Coastal Cocina herb rolled Porchetta

Coastal Cocina herb rolled Porchetta

This is a winner for large groups or for when you have friends over and want to enjoy the company. it takes a little bit of effort in pre-prep but when it is done the results are spectacular and the smell in the house will have your guests salivating. The best thing about this is the leftovers, Maria and I shave it thinly and serve it in a focaccia with truffle mayo, roasted peppers and rocket for something that all leftovers dream of one day becoming. The dish is an adaptation from an italian chef that I met on the boats and worked with, he is probably the most talented chef in his area of cooking that I know and can bring flavour out of the simplest ingredients like no other chef.

Note: you will need some trussing twine or butchers twine which you can get from the supermarket.

Ingredients:

Serves 3-4

1kg pork belly

1 granny smith apple grated

1 long red chilli grated or chopped finely

¼ bunch of sage

¼ bunch of parsley

3 stalks of rosemary

4-5 cloves of garlic crushed

3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tsp salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 140c

2. Remove all the leaves from the herbs and chop roughly

3. Mix the herbs with the crushed garlic, chilli, apple, olive oil and salt to create a herb rub.

4. Lay the pork belly on the skin, with the flesh side facing up and coat all of the flesh with the herb rub.

5. Roll the pork up with trapping all of the herb rub inside and now truss the pork by placing the string all the way around one end of the pork and securing tightly with a double knot. Now continue to tie these an inch apart all the way to the other end. ( if you want to do this a more cheffy way for a better look check out this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6-Qcdzsp8U&t=118s)

6. Now place the pork on a baking tray and into the oven, if you have a raised rack you can put the pork on this will help to brown the bottom and keep it out of its own juices.

7. After 2.5 hours remove the pork and clean any juices from the tray to ensure they don't burn in the next step. Place the pork back on the rack/tray when you are ready to eat turn the oven up to full and place the pork in until the skin becomes crunchy but without burning approximately 20min.

8. Take the pork out and remove any twine then serve.

Byron & María

The Coastal Cocina