Crunch Porchetta Sandwich
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If you like crunchy, flavor-packed pork with a tender inside, my Crunchy Porchetta Sandwich is for you.
This recipe is for 6 people. However, you can increase or decrease the amount of pork, planning on ½ pound per person.
Besides Cuso Cuts Seasonings, you can cut up fresh sage and lemon zest for another layer of flavor. For smoking wood, try apple or maple.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. Boneless pork belly, skin on
- Salt
- Olive tapenade
- Fresh basil
- Cuso Cuts Garlic and Onion Seasoning
- Cuso Cuts Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- Cuso Cuts Grass Seasoning
- Baguette
- 1 cup Chimichurri sauce
- White truffle oil (to taste)
- Arugula
- ½ freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Butcher’s twine
Instructions for Porchetta
- Cut the skin off the edge of the pork belly so it will roll up with no skin inside. You want all that skin on the outside for luscious crunchiness.
- Take out your aggression and start poking holes in the skin. LOTS of them, all over the surface of the skin.
- Cover the skin with salt.
- Put it in the refrigerator overnight
- Score the meat side of the pork in a crosshatch pattern. Be careful not to cut all the way through. This step allows the spices to infiltrate the meat while cooking.
- Evenly coat the meat with Cuso’s Grass, Lemon Pepper, and Roasted Garlic and Onion Seasonings.
- Spread out the tapenade
- Sprinkle basil (chiffonade cut)
- Tightly roll the pork, roulade-style, tying it every 1 ½ inches very tightly
- Smoke it at 250F for 4 hours. Internal temperature should be 160F.
- Turn your oven on to 500 degrees
- Place the porchetta roll in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the skin gets crunchy.
- Let the meat rest for 20 minutes.
- During that time, prepare the sauce for the sandwich.
- Mix one cup of Chimichurri sauce with the juice of ½ lemon and a little truffle oil.
- Slice open the baguette and place arugula on one side
- Treat the arugula with a tablespoon of Chimichurri sauce
- Add the porchetta to the sandwich and enjoy!
PitMaster’s Memo: What is Porchetta?
Porchetta’s beginnings reach back to Rome, where Emperor Nero praised it. Roman army cooks also prepared this dish for soldiers. Fast forward to now and you’ll find porchetta at nearly any Italian gathering.
As you’ve seen in this recipe, Porchetta is an Italian roast. Besides pork belly, some people use the loin. Each family’s recipe differs a bit, but there are some spices you see again and again, including:
- Fennel
- Garlic
- Pepper
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Salt
- Thyme
Tips for Making the Perfect Sandwich:
When you make a sandwich like this, you want sturdy bread that can absorb some flavors from your meat. Avoid thinly sliced or soft loaves.
Use condiments with care. They can make your sandwich soggy. If you add some lettuce, it can act as a barrier between condiments, meat, and bread. If you use cheese, put it on the lettuce as you layer your ingredients.
Don’t over-fill the bread. Meat should not randomly pop out of the sandwich (unless, of course, you provide a tasteful bib to protect clothing.
Sides
- Braised cherry tomatoes with onion and pepper slices
- Caramelized Brussels sprouts
- Pickled vegetables
- Polenta
- Savory, crisp potato wedges
Dessert
- Cannoli
- Fresh fruit tart
- Lemon bars
- Panna cotta
