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A pork belly porchetta on a cutting board with four slices carved from the end and a carving fork and knife resting beside the meat.
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4.75 / 4 votes

Pork Belly Porchetta

This pork belly porchetta is a classic, comforting Italian classic made with pork belly infused with fennel, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and honey. You'll want to make it again and again.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time4 hours
Course: Mains
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 8 to 12 servings
Calories: 1840

Equipment

  • Butcher's string or kitchen string; instant-read thermometer

Ingredients

  • 10 pounds skin-on, boneless pork belly, butterflied in a single rectangular piece
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
  • 2 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped from the stems
  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped rosemary leaves
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the roasting pan
  • 6 tablespoons honey
  • Juice of 2 limes
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 475°F (250°C).
  • Pat the pork belly dry and place it, skin side down, on a cutting board. Sprinkle the meat with pepper and half the salt and rub it in. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
  • Sprinkle the thyme, rosemary, and fennel seeds over the pork and rub it in along with the garlic. Gently roll up the pork and tie it crosswise with pieces of butcher’s string at 1/2-inch (1-centimeter) intervals. Try to keep as much of the garlic and herb rub inside the pork as possible...although if a little filling spills out, it's not the end of the world.
  • Coat a roasting pan with a little oil and place the pork in it. Using your hands, spread the remaining 1 tablespoon salt along with the 2 tablespoons oil all over the outside of the pork. Turn the pork seam side up. Roast the pork, uncovered, for 15 minutes, then turn it over and roast for another 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F (150°C) and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours more, until the center of the pork registers 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
  • Remove the pan from the oven. Add the honey and lime juice to the pan drippings. If desired, while the pork is still in the roasting pan, turn to coat it with the pan juices and honey and lime juice, although this will elminate any chance of shatteringly crisp skin atop the roast. But it will be tasty. https://leitesculinaria.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=98646&action=edit#
  • Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
  • Skim the fat from the surface of the cooking juices in the roasting pan and discard. Pour the juices into a warmed bowl and stir.
  • Cut the pork into thick slices, discarding the butcher's string, and place on a platter. Pass the bowl of juices on the side.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 1840kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 183g | Saturated Fat: 66g | Monounsaturated Fat: 86g | Cholesterol: 243mg | Sodium: 1855mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g