But first let’s understand what this crispy, bubbly, crackly skin is all about. Essentially what this represents is a second degree burn of the pork skin. We have to have expose the skin to enough heat to burn through the thick layer of skin to get bubbly blisters without charring it. At the same time, this heat will render out fat and contract the skin, resulting in the desirable hardened and crackly and not rubbery texture. The second key step is to make the skin as dry as possible. Leaving the skin to dry overnight or 24 hrs in the fridge while the dry seasoning rub permeates on the belly side helps both in terms of crackly skin and flavor. Finally, scoring the skin helps render the fat, also helping to crispen the skin. However, there are also many ways to score the skin from diamonds to simple slits, to tiny pricks with nails. There is no one correct way, but we like to keep the skin intact so we use the tip of a sharp knife to prick the skin all over (some Asian markets sell meat tenderizers embedded with many nails).
A traditional porchetta is rubbed with a spice blend of garlic, rosemary, and fennel. But typically for our holiday parties there is always a dichotomy of traditional “American” vs. traditional “Vietnamese/Asian.“ So to appease everyone, we instead rubbed it with a spice rub highlighted by 5 spice powder. But feel free to substitute your spices and try our roasting method. We also brined the pork tenderloin, but this step is optional, especially if you are salt adversed.
Porchetta
Printable Recipe
3-4 lb slab of pork belly
2 lb pork tenderloin, cut to same length of the pork belly
spice rub
2 tbs Morton kosher salt
1 tbs 5 spice powder
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tbs garlic powder
1/2 tbs pepper
1/4 tbs ginger powder
optional brine solution
1/4 cup Morton kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tbs of seasoning rub above
2 quarts water
additional supplies: butchers twine, roasting rack
Using clean small nail or safety pin, prick the skin side of the pork belly all over. Rub the meat side of the pork belly along with the sides and ends generously with the spice rub. Rub off any spices that get onto the skin. Line baking tray with foil and place on tray and refrigerate uncovered over night or up to 24 hrs. If you are also brining the loin, prepare the solution in a non-reactive plastic container until dissolved and brine overnight (we take it out of brine overnight, about 8 hrs, regardless if we dry the pork for 24hrs). If you don’t brine the loin, rub generously with spices and cover refrigerated with plastic wrap.
On day of cooking, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Take your pork belly and loin and tie in a roast (for examples look here and here) trimming any excess if necessary and rub additional spices on the ends of the loin. Tie it snug but not too tight. Place on roasting rack and roast until skin is golden brown (if necessary, rotate the roast periodically to make sure there is even browning). Depending on size of your roast and thickness of the cuts, this takes about 45 minutes or so.
When the skin is golden brown, turn the oven to high broil. Place the porchetta as close as possible to the heating element and within minutes, the skin will become bubbly and crackle. Rotate as necessary to make sure skin is evenly bubbled and crackly. Do not leave the porchetta unattended. When finished, you can double check the internal tempurature of the loin with meat thermometer (145 for medium). Allow porchetta to rest about 15-20 minutes before carving. After carving, it’s also helpful to crack the pieces of skin with the the tip of your knife for easier consumption.
The crispy, crackly, and bubbly skin definitely passed the eye test of our finicky friends–and combining classic Italian porchetta with Vietnameses spices also passed the flavor test with flying colors. Serve alone with your favorite sides or with focaccia bread with caramelized onions and arugula, either way we think this will be one of the best pork roasts you’ll ever tried, perfect for the holidays or special occasions.