Made the decision to start thawing out a pork belly for a Thursday smoke but I'm in the mood for something a bit more on the Italian/Mediterranean side. Currently thinking about replacing the rosemary (wife doesn't like it) with oregano and adding some basil and cumin to the paste. For the outside, dusting with garlic powder and lemon pepper. Curious if anyone else has experimented with modifications to Jeff's recipe.
11/9 Thurs: Well, enough thinking and on to putting this meal together. Can't say the smell of the paste was inspiring but going with Italian seasoning mix, minced garlic, bit of oregano & basil all mixed up in oil. Got the pork belly crosshatched fat cap and meat side. Spread the paste meat side, roll it up and tied every 1.5". Outside sprinkled with garlic powder and a bunch of lemon pepper. Let it sit in the fridge for 3 hours. It's now on the smoker at 275º. We'll see.....
It took longer to get up to 180º before transferring to the grill. Note to self, it's a lot easier to just put this together and go directly to the smoker. Meat temp won't be so cold going into the smoker.
... and of course the cut shot
Rendering wise, I suspect it would have benefited from a longer and slower smoke. The flavor definitely was in the Italian direction as intended. Plan to add to the notes I keep for every smoke recipe and will suggest starting earlier. Still thinking about how I might further boost the Italian flavoring profile. So, I'll call this a success. The porchetta went well with the wedged potatoes that were dusted with smoked paprika and a mayo-mustard-sherry-EVOO-grilled lemon dipping sauce. Time to call it a wrap and on to the next smoke.
11/9 Thurs: Well, enough thinking and on to putting this meal together. Can't say the smell of the paste was inspiring but going with Italian seasoning mix, minced garlic, bit of oregano & basil all mixed up in oil. Got the pork belly crosshatched fat cap and meat side. Spread the paste meat side, roll it up and tied every 1.5". Outside sprinkled with garlic powder and a bunch of lemon pepper. Let it sit in the fridge for 3 hours. It's now on the smoker at 275º. We'll see.....
It took longer to get up to 180º before transferring to the grill. Note to self, it's a lot easier to just put this together and go directly to the smoker. Meat temp won't be so cold going into the smoker.
... and of course the cut shot
Rendering wise, I suspect it would have benefited from a longer and slower smoke. The flavor definitely was in the Italian direction as intended. Plan to add to the notes I keep for every smoke recipe and will suggest starting earlier. Still thinking about how I might further boost the Italian flavoring profile. So, I'll call this a success. The porchetta went well with the wedged potatoes that were dusted with smoked paprika and a mayo-mustard-sherry-EVOO-grilled lemon dipping sauce. Time to call it a wrap and on to the next smoke.
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