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Porchetta is one of Italy's most celebrated festive foods, a centuries-old tradition of slow-roasting a whole deboned pig stuffed with rosemary, garlic, fennel seeds, and sage until the skin crisps into glassy crackling and the meat becomes impossibly tender. The most famous versions come from central Italy - Ariccia in the Castelli Romani hills near Rome and the towns of Umbria are particularly renowned - though Sardinia has its own proud tradition. Porchetta vendors are a fixture at Italian markets and sagre (village festivals), where the fragrant spit-roasted pig draws crowds from kilometers away. A crusty roll stuffed with sliced porchetta, known as a panino con la porchetta, is the definitive Italian street food experience.
Prep
60 min
Cook
270 min
Total
330 min
Servings
10 srv
Difficulty
Hard
Calories
450 kcal
For 10 serving(s)
Per serving
Lay the deboned pig flat, skin-side down. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the rosemary, garlic, fennel seeds, sage, salt, and black pepper into a coarse paste with a little olive oil.
Spread the herb paste generously over the entire inner surface of the pig, pressing it firmly into all the crevices and the meat.
Roll the pig tightly lengthwise into a cylinder and tie at regular intervals with butcher's twine to hold its shape securely during roasting.
Rub the outside skin with salt and olive oil. Allow to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Place on a rack in a large roasting pan. Roast at 220°C (430°F) for the first 30 minutes to blister and crisp the skin, then reduce to 160°C (320°F) for the remaining 3-4 hours until fully cooked.
Rest for 30 minutes before removing the twine and slicing. Serve with roasted potatoes, braised greens, and crusty bread.
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