Agricola Porchetta
For our porchetta we use the whole pig. This is exclusively a seasonal dish we prepare for December and we have extra that we keep frozen and sell all the way to the end of February (if they last that long...).
First a brief explanation of what we did... and how much fun we had in the process!
It is simple to say ... not so simple to do. We basically butterflied the entire pig. Here is a picture:
Beautiful, ain't it? We removed all the bones and then rubbed salt, pepper, garlic and myrthl leaves. Now, I have to admit I deviated a little bit from traditions. You see ... each of my customer is purchasing a piece of porchetta (only two brave ones ordered the entire pig), so ... to make sure everyone gets to try the whole pig I cut the ends from the shoulders and from the legs and placed them inside so that ... at every cut you can taste the belly, loins, tenderloins, shoulder and hams! Brilliant (I think - I am sure some romans are cursing me right now for changing a medieval recipe). After this stage we rolled it, sowed it and tied it to make sure all the spices and loose ends will stay inside the porchetta while in the oven.
Now it is your turn ...
Okay, so this is where you come into the picture. I am giving you some suggestions here but feel free to deviate and have fun with this, especially if you are familiar with cooking meat. I am providing instructions for regular ovens, but there are OF course other options, including a spit over hot fire a rotisserie, or a wood oven. Temperatures for spit and wood ovens are different. I have no idea how to use a rotisserie so you are on your own with that one.
Here we go: your main weapon is a meat thermometer. If you do not have one, stop, run to the store and purchase one because without that you cannot make porchetta. You will also need half a bottle of wine (I prefer sweet white wine), 4 or 5 bay leaves (optional), a small sharp knife. For the sauce you can keep it simple and use the strained juices from the porchetta or you can make an apple sauce (see instructions below). You will also need some sort of side dish ... potatoes, greens ... anything that helps lube the massive meat you are about to serve your guests.
Take the porchetta out of the plastic bag and dry it. Let it stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Make sure you keep all the filling inside the porchetta.
Use a sharp knife to make several superficial cuts on the skin (you want to cut through the skin not the entire porchetta – maybe ½ inch deep). This allows the extra fat to come out of the porchetta as it cooks. The cuts also allow the skin to become more crunchy. Do not worry, there will be plenty of fat left inside.
Place a pan on the bottom level of the oven – to collect the juices coming from the porchetta. If you have a massive porchetta that took 2 people to carry out of the market, use 2 pans and place a piece of alluminum foil across the 2 pans so that the juices will not fall in betten. Add a glass of wine and a glass of water in each pan. The wine will make the skin even more crunchy. Some people also add bay leaves in the pan, I do not find a huge difference in flavor but… it cannot hurt.
Pre-heat oven to 240F. When the temperature is reached, place the porchetta directly on the grill of the oven right above the pan so that the porchetta will not touch the juices collected in the pan. Place an aluminum foil on top of the porchetta for the first hr (I forgot to do it one time and nothing bad happened) and remove it afterwards to allow the skin to become crunchy.
Cook about 25 min for each Lbs: so for a 10Lb porchetta you will cook it for 4 hrs – approximately – always use a thermometer and measure the inner part of the largest section. The porchettas varied a great deal in diameter so you will have to check every once in a while to see what works best for you. If you have a “fat” one, allow yourself an extra hour just in case you need it (i.e., do not place the 8Lb porchetta in the oven exactly 4 hrs before the guests arrive!). USDA suggests 145F for pork, I suggest 138F, because after you remove it from the oven it will continue to cook and reach over 140F and I always try to shoot for 140F.
Leave the porchetta out for at least 15 minutes, before you cut it.
You can serve it on potatoes, or polenta, or a bed of greens. Always add a sauce. You can use the juices from the porchetta – strain them before you use them on your meat, or you can make an apple-based sauce (see instructions below). If you have left overs, heat up a nice piece of bread and make a lovely panino (add juices or apple sauce as well) ... it is delicious!
Potatoes (patate arrosto) use small red potatoes cut in halves, sprinkle some salt and romesary, poor a little olive oil and place in the oven (hopefully there is space for one more dish in there) with the porchetta. Remove when they are golden.
Sweet potatoes could also go well with the porchetta (but I do not know how to cook them … they are a US root).
Apple sauce for the porchetta. Use some local apples remove the skin and the seeds. Cut in thin slices. Collect some of the juice from the porchetta that is happily roasting in the oven (this requires some skills or someone to help you remove the pan from underneath the porchetta while the other person is placing a new one in the oven). Strain the juices so that the lumps of fat remain in the strainer. Put the apples and the juices in a pan on medium heat on your stove and cook for 1hr. Smash with your fork or with a food processor. Serve on top of the slices of porchetta.
Here we go: your main weapon is a meat thermometer. If you do not have one, stop, run to the store and purchase one because without that you cannot make porchetta. You will also need half a bottle of wine (I prefer sweet white wine), 4 or 5 bay leaves (optional), a small sharp knife. For the sauce you can keep it simple and use the strained juices from the porchetta or you can make an apple sauce (see instructions below). You will also need some sort of side dish ... potatoes, greens ... anything that helps lube the massive meat you are about to serve your guests.
Take the porchetta out of the plastic bag and dry it. Let it stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Make sure you keep all the filling inside the porchetta.
Use a sharp knife to make several superficial cuts on the skin (you want to cut through the skin not the entire porchetta – maybe ½ inch deep). This allows the extra fat to come out of the porchetta as it cooks. The cuts also allow the skin to become more crunchy. Do not worry, there will be plenty of fat left inside.
Place a pan on the bottom level of the oven – to collect the juices coming from the porchetta. If you have a massive porchetta that took 2 people to carry out of the market, use 2 pans and place a piece of alluminum foil across the 2 pans so that the juices will not fall in betten. Add a glass of wine and a glass of water in each pan. The wine will make the skin even more crunchy. Some people also add bay leaves in the pan, I do not find a huge difference in flavor but… it cannot hurt.
Pre-heat oven to 240F. When the temperature is reached, place the porchetta directly on the grill of the oven right above the pan so that the porchetta will not touch the juices collected in the pan. Place an aluminum foil on top of the porchetta for the first hr (I forgot to do it one time and nothing bad happened) and remove it afterwards to allow the skin to become crunchy.
Cook about 25 min for each Lbs: so for a 10Lb porchetta you will cook it for 4 hrs – approximately – always use a thermometer and measure the inner part of the largest section. The porchettas varied a great deal in diameter so you will have to check every once in a while to see what works best for you. If you have a “fat” one, allow yourself an extra hour just in case you need it (i.e., do not place the 8Lb porchetta in the oven exactly 4 hrs before the guests arrive!). USDA suggests 145F for pork, I suggest 138F, because after you remove it from the oven it will continue to cook and reach over 140F and I always try to shoot for 140F.
Leave the porchetta out for at least 15 minutes, before you cut it.
You can serve it on potatoes, or polenta, or a bed of greens. Always add a sauce. You can use the juices from the porchetta – strain them before you use them on your meat, or you can make an apple-based sauce (see instructions below). If you have left overs, heat up a nice piece of bread and make a lovely panino (add juices or apple sauce as well) ... it is delicious!
Potatoes (patate arrosto) use small red potatoes cut in halves, sprinkle some salt and romesary, poor a little olive oil and place in the oven (hopefully there is space for one more dish in there) with the porchetta. Remove when they are golden.
Sweet potatoes could also go well with the porchetta (but I do not know how to cook them … they are a US root).
Apple sauce for the porchetta. Use some local apples remove the skin and the seeds. Cut in thin slices. Collect some of the juice from the porchetta that is happily roasting in the oven (this requires some skills or someone to help you remove the pan from underneath the porchetta while the other person is placing a new one in the oven). Strain the juices so that the lumps of fat remain in the strainer. Put the apples and the juices in a pan on medium heat on your stove and cook for 1hr. Smash with your fork or with a food processor. Serve on top of the slices of porchetta.
