Porchetta

Riffed on this recipe:

http://www.esquire.com/feature...ulder-recipe-ll-0407

but instead of the ground shoulder I used a lb of fennel sausage and a lb of blood sausage. The shoulder was probably closer to 6 lbs and the butcher did an indifferent job of butterflying it. It certainly wasn't an even thickness. Some recipes use boneless loin (wrapped in belly) instead of butt, so that's probably easier to even out and roll. Anyway, stuff, roll and truss and you get this:



My shoulder was in the six to seven range. Apply this:



And seven hours later, you get this:



Apply a knife and you end up with this:



If you notice in the recipe, it says cook the "loin" for 2 1/2 hrs to 160. I pushed this to get the butt as tender as I could and I figured with all that stuffing, there wasn't any way it could dry out. I was right. Therm read 205 by the time I took it off.

Used TJ natural briquets. Covered half the grate with unlit and then dumped a chimney of lit on top. Ran it pretty much untouched for 6 hrs and then transfered to a freshly fired kettle for the last hour. That really crisped up the skin.

Seriously, this may be the best thing I've ever taken off the grill. The stuffing, meat, cracklin' combination is heavenly. Everyone who likes pulled pork should give it a try. And it's so easy!

-Mike

I've posted the original recipe here.

Regards,
Chris

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Pork Shoulder alla Porchetta
By Mario Batali

Ingredients

<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>4 pounds boneless pork shoulder
<LI>Salt and pepper
<LI>1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
<LI>1 medium onion, thinly sliced
<LI>1 bulb fennel, fronds chopped and reserved, bulb thinly sliced
<LI>2 pounds ground pork shoulder (you can use already-made sausages if need be)
<LI>2 tablespoons fennel seeds
<LI>2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
<LI>2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
<LI>6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
<LI>2 eggs, beaten
<LI>4 red onions, halved[/list]Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Have your butcher butterfly pork shoulder to an even 1 inch thickness, you should have a flat piece of meat about 8 inches by 14 inches. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a sauté pan, heat olive oil until smoking. Add the onion and fennel bulb and sauté until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add ground pork, fennel seeds, pepper, rosemary and garlic and cook until the mixture assumes a light color, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Add chopped fennel leaves and eggs and mix well.

Spread the mixture over pork loin and roll up like a jelly roll. Tie with butchers twine and place in roast pan on top of halved red onions. Place in oven and roast for 2 1/2 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Remove and allow to rest for 10 to 20 minutes. Slice into 1 inch thick pieces and serve.

Hey M, thanks for the info. Porchetta is something that I've been meaning to check out, I never thought to make it myself. I'm going to have to do some research and try making it. THANKS!

Great looking porchetta! I've consumed my body weight X10 in porchetta over the years, and i'm only 28. Its one of things that my family always has been making ever since I can remember. Our recipe is similar, only instead of rosemary and fennel, ours is seasoned with garlic and fresh dill. WONDERFUL stuff, sliced thin on a crusty roll, man, that's livin'.

A friend made a porchetta where he replaced the shoulder with a pair of sous-vide cooked pork bellies. I think the filling was fresh Polish sausage, roasted Poblano/New Mexico/Anneheim chiles, and a European chile/garlic sauce.

I was running the smoker that day so it cooked around 230 with lump and a melange of woods (apple, cherry, oak, & hickory) until done.

Very tasty.

On the Iron Range of Northern Minnesota, where there is a large population of Italian Americans,it is spelled 'porketta' and isn't filled or stuffed. I learned from a college buddies mother while using their garage to swap out a transmission on my old car. I walked into the kitchen and thought 'This is what heaven smells like'. After numerous proddings, I was fortunate enough to be present in the preparation of this wonderful dish. She deboned and flattened out a shoulder roast (butt) so that it was only 1 inch thick at most anywhere. She then rubbed in a generous amount of seasonings and rolled it up like a cinnamon roll and tied it. This was cooked 'low and slow' in the oven and let stand to set when done. Tradition holds that this is then cooled and thinly sliced for rolls, but I can't let it cool; it is just too darn tasty! Spices include fennel, rosemary, parsley, garlic, bay, salt and pepper. Properly spiced, the roast is green and refrigerated over night to enhance the flavor. This has become one of our favorite dishes. In the north one can pick one up already spiced and tied, but we prefer the old fashioned way.

Thanks for posting. I'm inspired !

Wow...awesome. Making a porchetta has been on my to-do list forever now. You can feed a bunch of people, plus the leftovers are amazing.

Looks great,did this with a bone out pork loin.

Other herbs/spices inside,and it was a feast(be sure to go after meat temp in this lean cut)

But i also do this with boneless chicken breast,and even pork chops.

Will try the butt next time.

Skin look really good btw.

Bless