Rotisserie Porchetta
This Italian-style Rotisserie Porchetta gets a double dose of pork: pork belly, stuffed with pork loin, dried apricots, rosemary, thyme, garlic, fennel & white wine. With crispy crackling & a succulent centre, this is spectacular meat main at any feast & a fantastic alternative to the Christmas Turkey.
OVERVIEW
METHOD
Rotisserie
Prep Time
1 Hours
Cooking Time
4-5 Hours
Serves
8
Suggested Wood
Hickory
Ability
Intermediate
INGREDIENTS
- 2.5kg Pork Belly
- 600g Pork Loin
- 8 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
- 2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 2 tsp Black Peppercorns
- 2 tsp Sea Salt
- 2 tsp Fennel Seeds
- 2 Tbsp White Wine
- 1/2 cup Dried Apricots
Remove all rib bones from pork belly and score the skin.
INGREDIENTS
- 2.5kg Pork Belly
- 600g Pork Loin
- 8 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
- 2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 2 tsp Black Peppercorns
- 2 tsp Sea Salt
- 2 tsp Fennel Seeds
- 2 Tbsp White Wine
- 1/2 cup Dried Apricots
Remove all rib bones from pork belly and score the skin.
METHOD
The Day Before
Step 1
Prepare the pork belly by removing any rib bones on the underside.
Step 2
Use a utility knife to score the skin at roughly 5mm intervals, as this will help with rendering the fat that's beneath the skin, resulting in perfect crackling everytime.
Step 3
Rub the skin side only with coarse salt and leave uncovered in the fridge overnight.
On the Day
Step 1
Remove the pork belly from the fridge and pat dry before liberally coating the belly (both sides) with ProQ Herbylicious Rub.
Step 2
Toast the fennel seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat, until fragrant (you can smell them).
Step 3
Make a paste with the garlic, fennel seeds, rosemary, thyme, sea salt, black peppercorns and white wine using a pestle & mortar. Finely chop the dried apricots & mix with the herb paste.
Step 4
Lay the pork belly, skin side down, and evenly coat with the herb and apricot mixture. Place the pork loin in the centre of the pork belly and roll as tightly as possible. Tie the pork roll with butcher string at 2cm intervals.
Step 5
Light charcoal in one half of the charcoal basket. Insert the rotisserie rod through the middle of pork roll and secure ends with rotisserie forks, making sure the Porchetta is central and evenly balanced. Place the rotisserie rod onto the rotisserie brackets on the stacker and cook at a medium heat. We recommend using the rotisserie with 2 stackers to start with, the bottom stacker can be taken out if more heat is required.
Wood "splits", or wood chunks can be added every now and then to add a smoky flavour and increase the heat slightly.
Step 6
Once the internal temperature of the pork reaches 165°F /74°C remove and rest the joint for at least 30 minutes. Remove the crackling. Thinly slice, serve and enjoy.
Tip : A simple way to test the the temperature is as follows: place your hand over the fire at the height where the rotisserie will sit... if you need to pull your hand away after 2 to 4 seconds, the heat is high. If you need to pull your hand away after 5 to 7 seconds, the heat is medium. If you need to pull your hand away after 8 to 10 seconds, the heat is low.