight so the skin dries out.
4. Take the pork out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Heat the oven to 160°C (320°F), set the roll on a rack over a roasting tin and roast for 3 hours, until the meat is very tender when poked with a skewer.
5. Turn the oven up to 240°C (465°F) and roast for 20–30 min more, watching closely, until the skin puffs, blisters and turns into hard, golden crackling.
6. Rest the porchetta for 20 min, snip off the string and carve into thick rounds with a serrated knife. Serve warm, or cold in crusty rolls the next day.

Tips

• Ask the butcher for a rectangle of belly with an even thickness; it rolls more neatly and cooks evenly.
• If the skin hasn’t crackled everywhere, slip the roast under a hot grill for a few minutes, turning it and keeping a close eye on it.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

RecipeTin Eats GialloZafferano Pasta Grammar