Roast porchetta
Made from the boneless loin of the pig and its belly, this is roasted until the meat is tender and the skin has crackled. If you can, leave it uncovered in the fridge the night before to help dehydrate the skin. Don’t skip patting it dry and don’t stint on the salt either. For a smaller porchetta, reduce the amount of stuffing and calculate the cooking time at 170°C/fan oven 150°C/mark 3 as 30 minutes per 500g.
This recipe is from the ‘Ginger Pig Christmas Cook Book’, by Tim Wilson and Rebecca Seal.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Remove the pork from the fridge at least 1 hour before cooking. Unroll and pat the skin dry with kitchen paper.
Step 2
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 220°C/fan oven 200°C/mark 7 – it needs plenty of time to get really hot. Place a frying pan over a medium heat. Add butter then the shallots and fry gently, stirring often, until translucent. Place the cooked shallots in a large bowl and add all the other ingredients, plus 1⁄2tsp fine salt and 1⁄2tsp freshly ground black pepper. Mix well.
Step 3
Cut five lengths of butcher’s (or cotton) string, each long enough to wrap around the rolled porchetta and tie in place. Position four pieces of string vertically and parallel to each other on a clean work surface, close enough that they will wrap around the rolled meat, and another along the middle of the others, at 90 degrees.
Step 4
Pat the skin dry again. Place the meat, skin side down, over the strings so that one short side is facing you and the long sides are parallel to the string. Season generously, then arrange the stuffing on top.
Step 5
Roll up the meat. If your butcher has cut the skin so that one end forms a flap, make sure that, when you roll it, the flap covers the loose meat at the other end and forms a neat join with the skin. Do not overlap the two layers of skin, or it will become tough. Use the strings to tie tightly (you may need another pair of hands). If lots of stuffing falls out, push it back in.
Step 6
Line a deep roasting tin with baking paper. Transfer the pork. Rub 1 tbsp flaky sea salt into the skin, working it into the score marks. Place in the very hot oven for 30 minutes, then turn down to 170°C/fan oven 150°C/ mark 3 and cook for another 31⁄2 hours. (Use a meat thermometer to check the centre is around 65°C.)
Step 7
If the skin hasn’t turned to crackling, crank the heat back up to 220°C/fan oven 200°C/mark 7. Cook for a further 10-30 minutes, checking every 5 minutes that the skin isn’t burning. If it still doesn’t crackle, remove from the oven, cut off the string, slice off the skin and put it back in the oven on its own for a few minutes.
Step 8
Rest the meat for about 30 minutes before serving. The rich, juicy meat is delicious with tart-and-sweet redcurrant jelly or cranberry sauce.
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