A traditional porchetta is a pork belly rolled and tied and slow roasted. I’ve seen whole hogs that are 90% deboned and rolled and tied too!
Now for this version – a boneless pork butt (from the shoulder) that is butterflied, seasoned, rolled and tied and slow roasted. This method is done by Italian-Canadians living in the northern Ontario city of Sudbury. Italians came to Sudbury primarily in the late 19th and early 20th century, drawn by copper and nickel farming.
Here in the Toronto area, the pork butts do not come with skin attached but many Asian markets here sell pieces of skin. A crucial part of porchetta is crispy skin, so topping and tying the skin brings the Sudbury version closer to the original.
Sudbury Style Porchetta
Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Moderate6
servings30
minutes2
hours40
minutesIngredients
1 boneless pork butt
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
zest of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbsp. ground fennel
white vinegar
Directions
- Season the inside of the pork butt with salt, pepper, garlic, lemon zest, rosemary, thyme and fennel. Roll up and season the outer part of the meat with salt and pepper.
- Place the pig skin on top and tie up with butcher’s twine. Place the porchetta in the fridge overnight or two days (this helps dry out the skin/achieve crispy skin).
- Take the pork out of the fridge and leave out for 90 minutes to return to room temperature. Pre-heat your oven to 400F.
- Rub the skin with vinegar then generously season with salt. Place a wire rack in a roasting pan and place pork on. Set the rack one slot below the middle and place pork in the oven. Roast uncovered for approx. 2 1/2 hours. Your skin should be crispy and the internal temperature should read 195F.
- Allow to rest 30 minutes. Cut strings off, take off the skin and set aside. Use a pastry brush to remove any excess salt off the crackling. Slice your pork and place on a platter. Break crispy skin into pieces and place on the platter with the pork.
Recipe Video
How to butterfly pork shoulderCuisine Fiend: An essential butchery skill, butterflying meat, comes into its own when preparing glorious Italian porchetta. Check out full recipe at https://www.cuisinefiend.com/771/porchetta