HOW TO COOK PORCHETTA RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Get your meat out of the fridge and up to room temperature before you cook it.
  2. For the stuffing, peel and finely chop the onions, finely slice the pancetta, then place in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat with 6 tablespoons of oil, the butter and fennel seeds. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, while you finely chop the chicken livers and herb leaves.
  3. Stir the livers into the pan, followed by the herbs and 50ml of wine. Roughly chop and add the dried fruit, along with the pine nuts. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
  4. Finely grate over the Parmesan. Toast the breadcrumbs and use your hands to mix them into the cool stuffing.
  5. Place the pork loin on a board, skin side down, open it out and push it down flat. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper, then pour over and massage in half the Vin Santo.
  6. Scatter over the stuffing, pour over the remaining Vin Santo, then roll up the pork, patting on and compacting the stuffing as you go.
  7. Sit it with the seam underneath and tie with butcher’s string to secure it, then score the skin and into the fat with your knife. Season generously and rub all over with oil.
  8. When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to full whack (240ºC/475ºF/gas 9).
  9. Wash the carrots and place in a large roasting tray. Sit the porchetta on top, then pour in 500ml of water and the remaining 325ml of wine.
  10. Place in the hot oven for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4 and leave to cook for 4 to 5 hours, or until the meat is really tender, basting now and again.
  11. Remove the porchetta to a board to rest for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place the roasting tray over a medium heat on the hob.
  12. Skim away most of the fat from the surface into a jar, cool, and place in the fridge for tasty cooking another day. Stir the flour into the tray, mashing the carrots and scraping up all those gnarly bits from the base.
  13. Pour in the stock, and simmer until the gravy is the consistency of your liking, stirring occasionally.
  14. Strain the gravy through a coarse sieve, pushing all the goodness through with the back of a spoon, then season to perfection.
  15. Carve up the beautiful porchetta, and serve it as you wish.

Steps:

• Put belly skin side down; arrange loin in center. Roll belly around loin so the short ends of the belly meet. If any of the belly or loin overhangs, trim meat. Unroll; set loin aside.
• Toast fennel seeds and red pepper flakes in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Tip spices into a bowl; let cool. Finely grind spices in a spice mill and transfer to a small bowl, along with the sage, rosemary, and garlic; set fennel mixture aside.
• Assemble porchetta according to steps 1-5 below.
• Refrigerate roast, uncovered, for 1-2 days to allow skin to air-dry; pat occasionally with paper towels.
• Let porchetta sit at room temperature for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 500°. Season porchetta with salt. Roast on rack in baking sheet, turning once, for 40 minutes. Reduce heat to 300° and continue roasting, rotating the pan and turning porchetta occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 145°, 1 1/2-2 hours more. If skin is not yet deep brown and crisp, increase heat to 500° and roast for 10 minutes more. Let rest for 30 minutes. Using a serrated knife, slice into 1/2" rounds.
• 1. Set belly skin side down. Using a knife, score the belly flesh in a checkerboard pattern 1/3" deep so roast will cook evenly.
• 2. Flip belly skin side up. Using a paring knife, poke dozens of 1/8"-deep holes through skin all over belly. Don't be gentle! Keep poking.
• 3. Using the jagged edge of a meat mallet, pound skin all over for 3 minutes to tenderize, which will help make skin crispy when roasted.
• 4. Turn belly and generously salt both it and loin; rub both with fennel mixture. Arrange loin down middle of belly. Top with orange slices.
• 5. Roll belly around loin; tie crosswise with kitchen twine at 1/2" intervals. Trim twine. Transfer roast to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.