Porchetta with Herbs and Citrus

Assess the amount of moisture in your pork belly skin. If it’s already quite dry, you can go ahead and start prepping your belly. If not, leave it for 24 hours in the fridge uncovered on a sheet tray, with the skin exposed.

When ready to start prepping, poke many tiny holes around the skin of your belly using the tip of a sharp pairing knife. Be careful to only pierce the skin - not the meat underneath. You want to go edge to edge, making as many holes as possible (a couple hundred or so). This will create the bubbly texture on the skin as it puffs up.

Toast your fennel seeds and peppercorns in a pan over low heat until fragrant. Once cool, transfer your spices to a spice grinder, and grind until semi-fine. Set to the side.

Remove the stems from your rosemary, thyme and sage. Finely chop your herbs with a knife. Add the zest of your lemons, and all of your garlic, finely minced. Combine everything together into one uniform seasoning mix.

Butterfly your pork belly, cutting exactly half-way through the belly, while leaving it attached at one end (see video for reference 0:18-0:19). Make a quick 2:1 mix of salt and sugar. Season your pork belly with an even sprinkle of this mix. Next, evenly distribute your ground fennel seed and black pepper. Lastly, spread your herb/lemon/garlic mix.

Tightly roll up your porchetta, starting from the non-skin side. Tie your porchetta tightly with butcher’s twine, starting from the middle, then alternate your twine on each side until you reach the end. Dry your porchetta overnight in the fridge uncovered.