Porchetta (Italian Pork Roast)

Porchetta could quite possibly be the most delicious pork roast I have ever had

Simply put, Porchetta is a roasted loin of pork stuffed with fresh herbs, garlic and lemon zest

It is so flavorful on it’s own but I have to say the left overs make an incredible sandwich

Here is my take on Porchetta

Here I start out with a 4 pound pork loin that I have filleted

You can have your butcher do this

I’m going to lay this fat side down on the cutting board and I’m going to drizzle it with some extra virgin olive oil

Next we are going to place 4-5 cloves of garlic in a food processor and chop them finely

Rub the garlic all over the pork

Next we will need 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground black pepper plus the zest from 1 lemon

Sprinkle the salt, pepper and zest over the pork

Now for the herbs

We are using 1 tablespoon each of parsley, oregano, rosemary, sage and chives

Remove the rosemary and oregano leaves from the stems (discard the stems) and place all the herbs in a pile

Give them a nice chop and sprinkle over the pork

Time to rock and roll

Or just roll that is

Starting from the thinner side of the roast, roll it tightly towards the other side

Roll, roll and roll!

If you have done it right you should end up with the fat cap of the roast back where it belongs

Next I’m going to score the fat cap in two opposite directions (try to not cut into the meat)

This will help the fat render

Tie this bad boy up and snip off the extra string

Next we will need 2 teaspoons each of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder

We will also need 1 tablespoon of paprika

Sprinkle the outside of the roast with the seasonings

Preheat your oven to 350 F

Even though we are cooking the roast in the oven we are first going to sear it on the stove top

This will help form a crust that will seal in the meats juices

Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in an oven proof pan

Once the pan is lightly smoking add in the roast fat cap side down

Cook 2-4 minutes, then turn

Repeat until all sides are seared

Then remove the roast from the pan and set aside

I like to lay a bed of veggies into the bottom of the pan for the roast to lay on while cooking

This will keep the roast from sticking to the bottom of the pan and will help add great flavor to the gravy later on

Peel and slice the onion and slice the celery

You can slice the carrots without peeling as we are using the veggies for flavor and discarding afterwards

I peeled the onion just to avoid picking onion skins out later

Lay these into the bottom of the pan

Lay your roast on top of the veggies

Then pour in 2 cups of chicken stock into the pan

To make your own chicken stock, click on our link below

Homemade Chicken Stock

Place into the oven and roast for around 1 hour or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast registers 145 F

Remove from the oven

Remove the roast to a cutting board and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing

While the meat is enjoying a well earned rest lets work on some gravy

Strain the liquid from the vegetables into a saucepan and add 2 tablespoons of Gravy Master

In another pan melt 2 tablespoons of butter

Whisk in 1/4 cup of flour and cook the mixture until lightly browned

Whisk this into the gravy

Bring the gravy to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes until nicely thickened

Time to slice this delicious roast

Remove the string and discard

Starting on one end using a sharp knife, start cutting very thin slices

Serve this with the delicious gravy!

Enjoy!!!

Tools used to make this recipe

ZELITE INFINITY Boning Knife 6 inch

KitchenAid 3-Speed Hand Blender – Contour Silver

Lodge Cast Iron Pan

Architec Gripperwood Gourmet Sheesham Cutting Board, 10 by 15-Inch

Simply Bamboo Cutting Board

Pyrex 3-Piece Glass Measuring Cup Set

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