Porchetta - another variation>>>

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   Porchetta!

   I have made this wonderful Pork dish a few times now.  The first few times I used Margi's nonna's recipe for Ariccia, Lazio Porchetta Roast.  If you haven't cooked this recipe yet, please do...it is wonderful!  You can also find a wonderful recipe and tutorial/pictorial from Tas in his First Pochetta Roast thread.

    Porchetta is a wonderful pork treat, that I have been finding has many different variations...as far as I'm concerned, each version is note worthy.  Below is the recipe I made today at work, it's a mix of many different styles I've come across (tv and internet) since that first time I made  Margherite's Awesome Porchetta Roast.  

  This recipe I made today starts with a Spice-Rubbed Pork Belly that is wrapped around an Herb Rubbed Pork Loin.  Left to sit overnight, then slow roasted (uncovered) in the oven until the last 30 minutes...where you turn the temp up and finish off the skin of the pork belly.  What you end up with is a moist  Herb rubbed roast surrounded by slow roasted Crispy skin pork belly.

  Porchetta - again...

Whole skin-on Pork Belly
Spice Rub - 1/3 cup salt. 1 TBS toasted Roasemary, Toasted Fennel, Black Pepper. Red pepper Flakes to taste
Pork Loin Roast
Herb Blend -  Flat Parsley, Fresh Roasemary, Sage, Fennel Fronds and some of the Bulb, Shallots, fresh garlic.  Oil, half lemon juice, zest and salt.

  Score the skin side of the whole skin-on pork belly.  Blend Spice Rub together and work half into the inside of the belly. 
  Next ground the Herb Blend up with a mortar and pestle or in a small processor to a paste, adding as much olive oil as needed.  Rub this herb blend around the entire Pork Loin.
  Place the Pork Loin on the (skin down) pork belly.  You will now wrap the belly around the Loin and tie using butchers string.  Rub the entire outside with Olive Oil and work the remaining Spice Rub into the Skin side of the Belly.
   Place in a container, inside the refrigerator, and let rest at least overnight.  

   Preheat oven to 275f, place Roast in roasting pan uncovered until temperature comes up to 155f.  Then turn oven up to 450f and finish browning the skin, rotating as necessary to get nice doneness without burning one of the sides (maybe 30 min more).  (Cooking time on the roast will vary greatly from roast to roast.  Size of roast will largely determine the cooking time.  I used a Pork Loin Blade Roast to get some of the nice darker pork meat mixed with the white pork.  These pork loins are large and total cooking time can be as much as 6 hours at 275f.  You can also use one of the tenderloin cuts that will greatly reduce the time to reach 155f.)
  Some things to note are that you want to use a deep enough roasting pan so the juices/fat do not over flow.  Also, I baste my roasts alot while cooking.  You can start off by using stock or wine until you get the pan juices running into the pan.  

Tasso Ham Brussel Sprouts on the side (Fresh Brussels, Lemon, Fresh Garlic, Sage, Bay leaves, Salt, pepper, Red Pepper Flakes, Tasso Ham, Butter - 350f 45 min or until tender...then serve or place in uncovered dish and return to 400f oven to caramelize a bit)