TABELIA

AUTHENTIC RECIPE

Porchetta al Forno (versione casalinga)Home-Style Roast Porchetta

Home-Style Roast Porchetta
Difficulty★★★☆☆ Prep30 min Cook2 hr Rest1 hr servings6

A home version of porchetta, the whole roast pig served at town festivals, especially in Lazio and Umbria. Pork belly is rolled around fennel, rosemary and sage and roasted hot for crisp skin. Rolling tightly without gaps is important.

Recipe developed and reviewed by the Tabelia Editorial TeamUpdated
100/ 100

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Ingredients (6 servings)

  • Whole piece of skin-on pork bellyPrepare opened out flat with the skin facing down.1500 g
  • Wild fennel fronds or fennel seedsFennel seeds are available in spice sections.20 g (or 1 tablespoon)
  • Fresh rosemaryStrip and finely chop the leaves.4 sprigs
  • Fresh sageFinely chopped.10 leaves
  • GarlicFinely chopped.6 cloves
  • Dried red chilliFinely chop with the seeds.2 pieces
  • Coarse sea saltSeason the skin generously too.20 g

Method

115 min

Chop the herbs and make the filling

  • 1 Finely chop the rosemary leaves.
  • 2 Finely chop 10 sage leaves.
  • 3 Finely chop 6 garlic cloves.
  • 4 Finely chop 2 chillies with their seeds.
  • 5 Lay out 1500g pork belly skin-side down and season the whole inside with salt and pepper.
  • 6 Spread the rosemary, sage, garlic, fennel seeds and chilli mixture evenly over the inside.
210 min

Roll and tie

  • 1 Roll tightly and tie with kitchen string at 2–3cm intervals.
  • 2 Sprinkle 20g coarse salt over the outer skin.
  • 3 Prick the skin in several places with a fork.
31 hr

Dry in the refrigerator

  • 1 Leave in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to dry the surface.

Ready when

Proceed when the surface is dry.

Caution

Skipping this stage makes crisp skin difficult to achieve.

42 hr

Roast

  • 1 Preheat the oven to 230°C.
  • 2 Place on a tray and roast at 230°C for 30 minutes to crisp the surface.
  • 3 Lower to 160°C and roast for another 1 hour 30 minutes.

Ready when

Proceed when the internal temperature reaches 72°C.

512 min

Rest and slice

  • 1 Rest for 10 minutes.
  • 2 Remove the string and slice.
  • 3 Serve with the crisp skin facing up.
A view of Ariccia
AricciaItaly Photo: Deblu68 · Public domain (resized; display cropped)

About this dish

Porchetta is roast pork long enjoyed at festivals and markets, especially in Lazio and Umbria. Traditionally a large undertaking using a whole herb-stuffed pig, it remains the signature of stalls and specialist shops in central Italian towns such as Ariccia.

The home version uses pork belly instead of a whole pig, but retains the idea of surrounding pork with fennel, rosemary and garlic. At weekend gatherings of family and friends, it is eaten thinly sliced in bread or in courses ranging from antipasto to secondo.

Today, porchetta belongs both to festivals and to Italy’s street-corner panino culture. The home version scales that wider food culture into a form readily reproduced in an oven.

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