Porchetta all'Italiana — Herb-Rolled Slow-Roasted Pork

Instructions

1. The day before: score the pork skin in a 1 cm crosshatch pattern with a sharp knife, cutting through the skin but not the fat. Lay the pork belly flat, flesh-side up.
2. Combine the fennel, rosemary, garlic, black pepper, chilli flakes and lemon zest with 20 ml olive oil to make the herb paste. Spread generously over the entire flesh surface.
3. Roll the pork tightly from one of the long sides, making a compact cylinder. Tie firmly with butcher's twine at 3 cm intervals. Rub the skin with the remaining olive oil and the coarse sea salt, working it into the score marks.
4. Place uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator overnight — this dries the skin for maximum crackling.
5. Preheat oven to 220 °C. Roast the porchetta at high heat for 30 minutes until the skin begins to blister.
6. Reduce to 160 °C and continue roasting for 3–3.5 hours until the internal temperature reaches 72 °C. If the crackling softens, return to 220 °C for the final 15 minutes.
7. Rest for 20 minutes before slicing. Serve in rounds on bread rolls or as a centrepiece with roasted potatoes.

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