Rotisserie Porchetta

The Day Before

Step 1

Prepare the pork belly by removing any rib bones on the underside, then 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 2

Leave uncovered, on a rack in the fridge until the skin feels quite hard, this can take up to 3 days depending on the thickness of the belly.

On the Day

Step 1

Remove the pork belly from the fridge and pat dry before liberally coating the underside of the belly with your Italian-style herby rub of choice. We love using ProQ Herbylicious Rub.

Step 2

Toast the fennel seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat, until fragrant. Then 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 3

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 4

Light charcoal in one half of the charcoal basket, then insert the rotisserie rod through the middle of the pork roll and secure the ends with rotisserie forks, making sure the Porchetta is central and evenly balanced.

Step 5

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 : An easy method to check the temperature is to hold your hand above the fire at the level where the rotisserie will be positioned. If you have to pull your hand away after 2 to 4 seconds, the heat is high. If you can keep it there for 5 to 7 seconds, the heat is moderate. If it takes 8 to 10 seconds before you need to move your hand, the heat is low.

If you're struggling with the crackling and the pork is cooked, try putting a grill directly over the fire and rolling the porchetta back and forth over the high heat whilst it's still on the rotisserie spit. Wear barbecue mitts for this, as it's quite hot!