Rotisserie Porchetta

I usually enjoy my Sunday Roasts with Beef Topside or Chicken, but I decided to try something different by picking up Porchetta from Swaledale Butchers. Typically, I use a rotisserie for cooking meat, as it helps keep the meat moist and juicy by constantly rotating the meat. Applying the same method to the Porchetta made perfect sense, given its need for slow, consistent roasting.

What is Porchetta

Porchetta, a traditional Italian dish, boasts rich, savoury flavours and contrasting textures. Typically made from a whole deboned pig, it often features pork belly or loin. Chefs season the meat with a blend of garlic, rosemary, sage, fennel, and other herbs, then roll it tightly and roast it slowly. This cooking method creates a crispy, crackling skin and tender, juicy meat.

Porchetta is popular as both a main course and street food, frequently served sliced in crusty rolls. Originating from central Italy, particularly Lazio and Umbria, Porchetta is celebrated for its aromatic and robust taste, reflecting the culinary traditions of the region.

Preparation and Cook

When using the rotisserie for cooking, I set up the BBQ with charcoal baskets on either side of the spit to facilitate indirect cooking. I used to always cook with briquettes due to their uniform size, which provides a long, consistent cook. Now, I prefer the Premium Professional Lumpwood Charcoal from Green Olive as my go-to fuel. To enhance the flavour, I place wood chunks directly on the charcoal, opting for Cherry Wood Chunks from Smokewood Shack for this cook. Cherry wood not only adds a lovely colour to the meat but also imparts a mild smoke flavour without overwhelming it.

To catch any juices and prevent the BBQ from getting messy, I position a foil tray directly under the spit. This also allows the juices to be used to enhance the flavour of the gravy.

I aimed to maintain a cooking temperature of 170-180°C, with plans to increase the temperature towards the end to achieve a crispy skin. Before cooking, I took the meat out of the fridge a couple of hours in advance to bring it to room temperature. I massaged salt into the skin to help it crisp up. In the future, I would consider taking the meat out of the packaging and placing it in the fridge for 24 hours beforehand to further dry out the skin.

In terms of the cook, I had the BBQ running at 180°C until the meat probed at 45°C. I then increased the temperature to 200°C, to help get that skin nice and crispy. When the Porchetta probed at an internal temperature of 60°C, I took the meat off and placed it in a roasting tray for 20 minutes, which I loosely covered with foil until I was ready to slice.

The Verdict

The porchetta, pre-made from Swaledale, comes highly recommended. The stuffing is well-balanced, with fennel being the predominant flavour. The meat was moist and tender, and the skin crisps up beautifully. Whether you’re using a rotisserie, cooking indirectly on the BBQ, or roasting in the oven, the Porchetta is definitely worth trying.

5 from 1 vote