Satisfy your taste for something special with this savory grilled Porchetta! This succulent Italian classic is the perfect marriage of juicy, delicious pork flavor and wood smoked aroma. Ready for a taste like no other? Fire up your grill and let the mouthwatering begin!
WHAT YOU’LL LOVE
- Belly and loin rolled together: The pork loin rolls up inside the belly, so the fat bastes the lean loin as it cooks while the belly’s skin stays on the outside.
- Garlic, rosemary, and lemon filling: A thin layer of minced garlic, rosemary, lemon zest, and Italian seasoning on the meat before rolling flavors every slice.
- Scored, salted skin: Scoring the skin and rubbing smoked finishing salt into the cuts helps it render and crisp.
- Hot oil finish: Ladling 400°F oil over the cooked roast blisters the skin into crackling in minutes.
Grilled Porchetta
Tom Jackson
Rated 3.9 stars by 7 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
Italian
Servings
45
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours 3 minutes
Calories
602
Porchetta is an Italian classic, and for good reason! This savory, juicy, delicious cut of meat is the stuff pork lover’s dreams are made of! Fire up the Yoder Smokers Pellet Grill, it’s Grilled Porchetta time!
Ingredients
- 14 lb porchetta roast (belly and pork loin attached)
-
extra virgin olive oil
-
Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning
- fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup minced garlic
- 1/2 cup minced rosemary
- zest of 2 lemons
-
Noble Saltworks Pecan Smoked Flaked Finishing Salt
- 1 quart vegetable oil
Directions
Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640 Pellet Grill to 400ºF.
Rub a layer of extra virgin olive oil over the meat surfaces of the porchetta. Season with Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning and fresh ground black pepper. Spread the minced garlic all over the meat. Sprinkle the minced rosemary and lemon zest over the surface.
Starting at the loin, roll the porchetta up. Tie butchers twine around the porchetta to hold everything together. Score the skin with a sharp knife. Rub Noble Saltworks Pecan Smoked Flaked Finishing Salt into the skin and score marks.
Place the tied up porchetta on a wire rack over a sheet pan. This will catch the fat as it drips out of the roast, and prevent a possible grease fire in the grill. Transfer the pan to the main cooking grate of the grill.
- Cook the porchetta until the internal temperature reaches 145ºF in the center, about 3 hours. Remove from the grill.
- Heat the quart of vegetable oil to 400ºF. Carefully ladle the hot oil over the surface of the roast, crisping the skin. Be careful not to overflow the sheet pan.
- Let the porchetta rest for 30 minutes before slicing.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
What is a porchetta roast?
Porchetta is an Italian roast made by rolling a pork loin inside a piece of pork belly with its skin, then tying it. This recipe uses a 14 lb roast with the belly and loin attached.
Why roll the loin inside the belly?
The fatty belly bastes the lean loin as the roast cooks, so the loin stays juicy while the skin crisps on the outside.
Why score the skin and rub salt into the cuts?
Scoring lets fat render out and gives the skin more edges to crisp. Salt pulls out moisture, which helps the skin dry and blister.
Why put the roast on a wire rack over a sheet pan?
The rack lifts the roast out of its own drippings, and the pan catches the rendered fat. That keeps fat from dripping onto the grill and starting a grease fire.
What internal temperature should the porchetta reach?
Cook it until the center reaches 145°F, the USDA minimum for whole-muscle pork, which takes about 3 hours at 400°F. Rest the roast for at least 3 minutes. This recipe rests it for 30.
Why ladle hot oil over the finished roast?
The 400°F oil rapidly puffs and blisters the skin into crackling. It's the quick finish that makes the skin crisp after hours of roasting.
How do I handle the hot oil safely?
Wear heat-resistant gloves, heat the oil in a deep, sturdy pot, and keep water away from it. Ladle slowly over a stable pan with enough room to hold the oil and the rendered fat, and never overfill the sheet pan.
Why rest the porchetta for 30 minutes?
Resting lets the juices settle back into the meat and the skin set, so the roast slices cleanly instead of leaking onto the board.
How should I slice it?
Use a sharp, serrated knife and press down firmly through the crackling to get through the skin without crushing the meat.
How should I store leftovers?
Refrigerate the sliced porchetta within 2 hours. It keeps for about 3-4 days, and reheating it in a hot oven brings the skin back to some crispness.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5. A 400°F oven can roast a roast this size to the same temperature, though you'd lose the wood smoke, and the hot oil step needs the same precautions indoors.
Recipe Highlights
Belly-wrapped loin: Keeps lean pork juicy.
Garlic, rosemary, and lemon: Flavor every slice.
Scored, salted skin: Renders and crisps.
Hot oil finish: Blisters the skin into crackling.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 5.1 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 602
- Carbs
- 5 grams
- Protein
- 45 grams
- Fat
- 40 grams
- Sodium
- 1693 milligrams
