Festive porchetta

The cook

1. 01

   Step 1PREP THE BELLY

   Start the day before cooking. Pat the pork thoroughly dry and lay it skin-side up. Use a sharp knife to score the skin in shallow parallel lines about 1 cm apart, cutting through the skin but not into the meat. Turn it over and lightly score the flesh to help the seasoning get a grip.

2. 02

   Step 2BUILD THE FILLING

   Toast the fennel seeds and peppercorns in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes, until fragrant. Crush coarsely, then mix with the garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme, orange zest, chilli flakes, 20 ml olive oil and 15 g salt. It should smell outrageously good already.

3. 03

   Step 3ROLL AND DRY

   Rub the filling across the flesh, working it into the cuts and keeping it off the skin. Roll tightly into a log with the skin outside, then secure with butcher’s string every 3 cm. If skin gets tucked inside the seam, trim that hidden strip of skin away first, leaving the flesh intact. Rub the remaining 10 g salt over the outside. Set on a rack over a tray and refrigerate uncovered for 12–24 hours, away from ready-to-eat food. This drying time is additional to the active prep time.

4. 04

   Step 4SORT THE FIRE

   Set up a kettle BBQ or kamado for indirect cooking at 160°C, with a drip tray beneath the cooking position. On a kettle, bank the charcoal to either side; on a kamado, fit the heat deflector. Allow the temperature to settle with the lid shut. You need steady roasting heat, not flames licking the pork.

5. 05

   Step 5ROAST IT GENTLY

   Blot any moisture from the pork skin without washing off the salt, then rub with 10 ml olive oil. Put the porchetta seam-side down over the drip tray and close the lid. Cook at 160°C for roughly 3½–4 hours, rotating the joint occasionally for even colour. Start checking the centre after 3 hours with a probe thermometer, avoiding pockets of fat.

6. 06

   Step 6CHECK THE MIDDLE

   Aim for 80–82°C in the centre before the hot finish. Because this is rolled pork, check several central spots and make sure they have reached at least 75°C for 30 seconds. The higher finishing temperature is about tender belly, not just safety. If the centre is lagging, keep cooking gently; thickness matters more than the clock.

7. 07

   Step 7CRACKLE TIME

   Raise the BBQ to 230–240°C while keeping the pork over indirect heat. Roast for another 20–30 minutes, checking every 5–10 minutes and rotating as needed, until the skin is blistered and crisp and the centre is around 85°C. A probe should slide into the meat with little resistance. Keep an eye on the drippings and never leave this hot stage unattended. If your BBQ cannot hold that heat safely, finish on a rack over a roasting tray in a preheated 240°C conventional oven.

8. 08

   Step 8REST WITHOUT STEAM

   Transfer to a board or rack and rest uncovered for 30 minutes somewhere warm and draught-free. Don’t wrap it in foil — trapped steam softens that hard-earned crackling. The rest lets the juices settle and makes the rolled belly much easier to carve.

9. 09

   Step 9CARVE AND GET STUCK IN

   Snip off the string and use a sharp serrated knife to cut through the crackling, then slice the meat into generous rounds. Serve with roast potatoes, charred greens and something sharp, such as apple sauce or a mustardy slaw. Rich pork loves a bit of bite alongside it.