Stuffed porchetta with quick gremolata
You can stuff, roll and cook this spectacular crackling-covered pork dish all on the same day. But you’ll get much crunchier crackling if you scatter salt flakes generously over the skin and let the stuffed and rolled pork sit uncovered in the fridge overnight. Plus: less to do on Christmas Day.
Remember to remove the pork from the fridge at least 30-45 minutes before cooking it so it begins to come to room temperature.
Ingredients
2kg porchetta* (ask your butcher to prepare and debone the pork belly plus loin for you, see note)
sea salt flakes
Stuffing
3 eschalots (French shallots), peeled and chopped
½ head fennel, roughly chopped (reserve the fronds for the salad)
4 garlic cloves
6-8 anchovies
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 scant tbsp capers
½ cup smoked tomatoes (or sun-dried tomatoes)
3 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
Gremolata
leaves from 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
juice and zest of ½ large lemon
½ tbsp capers
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
about ¼ cup olive oil (you may need a little more or little less)
Method
Step 1
Place the pork on a board skin-side-down. Add the stuffing ingredients to a food processor or blender and give them a quick pulse. You still want texture so don’t pulse to a paste-like consistency. Distribute the mixture over the inside of the pork.
Step 2
Roll the pork lengthways, and, using butchers’ twine, tie the meat at roughly 2.5cm intervals so the roll stays intact during cooking. Season the skin with sea salt flakes and leave uncovered in the fridge overnight, if possible. Remove the pork from the fridge up to 45 minutes before roasting and wipe the salt from the skin.
Step 3
Season the skin with sea salt flakes and leave uncovered in the fridge overnight, if possible. Remove the pork from the fridge up to 45 minutes before roasting and wipe the salt from the skin.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 220C fan-forced (240C conventional). Place the porchetta on a rack inside a roasting tin and roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 150C fan-forced (170C conventional) and cook for 2.5-3 hours. If the skin isn’t as crunchy as you would like, turn the broil or grill function on your oven to medium and watch it like a hawk – you don’t want it to burn. As soon as you see the skin puff and change, remove the pork from the heat.
Step 5
Let the pork rest for 15-20 minutes.
Step 6
While the pork is resting, make the gremolata by adding the ingredients to a food processor and blitzing until just combined. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding oil as needed.
Step 7
To serve, remove the string and cut the pork into thick slices using a serrated knife. Scatter over some of the gremolata and serve the extra gremolata alongside for people to help themselves
*Note: Traditional porchetta is made with bone-out pork belly with the loin attached, but you could also use a piece of pork belly without the loin.
If pressed for time, you can buy porchetta ready-stuffed and rolled, and then follow the recipe from step 3.
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Katrina Meynink is a cookbook author and Good Food recipe columnist.
