I made porchetta before I started with this blog, but I knew I had to make again and again and again. Like a Danish pork roast aka flæskesteg, the porchetta has the crackling pork skin aka flæskesvær, that makes this dish so perfect. The crispy and salty skin goes perfect with the soft juicy pork seasoned with all kinds of goodness.

If you can get hold of a meaty pork belly and make the porchetta it might be the best BBQ meal you've ever had. But if the pork belly is mostly fat, it won't be that great. Well, you still have excellent cracklings.

This time I was lucky to find a nice piece of pork belly in my local Whole Foods Market. It was so meaty, with only thin lines of fat between the meat. This called for a porchetta, even though it would mean a late dinner for us.

Ingredients:

5-6 pounds (2½-3 kg) Pork belly with skin on
½ cup (1 dl) breadcrumbs, fresh and finely chopped
1 cup chopped parsley
1 large onion, chopped

Spice rub:

2 lemons, zest of
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon whole black pepper, cracked
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and cracked
4 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary
salt - quite a lot

Equipment:

Grill Rotisserie

Directions:

Let the pork belly sit at room temperature for 2 hours.

Make a spice blend from lemon zest, garlic, rosemary, toasted fennel seeds, bay leaves, salt and pepper.

Try to roll up the pork belly, and remove the part of the skin, that will be rolled up inside the porchetta. If you don’t do that, you’ll have a chewy rubbery piece of skin inside your porchetta.

Place the pork belle skin-side down on your kitchen counter. Spread the spice rub, onions, parsley and breadcrumbs.

Roll up the pork belly tight, and tie the roast crosswise at 1-inch (2½ cm) intervals with butcher's string.

Insert the grill rotisserie, spear into the center of the roast. Rub the porchetta with olive oil and a good amount of salt. Let the porchette roast for 2-4 hours until the skin is chrisp and dark golden brown, and the center temperature is about 140℉ (60℃). Use indirect heat.

Let the Porchetta rest for about 20 minutes before serving.

Slice the porchetta and serve in a hamburger bun and/or with a good salad.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Porchetta on the BBQ

Ingredienser:

2½-3 kg svineslag
1 dl hakket daggammelt lyst brød uden skorpe
2 dl hakket persille
1 stor løg, hakket

Krydderiblanding:

2 citroner, skallen fra
3-4 fed hvidløg, pressede
1 spsk hel sort peber, meget groft kværnet
1 tsk fennikel frø, tørristede og groft kværnede
4 laurbærblade
2 kviste rosemarin
salt - Ret meget

Udstyr:

Roterende grillspyd

Fremgangsmåde:

Lad svineslaget ligge et par timer på køkkenbordet, så det opnår stuetemperatur.

Bland ingredienserne til krydderiblandingen.

Rul svineslaget og fjern den del af sværen som vil være rullet ind i porchettaen. Denne del af sværen vil blive sej og gummiagtig, hvis den steger med.

Læg svineslaget med sværen nedad og spred krydderiblandingen, løg, persille og brød på kødet.

Rul svineslaget stramt op som en stor rullepølse og snør den stramt, med ca. 2½ cm imellem snorene.

Spid stegen med det store grilspyd, og sæt den på grillen og motoren. Smør porchettaen ind med olie og en del salt. Steg porchettaen i ca. 2 timer indtil sværen er brun og sprød, og kødet har en center temperatur på ca 60℃. Brug indirekte varme.

Lad Porchettaen hvile i ca. 20 minutter inden serveringen.

Skær porchettaen og server den i en burgerbolle og/eller med en god salat.

Velbekomme!