- Porchetta is a super salty, fatty, boneless pork roast
stuffed with tons of garlic, herbs and lemon.
It's so good.
(jazz music)
Hi, I'm Matthew Francis.
I'm a Tasty producer,
and I'm gonna show you how to make classic porchetta
from the Tasty Ultimate cookbook.
First, you're going to want to prep your pork belly
a full day before you cook the porchetta.
Now, I know this seems like a ton of sugar and salt,
but trust me.
Don't freak out.
You need this much of the seasoning
to flavor all of this meat.
And after it rests for a full 24 hours in the fridge,
you rinse off all the seasoning,
before it's ready to be cooked.
This process is called dry brining.
Dry brining the pork belly for a full 24 hours
really allows those flavor enhancers
to draw out moisture and soak into the meat.
Growing up, only my dad or my grandpa
could make the porchetta,
and they were watched like a hawk
by my super-Italian great grandma Lulu.
I was never allowed to even touch it.
But then, when I came back for Christmas,
after my freshman year of culinary school,
I challenged my dad that I could do a great job,
just like him.
Then, eventually, he gave in.
The whole family loved it.
They loved it,
but now, because of all that,
I have to make it, every single year.
This garlic herb and lemon paste is so flavorful.
As the porchetta slowly cooks in the oven,
it perfumes all of that meat,
and I can't even describe it.
It's incredible.
I moved far away from home,
to start working in restaurants, when I was 18,
and the only time I'm able to come home is for Christmas.
So, cooking food for my family is my way of
showing them how much they mean to me.
I love those bozos more than anything.
So, now, a fresh pork loin is wrapped up in this pork belly.
It allows the final product to have both
that super crispy skin you need, on the outside,
and perfect, tender, juicy pork in the center.
It is so important to tie your porchetta correctly.
I lay all the long strings of twine on the bottom,
place the porchetta on top
and then tie the meat by drawing the strings over,
creating a loop with two fingers,
to create a slipknot.
Tighten that as much as you can.
Then create a second knot to hold it in place.
This step is vital to making sure your pork cooks fully,
evenly and looks desirable when you try it
and wow your family at the dinner table.
Cut off the excess string,
and you're good to go.
If you tie a perfectly even porchetta,
it's just gonna make the end product so pretty.
So, now, the porchetta is ready to be cooked,
low and slow, in the oven.
Do this about, maybe four hours before your guests arrive.
That way, you're not stressed or in a rush,
when they show up.
Then you take it out,
get rid of some of that fat that will melt off.
And then you put it back in the oven,
at a higher temperature, for a short time,
to get that perfect, crispy skin.
This process is similar to reverse searing.
Reverse searing is a perfect trick
to cook expensive meats that you're scared to mess up
because you don't want it to be raw on the inside
or burned on the outside.
Since porchetta has a thick layer of fat and skin,
the intense, dry heat breaks open the fat cells
and puffs the skin up.
And that's how you get the beautiful crackling.
And then, by the time your family arrives
and their hungry, the porchetta should be rested
and ready to eat.
This bad boy is a showstopper, for sure.
Everyone is going to be like, "Oh, my God.
I can't believe you made that,"
but you can do it.
It's not that hard.
I know you can.
My family, we just eyeball everything,
so I'm just so excited we have the classic recipe
in our new cookbook, Tasty Ultimate.
It's good because my family will now stop arguing
about the minor details and just let me make it, in peace.
If you do get the book and make this porchetta,
let me know because, trust me,
you're never gonna want to go back to life without it.
It's that good.
The skin is so crispy it crunches.
The garlic and the herbs perfume the whole entire house,
and the center of that pork just melts in your mouth.
Every Christmas, I just have to have it.
It's perfect.
Oh, yes.
(jazz music)