Monster Porchetta (what have I done?)

[j biesinger]

For those of you keeping score, I'm currently in the middle of a four day smoke streak as I prep for a week on the scenic Lake George.
Tuesday was pastrami.
Wednesday was a comp rib practice.
Thursday was jerky.
And tonight, I pulled out a belly and a half that will get smoked tomorrow and a half a pork loin (for peameal bacon) from the cure. Oh, and I did this:

so, now you know why I'm only smoking 1.5 bellies and only cured 0.5 pork loins.

The sausage is homemade fennel, the stick was frozen for easier insertion.

The rub (Porchetta salt) was purchased from a joint in NYC called Porchetta. I'm going to cover the outside fat with a lot more of it.

And yes, my scale maxed out at 10 lbs, so I don't know how big it actually is.

Finally, I have no idea how to cook it. I think I'm going to put it in a med oven for the afternoon, so I can relax out on a boat, and roll it around a camp fire before eating. I don't want to overcook the center, yet I do want the belly to render out some.

Wish me luck!

 

[Wolgast]

Looks really good JB.

Keep us updated!

 

[j biesinger]

Keep us updated!

will do. It won't be cooked until sometime next week and then I won't be back until sat.

 

[Glenn W]

Looks great j, I will be watching for the finished results!

 

[G Dechaine]

I know you'll keep us updated, but I can't tell you how eager I am to see the rest of the pics. Porchetta has been at the top of my to-do list for quite a while now.

I would do it in the WSM, high heat, no wood chunks, just charcoal. Aim for 350. I'd even start higher, try to crisp render more fat. I'd be tempted to prick or score the skin.

 

[Jon Des.]

Wow! Can't wait to see that beast finished. Is the stick in the middle the same sausage as the rest of the filling?

 

[j biesinger]

Is the stick in the middle the same sausage as the rest of the filling?

yes.

I would do it in the WSM, high heat, no wood chunks, just charcoal. Aim for 350. I'd even start higher, try to crisp render more fat. I'd be tempted to prick or score the skin.

Smoke'em if you got'em.

I did mention that I'm cooking this on an island in Lake George, right?

I wasn't even going to ask my father-in-law if he'd be willing to carry a wsm in his boat, trailered for 6 hours, and another 30 min over the lake. My buddy, who's letting us stay at the place, was talking about bringing in a smoker, but I didn't push the issue considering the effort involved in getting things to his place. Besides, I'm no one trick pony, I can cook indoors too

.

I'm going to have an oven in the house to work with, which is cool by me, and a camp fire.

And it's actually skinless belly. It seems like skin is pretty much required for porchetta, however its what I was working with. No two porchetta recipes are the same, so I figured its fair game (like ramming a link right down the center).

 

[Gary H. NJ]

You're killing me Jeff. Unbelievable. I'm considering driving up to your lake and crashing the party. Hey, I can prep and cook as directed! Sounds like a real fun time. I think we can all relate: sometimes the best vacation is peace and quiet with some friends, your WSM and plenty of meat.
btw, I love the last pic of the scale screaming Uncle!!
Cheers! - Gary

 

[Scooter B]

Wow... all i can say is wow.

I'm trying to get my head around how you are going to render enough fat from that belly without really overcooking the loin. Granted the loin is going to be basted in copious fat.... can I come just watch?? haha

 

[j biesinger]

Gary, you got it all right except for the wsm. I did all the smoking last week so I could keep it at home.

The place is beatiful. We split tons of oak and cook a tenderloin so I got some practice in before tomorrow and the porchetta.

Scooter, don't think I thought this through. Pretty much I'm just focusing on getting the whole thing to temp in time for dinner, while I'm on the lake.

 

[j biesinger]

Success!

She spent 3 hours in a 300* oven and got to 150* internal. I finished her over the camp fire along with some onions and fennel. The slices held together perfectly (I'm glad I decided not to stuff the veggies inside but serve them on top). The loin was a tad overdone, but the crispy, fatty belly, sausage, and grilled veggies made up the difference so the forkful was pretty much perfect.

out of the oven:

on the fire:

sliced:

oh, the lake was nice too

 

[Jim Lampe]

"...pretty much perfect."

Modesty gets you nowhere... Jeff, That Looks IDEAL!
AWESOME!!

 

[j biesinger]

Modesty gets you nowhere... Jeff, That Looks IDEAL!
AWESOME!!

Thanks Jim. But I am my worst critic

 

[Wolgast]

That looks fantastic.

I would like a big plate and sit by the lake to watch that sunset.

Great cook and pictures J

Thx for sharing

 

[K Kruger]

Very nice. Did you like the flavor?

 

[JimK]

Awesome. Simply awesome.

And the food looks pretty good too.

 

[j biesinger]

Very nice. Did you like the flavor?

Not much not to like! The purchased "porchetta salt" was great (that's why we bought it). I saved some, so I may see if I can clone it.

And the sausage came out pretty good as well:

2500 g ground pork
44 g salt
18 g fennel seed
14 g chopped fresh parsley
9 g coriander seed
7 g black pepper
1 g gran garlic
200 ml water

I only wish I could have gotten this thing on a roti but my current set up requires a foot or so of top soil which the island lacked. And I got to work on grilling fennel, any tips?