Porchetta Advice?

[mneeley490]

So my friends and I decided we are going to try a porchetta, the weekend after Christmas. Looks like not very many threads on here about the subject. I've got a line on a local 12-14 lb, skin-on belly.
We're looking at roughly following this video, but any input is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike

 

[pa42phigh]

Porchetta, It's a PITA'rse but Worthwhile

Porchetta, it's a PITA'rse but worthwhile. Why? Becuase this oh so succulent, fatty, juicy and savory roll of pork and herbs is decadently delicious. Which make the labor of making and cooking it worthwhile. Start with the better part of a whole, skin-on pork belly and half a large pork loin...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[chilerelleno]

Porchetta, It's a PITA'rse but Worthwhile

Porchetta, it's a PITA'rse but worthwhile. Why? Becuase this oh so succulent, fatty, juicy and savory roll of pork and herbs is decadently delicious. Which make the labor of making and cooking it worthwhile. Start with the better part of a whole, skin-on pork belly and half a large pork loin...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Yep, was gonna link that one too.

 

[WaterRat]

Use plenty of stuffing, don't tie it up too tight or it will all squish out. Consider your own taste, I'm not a huge rosemary fan so had the GF tone that down when she made one with a loin
(no belly) a month or so ago.

 

[buckshot billy]

My experience with it was that the smoke didn’t add much to the flavour compared to one simply oven roasted or done over coals without additional wood smoke and I also found the inner fat rings a little unpalatable.

The belly I ended up with was loaded with bristles and still had teats on it so trimming it also felt a little gross. I recall removing all the rind except for what added up to the outermost layer. I did the baking powder routine while I dry brined to increase the crunch factor but it didn’t work for one reason or another and ended up deeply browned but still leathery and stretchy.

 

[ChuxPick]

mneeley490,
I may have to try this it sure looks tasty.
After watching this video I watched a few of his others, very interesting.
Around here if you can find pork belly it is usually with the skin off, but just this morning I was in Resturant Depot and they had skin on pork belly.

 

[chilerelleno]

mneeley490,
I may have to try this it sure looks tasty.
After watching this video I watched a few of his others, very interesting.
Around here if you can find pork belly it is usually with the skin off, but just this morning I was in Resturant Depot and they had skin on pork belly.

You can make a delicious Porchetta with a skinless belly.
Yes, it's sans cracklins, but if you're not confident of attaining good cracklin skin it's definitely an option.
And I can tell from my experience that good cracklin skin is a challenge every time, and one I don't always nail.

Punked Porchetta and PBBEs

I had plans to cook a Porchetta this weekend, but I got screwed over by the meat clerk. I specifically asked for a whole pork belly skin on, and what did I find when I got home? Yep, the dagblasted skin had been removed. How can a guy cook a Porchetta without crispy skin? He can't, Grrrrr! :mad...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[mneeley490]

Yeah, we don't plan on smoking, it'll go into the oven. And I've make Chinese Crispy Pork several times before, so I'm confident we can make the cracklin' skin. As for stuffing, I'm thinking the herbs in the video, and we may also add some prosciutto and cooked bacon instead of a whole loin.
As for some of the ingredients such as the nutmeg and fennel fronds, we might keep those to a minimum or axe them altogether. I'm not sure nutmeg and licorice are desired flavors for us.

 

[mneeley490]

Well, here's how it turned out. Not perfect, but not bad for a first attempt.
We got about an 18" x 10" x 1-1/2" belly, good and meaty.

This was a group project. Above, my friend scoring the meat side. Skin side was already scored (it resisted all but the sharpest knife!) We went by a YouTube video recipe, stuffing it with orange zest, pine nuts, salt, pepper, garlic, and a number of fresh herbs & spices, plus some prosciutto .

Cooked at 250° for about 6 hours, then at 500° to crisp the skin.

Cut and served so fast, I only got a shot of the end.

Served with some sautéed brussels sprouts, and some mac 'n cheese.

According to the YouTube video we watched, there should have been a heap of rendered fat in the pan after cooking. There was only about 1/2 cup in ours, and I was concerned that it would still be fatty. Turned out there was no need to worry. The slices were nearly fat-free and cooked throughout. The skin was very crispy.
The only thing I think we would have changed would be to omit the orange zest that the recipe called for. It didn't really seem to belong in the dish. Otherwise, I think it was a winner.