# If You’re Searching for a Simple Yet Impressive Roast, Porchetta is Exactly What You Want
Golden-brown crackling, succulent meat, and fresh herbs are all wrapped into a tidy roll. Savory, delectable, and a blend of crispy and tender, porchetta is everything you’ve ever desired in a roasted pork dish.
## What is Porchetta?
Porchetta is a traditional Italian roast pork. The term “porchetta” literally translates to little pig in Italian. Traditionally, a whole deboned pig, rolled with fresh herbs, is roasted over an open wood fire. The result is an incredibly flavorful and tasty roast. It’s cherished throughout Italy, offered at festivities, as a main course at home, and as street food.
In North America, most porchetta comes from a cut of pork that includes slab pork belly still connected to pork loin. It reflects the various cuts found in a whole pig roast porchetta. You will also find porchetta prepared with pork belly and tenderloin or entirely with pork belly.
## The Ultimate Easter Centerpiece?
If you’re someone who constantly seeks a striking centerpiece for holiday celebrations or dinners, porchetta serves as a wonderful substitute for glazed ham, turkey, or expensive tenderloin. It’s more affordable, tastier, and quite distinctive. Furthermore, it contains less sodium and nitrates compared to ham. Best of all, you can adjust the size to suit your needs. Special anniversary for two? A 2lb belly-only porchetta will do. Family reunion for 16? Go for a full-sized tenderloin-stuffed porchetta.
## How to Prepare Porchetta
1. **Prepare Two Spice Rubs.** Toast fresh rosemary leaves and whole fennel seeds in a dry skillet over low heat until aromatic and golden. Remove from the heat and coarsely chop to form a spice blend. Combine with flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Separate the spice mixture into two parts, then mix fresh lemon zest and chopped flat-leaf parsley into one half.
2. **Prepare the Pork Belly.** Scoring the meaty side of the pork belly with a sharp knife allows it to roll into a neat, uniform log. Position the pork belly skin side down on a large cutting board and lightly score diagonally, about 1/4 inch deep, with lines spaced 1 inch apart. Rotate the knife 90 degrees and score lines again, 1 inch apart, to form a diamond pattern.
3. **Season the Meat.** Rub the spice mixture combined with the lemon zest and flat-leaf parsley into the meaty section of the pork belly, ensuring to massage it into the scored cuts.
4. **Tie the Porchetta.** Arrange several pieces of string on the cutting board, spaced 1-2 inches apart. Place the pork belly on the string and position the tenderloin (if using) in the center of the pork belly. If necessary, trim the tenderloin to ensure it fits nicely inside the belly. Roll the pork up firmly and use the strings to secure it into a tight, compact roll.
5. **Season the Skin.** Use the remaining spice mixture and rub it evenly onto the skin of the pork belly.
6. **Roast.** Place the rolled porchetta, seam side down, in a deep roasting rack. Slow roast, basting occasionally, in a low oven until the pork is tender, juicy, and yields easily.
7. **Render.** Increase the heat to high to render some fat from the skin, creating a crispy, crunchy, golden crackling.
8. **Rest.** When the crackling is deeply golden and glossy, remove the porchetta from the oven. Allow your golden porchetta to rest for at least 15 minutes. Resting will help the juices redistribute and be retained in the roast. Enjoy!
## Porchetta Ingredients
– **Pork Belly** – a 3 to 3.5 lb square or rectangular slab of skin-on pork belly is large enough to roll around a small pork tenderloin. Alternatively, you can create a porchetta made entirely from belly and omit the tenderloin.
– **Pork Tenderloin** – if including a pork tenderloin, choose a small, thin, evenly shaped tenderloin for easier wrapping.