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Ingredients:
2kg pork belly (boneless, rind off)
Sea salt flakes & freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp fennel seeds, crushed
Zest of 2 lemons
1 pkt fresh thyme
1 pkt fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 pkt fresh sage leaves, chopped
Specialist Kit:
Butchers string
Instant read thermometer
Method:
1. Setup your BBQ for 160 C indirect heat and preheat with the lid down.
2. Lay out the belly pork and season well with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Evenly scatter the crushed fennel seeds and lemon zest across the meat so there’s flavour in every taste.
3. Strip the thyme leaves off the woody sprigs and scatter over the pork, and do the same with the chopped parsley and sage.
4. Carefully roll the pork and its’ contents like a giant swiss roll, making sure to keep the roll nice and tight, and so that the join is on the underside.
5. Score the pork rind well using the tip of a
sharp knife and place on the rolled belly pork covering from end-to-end.
6. Tie the pork at 2-3 inch intervals. Start in the middle then both ends to help keep an even overall shape, and then tie the sections in-between. You want to hold the pork together, but be careful not to tie too tight.
7. Put the pork in a wire rack over the sink and pour a kettle of boiling water over the rind to help start the rendering process. This will begin to open the scores and warm the
sublayer of fat. Pat dry with a clean t-towel and rub generously with more sea salt flakes.
8. Put the porchetta on the barbecue over the area of indirect heat and close the lid. Cook for an hour and a half before checking the internal temperature using the instant read thermometer. Take readings in a few places to ensure that it’s cooked throughout and is 75 C at the deepest part.
9. Remove the porchetta from the BBQ and rest in a warm place under foil and a few towels for half an hour before carving.
BBQ Porchetta
This wonderful creation summons up rustic Tuscan dining at it's best,and just shows what is possible to cook on a BBQ. A great recipe from Richard Holden.
Richard Holden BBQ