Porchetta
June 8, 2014
Most recipes don't brine the pork, but because this is for thin slicing on sandwiches I thought the brine would be a great way to get the right texture and flavor throughout the meat.
After it brines for 2 days, it's time to wrap the thing. This is the most fun part of the whole process.
A nice pretty package.
After the pork is cooked and cooled, it is ready to be sliced.
Perfect slices of porky deliciousness.
I topped these sandwiches with a simple giardiniera/olive salad. I quick pickled cauliflower, carrot, and red pepper, and mixed it with olives and pepperoncini peppers.
These were the favorite sandwiches of the day by far! Stay tuned all week for more tasty sliced meats.
Porchetta
- Brine
- 1 Gallon Water
- 1.25 Cups Salt
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 1 Head Garlic
- 4 Branches Rosemary
- 3 Branches Oregano
- 10 Bay Leaves
- 2 Tablespoons Fennel
- 2 Tablespoons Peppercorns
- 2 Tablespoons Red Pepper Flake
- Pesto
- 5 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Tablespoons Salt
- 1 Branch Rosemary Picked
- 2 Branches Oregano Picked
- 25 Basil Leaves
- Other
- 8 Pound Pork Loin
- 12 Pound Pork Belly
- Butchers Twine
Instructions
- Put the water, sugar, and salt into a pot and bring to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add all the other ingredients. Let cool fully. Pour over the belly and loin. Brine for 2 days.
- In a food processor, process the pesto ingredients with a good amount of olive oil. I cut my pork belly and loin each in half to make 2 more manageable porchettas instead of one huge one. It also made everything fit better. Lay out the pork belly onto the counter and brush the herb mixture onto the pork. Place the loin on top of the belly and roll the belly around the loin. Use butchers twine to secure the pork (use this video as a guide if you don't know how to tie a roast). Roast at 325 for about 3 hours until you get an internal temp of 150 at the deepest center of the porchetta. Cool fully and slice thin for sandwiches!
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