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4.8 from 12 votes

Pork Belly Porchetta

This pork belly porchetta is a classic, comforting Italian classic made with pork belly infused with fennel, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and honey. You'll want to make it again and again.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
3 hrs 30 mins
Total Time
4 hrs
Servings: 8 to 12 servings
Calories: 1840 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 10 pounds skin-on, boneless pork belly butterflied in a single rectangular piece
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
  • 2 prigs thyme leaves stripped from the stems
  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped rosemary leaves
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • 10 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for the roasting pan
  • 6 tablespoons honey
  • Juice of 2 limes

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 475°F (250°C).
  2. Pat the pork belly dry and place it, skin side down, on a cutting board. Sprinkle the meat with pepper and half the salt and rub it in. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
  3. Sprinkle the thyme, rosemary, and fennel seeds over the pork and rub it in along with the garlic. Gently roll up the pork and tie it crosswise with pieces of butcher’s string at 1/2-inch (1-centimeter) intervals. Try to keep as much of the garlic and herb rub inside the pork as possible...although if a little filling spills out, it's not the end of the world.
  4. Coat a roasting pan with a little oil and place the pork in it. Using your hands, spread the remaining 1 tablespoon salt along with the 2 tablespoons oil all over the outside of the pork. Turn the pork seam side up. Roast the pork, uncovered, for 15 minutes, then turn it over and roast for another 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F (150°C) and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours more, until the center of the pork registers 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
  5. Remove the pan from the oven. Add the honey and lime juice to the pan drippings. If desired, while the pork is still in the roasting pan, turn to coat it with the pan juices and honey and lime juice, although this will elminate any chance of shatteringly crisp skin atop the roast. But it will be tasty. https://leitesculinaria.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=98646&action=edit#
  6. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
  7. Skim the fat from the surface of the cooking juices in the roasting pan and discard. Pour the juices into a warmed bowl and stir.
  8. Cut the pork into thick slices, discarding the butcher's string, and place on a platter. Pass the bowl of juices on the side.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1portion Calories 1840kcal (92%) Carbohydrates 16g (5%) Protein 32g (64%) Fat 183g (282%) Saturated Fat 66g (330%) Monounsaturated Fat 86g Cholesterol 243mg (81%) Sodium 1855mg (77%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 13g (26%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8to 12 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1840

% Daily Value*

Serving 1portion
Calories 1840kcal 92%
Carbohydrates 16g 5%
Protein 32g 64%
Fat 183g 282%
Saturated Fat 66g 330%
Monounsaturated Fat 86g 430%
Cholesterol 243mg 81%
Sodium 1855mg 77%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 13g 26%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.