Porchetta Free Range

SLOW ROAST ~ ITALIAN CLASSIC - FREE RANGE

A true Italian classic, perfect for a special occasion.

We use free-range, traditional breed pork, reared in Suffolk.

The Pork loin with belly still attached, is boned out, scored, butterflied and seasoned with wild organic fennel pollen (sourced from a friend over in Ronciglione, near Viterbo in the Lazio region). The joint is rolled and tied ready for the oven.

I would suggest around 300g per person, so our 2KG joint would feed around 6 (it all depends how hungry everyone is!)

Cook long, long and slow.......

• Remove the porchetta from any packaging.  Place in the fridge uncovered for 12 hours or so) this helps to ensure the skin is good and dry.
• Pre heat your oven to about 200-220c. 
• Rub your porchetta with a generous amount of crunchy sea salt flakes.  Make sure the salt really gets into the skin.
• Slice a couple of fennel bulbs and lay in the bottom of a deep oven dish. Put the porchetta on top (coarsely chopped mixed veg would work too)
• Pop into the the oven and cook for 30 minutes. 
• Reduce the temperature to 150 degrees, and roast for around 20 minutes per 500g.
• Have a peek when there are 20 minutes of cooking time remaining, if you are worried the crackling isn't crackling enough, turn up the heat to 220ºC. Or turn down if it's crackling too much!
• Once cooked (an internal temperature of 65-70 degrees C) remove from the oven and rest on a wooden board for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• Carve into slices, and plate up with some of the roasted fennel. Delicious in a baguette too!

This is some recent feedback on how one of our customers, Mr Owen, recently cooked their joint:

"We ate this order yesterday. It fed 9 very generously. Everyone raved over the quality - really excellent

Cooked as follows:

• 36 hours uncovered in the fridge on a rack. It dripped a little but not excessively.
• In the oven at 08.30am on a raised rack in a roasting tin with water.
• 20 minutes at 220 degrees.
• 3 hours 10 minutes at 150 degrees. Internal temperature reached about 70 degrees.
• 30 minutes at 250 degrees (for crackling).
• 40 minutes resting under a loose sheet of silver foil.
• Eaten at 1.10pm