Porchetta sandwich
An iconic Italian powerhouse sandwich featuring a slow-roasted pork belly with crispy skin, aromatic herbs, and citrus flavors. This traditional dish can be served hot fresh from the oven or at room temperature, making it versatile for any occasion.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- 2
Lay your pork belly out flat, underside up. Using a sharp knife, make incisions along the length of the belly, about 2 inches apart, making sure that you don't cut all the way through. Drizzle olive oil all over the pork belly, then add salt and black pepper.
- 3
Tear the leaves from 3 of the rosemary sprigs and roughly place them along the pork belly.
- 4
In a small bowl, mix together the orange zest, 3 of the smashed garlic cloves, the fennel seeds, 2 teaspoons of the pepperoncini oil, and the orange juice. Using your fingers, rub the mix all over the pork belly, making sure that you get some of the mixture into the incisions as well.
- 5
Roll your porchetta up super tight and use separate lengths of butchers twine to hold it together. Tie each knot about an inch apart. Generously season the outside of the porchetta with salt and pepper once completely tied and rolled.
- 6
Add the oranges you zested earlier, the lemon halves, jalapeños, and onion to a deep baking dish or drip tray. Add the remaining 2 sprigs rosemary and the remaining couple of cloves of garlic. Put your porchetta on top of everything and place it in the oven.
- 7
Cook until the internal temperature reaches 168°F, 2 hours. Remove the porchetta from the oven and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Timer: 2h - 8
While your porchetta is in the oven, bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add your rapini. Cover and allow it to blanch, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove, put into an ice bath, then squeeze out excess water. Set aside in the fridge for later.
Timer: 3m - 9
While the porchetta is resting, in a medium pot, heat the oil to 450°F. Ladle the burning oil over the porchetta to get the skin bubbly and crispy.
- 10
Chop your blanched rapini into small bite-size pieces and add to a separate bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons pepperoncini oil, the pickled pepperoncini, and salt and pepper to taste, then combine with your hands.
- 11
Spread a little mayonnaise on the bottommost half and top half of each soft bun. Add a small handful of rapini, then your sliced porchetta. Top with salsa verde.