Ingredients for the pork:
2.5kg belly of pork, boned and skin scored (ask your butcher to do this)
3 tsp salt
50g fennel seeds
25g cracked black pepper
10 sage leaves
28 July 2023
This classic Italian dish of rolled pork belly is stuffed with a deliciously herby mix, a satisfying kick of spicy nduja and a succulent crisp, crunchy crackling to finish. With special thanks to Big Green Egg Co. and chef Tom Kerridge for this recipe, we gave it a go and it was stunning; juicy, tender and more-ish. This is a dish that'll definitely see your guests going back for seconds.
Ingredients for the stuffing:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, diced
½ fennel bulb, diced (to the same size as the onion)
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
100g pine nuts, toasted
100g pitted green olives sliced
175g nduja
Method to prepare the pork belly:
- Prep: Lay the belly of pork skin side down on a board then butterfly, using a sharp knife: cut through horizontally from one long side almost to the other, so you leave one side intact; be careful not to slice all the way through. Now open up the belly.
- Season: For the seasoning, mix the salt, fennel seeds and cracked pepper together in a bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the butterflied pork belly and distribute the sage leaves on top. Fold the belly to enclose, cover and place in the fridge to chill for an hour.
- Make the stuffing: Place a large frying pan over a medium heat on the hob and add the oil. Once it is hot, add the diced onions and fennel and fry for about 10 minutes until softened and golden brown. Stir in the pine nuts, olives and nduja and warm through briefly. Spoon the stuffing onto a tray and spread out evenly to encourage it to cool quickly.
- Stuff: Once the stuffing is cooled, lay the pork belly back on the board and open it up again to expose the seasoned side. Spread the stuffing evenly over the surface, using a palette knife or the back of a spoon.
- Roll: Now roll the meat up tightly from a long side and tie with kitchen string at roughly 4cm intervals, starting in the middle and working out towards the ends. It should be firmly tied, but not so tight that the filling is squeezed out. Place the porchetta on a tray in the fridge overnight. The next day, remove the pork from the fridge at least an hour before you intend to start cooking it.
Cooking instructions (replace with oven roasting if you don't have an EGG):
- Set up your EGG for indirect cooking using the ConvEGGtor. Your target temperature is 160˚C.
- Place the meat on a baking tray on your ConvEGGTor and close the lid. Roast for 4½ hours until meltingly tender.
- Once the porchetta is cooked, lift it off the barbecue, transfer to a warmed platter and leave to rest for 15–20 minutes. Carve into thick slices and serve with your chosen accompaniments. Delicious!
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