Porchetta

By tonyglib

porchétta [por'ketta] n. roasted pork with crispy skin, highly seasoned with aromatic herbs and spices, garlic, sage, rosemary and wild fennel pollen. Typical plate of the Roman cuisine. Slow cooked Italian fast food.

Porchetta is a traditional street food of Central Italy. Sold from a cart or a truck, it is a whole roast pig boned out and stuffed with the liver, heart and other entrails mixed with savory herbs then slow roasted in a wood oven. It is sliced to order and served in a sandwich as a quick treat at the market or at a fair.

Ingredients

• 1 (3 3/4- to 4-pound) boneless pork shoulder (skin on, not tied)
• 20 fresh sage leaves
• 3 leafy sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
• 3 leafy sprigs rosemary, stemmed
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons fennel pollen
• 1 1/2 teaspoons medium coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry red or white wine
• Flavor Tip: Using white wine for basting creates a delicate sauce for this dish, whereas red wine provides a gamier flavor. I tend to choose based on what mood I'm in, or whatever I have kicking around the house.

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Heat oven to 250ºF.

With a sharp knife, score pork skin in a crosshatch diamond pattern, making 1/8-inch- deep cuts, about 1 inch apart.

Finely chop thyme, sage, rosemary, and garlic together (you can do this by pulsing in a food processor, or by hand). Place mixture in a small bowl, add fennel pollen, salt, and pepper and stir together well.

With a paring knife, make about 10 incisions (about 1/2-inch deep) all over the pork and stuff with about 1/3rd of the herb mixture. Tie pork with kitchen twine, brush the oil over the skin, and rub all over with the remaining herb mixture.

Set pork in a roasting pan, fat-side up. Roast for 2 hours. Pour the wine over the pork and baste with the wine and accumulated juices. Continue roasting, basting once every hour, until the skin is well browned and the meat is spoon tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours more (internal temperature will be 170ºF to 180ºF) Remove from oven. Let meat rest 15 minutes before slicing and serving.