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A tied pork loin in the style of Porchetta on a white platter with cooked red onions and rosemary.
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4.85 / 19 votes

Pork Loin in the Style of Porchetta

This pork loin in the style of porchetta is an Italian classic that blends pork loin with a pork shoulder, fennel, and rosemary filling, to make an impressive, celebration-worthy entrée.
Prep Time50 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 10 to 12 servings
Calories: 597

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more more for drizzling
  • 1 medium (7 oz) onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium (8 oz) fennel bulb, trimmed, fronds reserved and chopped, bulb thinly sliced
  • 2 pounds ground pork shoulder or sweet Italian sausage (as our commenter Alan suggested below), (Some readers prefer just 1 pound of ground pork)
  • 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
  • 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary leaves
  • 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • One (4-pound) boneless pork loin roast, butterflied (have the butcher do this)
  • 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 4 medium (about 2 lbs) red onions, cut in half
  • 1 lemon, halved
US - Metric

Instructions

  • In a 10- to 12-inch saute pan, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the sliced onion and fennel and saute until softened and lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes.
  • Add the ground pork or sweet Italian sausage, fennel seeds, rosemary, garlic, and 1 to 2 tablespoons pepper (depending on your taste), and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
  • Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
  • Meanwhile, place the pork loin flat on your work surface and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Add all but 1 tablespoon of the fennel fronds, the bread crumbs, and eggs to the pork mixture and mix gently. Spread the mixture over the pork loin. Roll it up, starting from a long side, like a jelly roll, and tie with butcher's twine.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: To prevent the filling from squishing out the ends, poke several long skewers through the porchetta near both ends to help close them before tying with twine.

  • Scatter the red onions in a roasting pan and place the pork loin on top. Drizzle the pork and onions with olive oil and rub to coat. Roast for 75 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 135°F (57°C).
  • Remove the pork loin from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
  • Slice the pork loin into 1-inch-thick pieces. Serve the pork drizzled with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon, garnished with the reserved fennel fronds, and with the onions on the side. (You can toss any leftovers in the fridge and slice them thin for the king of sandwiches the next day.)

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 597kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 184mg | Sodium: 706mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g