Porchetta from the rotisserie

Crispy Italian Pork Belly from the Fire

Porchetta is a traditional Italian rolled pork roast made from pork belly. The name translates to "little pig". Typical for this dish is the combination of juicy meat, aromatic herbs and a crispy rind.

Porchetta is particularly impressive when prepared on a rotisserie over an open fire or on the grill. The slow rotation cooks the meat evenly, while the rind gradually becomes crispy.

Here we show you a classic variant on a rotisserie over a fire bowl.

Which meat is suitable for Porchetta?

For a classic Porchetta, pork belly with rind is used.

It is important that:

• The rind should not be too thick
• It must face outwards so it can get crispy
• The belly should be as evenly cut as possible

This way, a nice crust will form later and the meat will remain juicy.

Ingredients

4.5 kg pork belly with rind

4–5 cloves of garlic

5 tbsp coarse sea salt

3 tsp fennel seeds

2–3 tbsp dried tomato pieces

2–3 tbsp roasted onions

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp thyme

Kitchen twine for tying

Optional
fresh herbs such as rosemary or thyme

Preparation

1. Prepare the pork belly

Cut the pork belly open flat on the meat side to create as even a surface as possible.

Score the rind in a diamond pattern with a sharp knife, without cutting into the meat.

Place the belly on the work surface rind side down.

2. Make the spice mix

Lightly dry-roast the fennel seeds in a pan until fragrant.

Then crush them in a mortar with the coarse sea salt, oregano, rosemary, and thyme.

Finely chop the garlic.

3. Fill the Porchetta

Distribute the spice mix, garlic, dried tomato pieces, and roasted onions evenly over the meat side.

Now tightly roll up the pork belly so that the rind is on the outside.

Tie it firmly with kitchen twine at intervals of about 3–4 cm, so that the roast keeps its shape during grilling.

Grilling Porchetta on a rotisserie

Light a strong fire in the fire bowl and then let a uniform bed of embers form.

Place the porchetta roast in the middle of the rotisserie and secure it firmly.

Place a drip pan for fat under the roast.

The roast should not hang directly in the flame, but rather cook over the embers.

As a guideline:
If you can hold your hand over the embers for about 3–4 seconds, the temperature is ideal.

Now slowly rotate and grill the porchetta for about 5–6 hours, until:

• the rind is crispy
• the core temperature reaches about 75–80 °C

Resting time

After grilling, let the roast rest for 10 minutes so that the meat juices can distribute.

Then slice and serve.

Serving suggestions

Porchetta goes perfectly with:

• Ciabatta or rustic bread
• Roasted potatoes
• Mediterranean grilled vegetables
• a fresh salad

Thanks to BBQ Ömer for the Porchetta tips!