Ultimate All-Belly Porchetta Recipe

Get ready to experience pork perfection with this mouthwatering all-belly porchetta recipe. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and bursting with aromatic herbs and spices, this show-stopping roast will be the star of any holiday table or special occasion.

Why You’ll Love This Porchetta Recipe

• Unbeatable flavor: The combination of fennel, garlic, and herbs creates an irresistible taste that outshines traditional holiday roasts.
• Picture-perfect presentation: With its golden, crackling skin and perfectly symmetrical shape, this porchetta is a true feast for the eyes.
• Crowd-pleaser: Every slice offers the same delectable blend of crispy skin and succulent meat, ensuring happy guests all around.
• Forgiving cooking process: Unlike other roasts that can quickly dry out, porchetta remains juicy even if slightly overcooked.
• Budget-friendly luxury: Pork belly delivers gourmet results at a fraction of the cost of prime rib or other expensive cuts.
• Leftover heaven: Transform any remaining porchetta into the most amazing sandwiches you’ve ever tasted.

The Secret to Perfect Porchetta: All Belly, All the Time

While traditional porchetta recipes often combine pork loin and belly, we’re taking things to the next level with an all-belly approach. Here’s why it works so well:

• Pork belly’s rich fat content and connective tissue break down during slow roasting, resulting in incredibly tender, flavorful meat.
• The higher fat content ensures the roast stays moist throughout the cooking process.
• You’ll achieve the perfect ratio of crispy skin to juicy meat in every single bite.

Trust us, once you try this all-belly version, you’ll never look back!

Ingredients

• 1 whole boneless, rind-on pork belly, about 12 to 15 pounds (5.4 to 6.8kg)
• 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
• 3 tablespoons whole fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary, sage, or thyme leaves
• 12 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane grater
• Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Step-by-Step Porchetta Preparation

1. Start with the pork belly skin-side down on a large cutting board. Using a sharp chef’s knife, create a diamond pattern by scoring the flesh at 1-inch intervals in two directions.
2. Toast peppercorns and fennel seeds in a small skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Crush them using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
3. Generously salt the pork, then massage the crushed spices, red pepper, chopped herbs, and grated garlic into the meat, ensuring they penetrate the scored flesh.
4. Tightly roll the belly and secure it with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Mix 2 tablespoons kosher salt with 2 teaspoons baking powder and rub this mixture all over the outside of the pork.
5. If the roast is too large, carefully cut it in half. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze for future use (see notes).
6. Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C) with a rack in the lower-middle position. Place the pork in a V-rack set in a large roasting pan or on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C), about 2 hours, basting every 30 minutes. Continue roasting for about 2 more hours, until the meat is very tender.
7. Crank up the oven to 500°F (260°C) and roast for an additional 20 to 30 minutes to achieve perfectly crispy, blistered skin. Alternatively, you can let the roast rest for up to 2 hours before this final high-heat blast.
8. Let the porchetta rest under foil for 15 minutes. Slice into 1-inch thick rounds using a serrated knife and serve to your eager guests.

Pro Tips for Porchetta Perfection

• Feel free to customize the herb and spice blend to suit your taste preferences.
• For smaller households, split the belly in half before rolling and freeze one portion for later use.
• To add roasted potatoes, par-boil 4 pounds of chunked russets for 10 minutes, then add them to the roasting pan halfway through cooking, tossing them in the delicious pork drippings.