If you love pork, then you’re in for a treat! Whether you’re cooking for the holidays, a birthday, or just because – you’ve got to try porchetta! Porchetta is rolled up pork with magical, delicious ingredients jam-packed inside. Top Chef judge and producer, James Beard Award winner, Crafted Hospitality restaurateur, and philanthropist Tom Colicchio shares a porchetta recipe that’s mouthgasmic! That’s the best word we can use to describe it. So don’t forgetta the porchetta.
Ingredients:
Pork loin (with skin!)
Pork sausage
Kosher salt (lots of it)
Fresh black pepper
Fennel seed
6 Garlic heads
1 Sprig rosemary
2 Cups of extra virgin olive oil
Equipment:
MEATER Plus
Oven
Deep cast iron pot
Small ovenproof saucepan
Kitchen twine
Serving size:
10-12 peeps, but the real question is… how hungry are y’all?
Doneness:
145°F
Total time:
According to Tom, this is IRRELEVANT.
If you really want to know though, it takes about 20-25 minutes per lb.
~2 hours for the garlic confit.
Instructions:
1. Before we get started, put on your chef’s hat and preheat the oven to 250°F and let’s make that garlic confit, which sounds super fancy and is absolutely delish. Mix 6 peeled whole garlic heads and 1 cup of olive oil in an ovenproof saucepan. Make sure the garlic is drowning in the oil, if not, add more oil! Then cover the pan with the lid and bake it in the oven until the cloves are golden and tender. It should take about 2 hours. You’re going to need the confit in the next step, so while you wait, feel free to make yourself a drink or four.
2. Hopefully, you’re still attentive enough to follow instructions. If not, this is going to be fun. Bump your oven to 400°F. Now grab your pork loin! If your butcher didn’t debone it for you already, it’s your time to shine. Grab the sharpest knife you have and remove any bones. The sharper the knife, the better. Be careful not to remove too much meat or fat – and of course, don’t cut yourself, chef!
3. Once all the bones are removed, place the pork skin side down, then score the flat part of the loin with cuts about 1/4″ deep. This is so the stuffing can get in all those nooks and crannies, making the porchetta bursting with flavor.
4. With the skin side down, season the meat with salt and freshly ground pepper to your liking and rub it allllllll over the meat. Spread the fancy garlic confit, fennel seed, and fresh rosemary all over the flat section. If you didn’t make the garlic confit, um… why the heck not? It’s okay though, go ahead and add the pork sausage or just about any other spreads you like!
5. Now to get that picture-perfect porchetta, roll up the flat meat tightly around the loin and use kitchen twine to tie multiple double hitch knots from the top to bottom across the entire loin. Put that scout experience to use.
6. Once your porchetta is nice and secure, insert the MEATER probe into the center of the thickest portion of the roll. Then, set up the cook in the MEATER app. We recommend a target internal temperature to 145°F for tender juiciness, but it’s totally up to your preference!
7. Now grab the deepest cast iron you own and pour a decent layer of salt at the bottom. Rest the porchetta on top of the salt layer and bury the pork in salt – literally BURY it. You think you poured enough? No. More! If you don’t have a deep enough cast iron, you can add some water to the salt until it feels like wet sand so that it’ll stick onto the pork.
8. Now it’s time to cook! Place the cast iron into the oven and wait until the MEATER app alerts you to remove it from heat. That’s it!
9. Once you get the notification, remove the cast iron from the oven, take that meat log out and rest it on a cooling plate or resting rack. Use a fork to break off the salt and chip away like you’re Michaelangelo working on your masterpiece. Continue letting the meat rest. You should rest too.
10. While you wait, heat up a cup of olive oil in a saucepan until it’s VERY HOT. We’re going to use this to make the pork skin EVEN crispier. 🤤
11. When MEATER tells you it’s done resting, turn the fan on above your stove, hide from your smoke alarm, and wear an apron. We’re about to pop some fireworks! Take the hot oil and pour it onto all sides of the pork skin. BE VERY CAREFUL IN THIS STEP, the oil WILL spatter!
12. Once it’s crispy enough for you, garnish with fresh rosemary, a drizzle of olive oil, and it’s time to slice and eat! ENJOY!
