Porchetta Umbra

Name: Porchetta Umbra
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 2 h 50 min
Total time: 3 h 25 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Umbra
Ingredients: 2.5 kg pork belly with loin attached; 35 g coarse sea salt; 15 g Black peppercorns; 12 g wild fennel seeds; 5 g wild fennel pollen; 6 cloves Garlic; 10 g Fresh rosemary; 100 ml Dry white wine

Porchetta Umbra is slow-roasted rolled pork belly and loin seasoned heavily with wild fennel, garlic, black pepper, and salt until the skin turns into blistered crackling.

🇮🇹Italy· Umbria

Prep: 35 min
Cook: 170 min
Total: 205 min
Servings: 8
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 620 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 8 gathered

Servings

2½ kg pork belly with loin attached — skin on, boneless, trimmed flat
35 g coarse sea salt — measured accurately for proper curing
15 g Black peppercorns — coarsely cracked in a mortar
12 g wild fennel seeds — lightly toasted and crushed
5 g wild fennel pollen — or tender wild fennel fronds
6 cloves Garlic — finely minced to a paste
10 g Fresh rosemary — leaves finely chopped
100 ml Dry white wine — Umbrian Grechetto or Trebbiano

Equipment

•Kitchen string
•Roasting tin with wire rack
•Sharp boning knife
•Mortar and pestle
•Meat thermometer

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 620 kcal
fat: 50 g
carbs: 1 g
fibre: 1 g
protein: 42 g
calories: 620 kcal

Instructions

1
Score the pork skin in a tight diamond pattern without cutting into the flesh.
2
Lay the meat skin-side down on a clean board and open out any thick pockets.
3
Pound the salt, cracked pepper, garlic, rosemary, fennel seeds, and fennel pollen together.
4
Splash the white wine over the flesh and rub the seasoning paste evenly into every fold.
5
Roll the belly tightly around the inner loin to form a uniform, compact log.
6
Tie the roll securely with butcher's string at two-centimetre intervals along its full length.
7
Wipe the skin thoroughly dry with kitchen paper and rest uncovered in the fridge overnight.
8
Place the porchetta on a wire rack set over a roasting tin.
9
Roast at 150 degrees C for two and a half hours until the core reaches 72 degrees C.
10
Raise the oven to 230 degrees C for twenty minutes until the skin blisters into crisp crackling.
11
Rest the meat on a board for thirty minutes before slicing with a serrated knife.

Chef's tips

Leave the tied roll uncovered in the refrigerator overnight so the skin dries completely, which guarantees crisp crackling. Do not salt the outer skin with coarse crystals before roasting, as this can make the crackling tough rather than brittle. Always use a serrated bread knife to slice through the crackling cleanly without crushing the tender meat beneath.

Ingredient substitutions

wild fennel pollen → an extra teaspoon of crushed wild fennel seeds and minced fresh dill tops
pork belly with loin attached → a whole boneless pork belly rolled around a trimmed pork tenderloin

Storage

Store chilled slices in an airtight container for up to three days, keeping leftover crackling separately in a dry paper bag.

Reheating

Reheat slices gently in a moderate oven at 160 degrees C wrapped loosely in parchment, crisping crackling briefly under a hot grill.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Tying the meat too loosely, which allows steam inside and prevents the roll from holding together when sliced
•Covering the meat with foil during cooking, which traps moisture and ruins the crisp crackling
•Carving the pork immediately without resting, which causes all the flavourful juices to bleed onto the board

Serving suggestions

Carved into thick rounds and stuffed into warm Umbrian torta al testo flatbreadServed warm at room temperature with crusty rustic bread and pickled chilliesAccompanied by bitter sautéed wild chicory and a glass of Sagrantino di Montefalco