Recipe Provocateur: Italia Deli's Porchetta

Crisp, savory pork roast dressed in garlic, rosemary, and fennel—sounds delicious, right?

Also referred to as Italian pulled pork, porchetta originated in Ariccia, located in the Province of Rome. Italian immigrants first introduced the dish to the United States in the early twentieth-century, and today, locals can enjoy the traditional Tuscan dish at Italia Deli & Bakery.

Whether it's served alone or on a hard roll sandwich, the neighborhood deli gave Patch the scoop to making this rich dish at home. Buon Appetito!

PORCHETTA

Ingredients

1 (7 lb) pork shoulder bone in or out

2 tbl salt

2 tbl oregano

2 tbl garlic (dehydrated, ground)

11/2 tbl black pepper

2 tbl whole fennel seed

4 sage leaves ground up by hand 

2 onions cut in half then sliced into 1/4 inch slices (not chopped)

5 branches of celery cut at a bias (sharp angle) about 1/2 thick

Instructions 

1.) Trim pork of any excess fat, exterior pieces of bone or glands.

2.) Combine all the dry ingredients.

3.) Cut pork in half and rub all dry ingredients around your two chunks of meat. Place pork in a roasting pan, cover with foil, and refrigerate for six to 24 hours. Try to complete this step the night before for better taste.

4.) Four hours before you are ready to eat, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees for 30 minutes.

5.) Add your cut onions and celery to the roasting pan with 1/2 inch of water.

6.) Roast uncovered for one hour or until you have a beautiful caramelization of the meat (or until the meat is dark golden brown).

7.) Cover the pork with foil and continue roasting for two more hours. The porchetta should be fork tender at this point. Add an additional 30 minutes if needed.

8.) Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes.

9.) Cut the pork and serve with the remaining broth.When making porchetta sandwiches, it is important to dip the meat into the broth and pile it high on hard bread rolls.

10.) Always include some of the caramelized onions and celery on your sandwich.

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