A Guide to Roasting a Porchetta: The Ultimate Pork Sandwich

 Porchetta Guide Step 2: | Make The Salsa Verde

This is a classic condiment that goes extremely well with Porchetta.

Pick the mint and basil leaves.

In a sauce pot, bring water to a boil and cook the mint and basil for 30 seconds then immediately add to an ice bath. Once cool, squeeze out as much water as possible.

In a Vita Prep, blend the “raw” parsley leaves, blanched mint & basil, dijon mustard, anchovy, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil.

Make sure to use the plunger to fully incorporate the ingredients into a paste.

Salsa Verde Recipe:

2 cups mint leaves

2 cups basil leaves

2 qt. parsley leaves

2 tbsp. dijon mustard

1 ea. anchovy

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Porchetta Guide Step 3: | Make The Garlic and Lemon Aioli

The key to a good aioli is the balance of fat and acidity.  This recipe is delicious and will definitely keep the vampires away at night.

Cover the garlic with the olive oil and, on medium high heat, bring to a simmer.

Once the garlic comes to a simmer, drop the temperature to low heat, and slowly cook the garlic until golden brown.

Strain the garlic from the oil, and cool the oil to room temperature. While the oil is cooling measure out the rest of the ingredients.

In a Vita Prep, on low speed, blend the lemon juice, dijon, egg yolk, and garlic until smooth.

With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the room temperature garlic oil.

Once emulsified, pour into a small bowl and add the lemon zest, chopped rosemary, and season with salt, pepper, and a few drops of tabasco.

Garlic and Lemon Aioli Recipe:

20 cloves garlic

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 tbs. lemon juice

1 egg yolk

1 tbs. dijon mustard

2 tbs. chopped rosemary

2 lemons zested

¼ tsp tabasco

salt and pepper to taste

Porchetta Guide Step 4: | Clarify The Butter

We clarify the butter to get a nice golden brown and crunchy ciabatta roll.

This step is very quick and easy.

On low heat, melt 1 lb. of butter. As the moisture in the butter cooks off, the white solids will rise to the top.

Simply remove the white foam as it comes to the surface using a ladle.

Once all the foam is skimmed off, strain and reserve for toasting the rolls.

Note: You can easily substitute olive oil or the rendered fat from the pork belly.

Porchetta Guide Step 5: | Roll and Cook the Porchetta

Once the pork belly has brined, wipe off the spices with a cloth and move to a cutting board.

Pork bellies are never even in thickness, so in order to secure the perfect roast, you will need a uniform one.

Start by trimming the thick end of the belly without cutting through the skin. Simply pull the meat away from the skin while slicing horizontally.

This is the meat we are going to use to stuff and roll the belly.

There should be a flap of skin that will help with the rolling process.

Cut the meat into uniform pieces and season with fennel pollen, espelette pepper, and chopped rosemary. Make sure the sliced meat is laid flat on the “thin” side of the belly.

Roll the belly starting with the “thick” side first.

Tie the belly with butchers twine to form a cylinder.

Using a paring knife or sharp skewer, pierce the skin all over so the fat can release underneath and you can achieve a crispy skin.

Place on a sheet pan and roasting rack, and cook at 250°F for 3 hours. Then turn up the heat to 425°F for the last 30 minutes. At this point make sure to keep a close eye on your roast so it doesn’t get too dark.

Note: It’s important not to rinse the belly after it has brined.  Always wipe off the spices using a cloth.

Porchetta Guide Step 6: |Toast Ciabatta and Plate

Brush a liberal amount of clarified butter onto both sides of of the ciabatta roll and toast.

Spread the salsa verde onto one side of the roll, and the garlic aioli on to the other side.

Top one side with the pickled Hungarian peppers.

Top with arugula, and finish with the sliced Porchetta.

Note: Make sure to let the Porchetta rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Conclusion:

If you want to throw the ultimate Superbowl party, or are just entertaining a group of friends, then this is the ultimate Porchetta recipe for you.

Here at EFB, we think it’s important to know when to have restraint with cooking.  This is a prime example of knowing when to let the main ingredient shine. In this case, it being the Porchetta.

Sometimes less is more, by letting these ingredients speak for themselves… and not over complicating things, you are left with a sandwich that is not to be trifled with.

If you follow these necessary steps, then you will achieve success and your friends will be drooling at your dinner table.

If you want more information on brines then read this article.

Written by Harold Mcgee, this guy literally wrote the book on the science of cooking, called On Food and Cooking.  This book will change your life and give you all of the answers to your cooking questions.

Like this dish?

Share with your friends using our social media bar.

Don’t forget to stop by next week when we go over how to craft an epic dessert that everyone will enjoy.