PHOTO BY PATRICIA HEAL
Porchetta, or roast suckling pig seasoned with garlic and herbs, is a traditional Italian dish. Here, the flavors of porchetta are used on a roasted pork shoulder. You'll need to start this dish one day ahead, as the pork has to marinate overnight.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
- 1 (5 1/2- to 6-pound) boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), excess fat trimmed with thin layer left intact
- 6 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
PREPARATION
- Stir fennel seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until slightly darker in color and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer seeds to spice mill and cool. Add kosher salt, peppercorns, and dried crushed red pepper. Grind to medium-fine consistency (not powder).
- Place pork in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Rub garlic all over pork, then coat with spice mixture. Loosely cover pork with waxed paper. Refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush large rimmed baking sheet with oil. Place roast, fat side up and coating intact, in center of sheet. Drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons oil. Roast pork 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Roast pork until very tender and thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 190°F, about 3 hours 15 minutes longer. Transfer pork to cutting board; reserve baking sheet. Let pork rest 15 to 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour all pan juices into 2-cup measuring cup. Spoon off fat that rises to top. Place reserved baking sheet across 2 burners. Pour wine and broth onto baking sheet and bring to boil over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Boil until wine mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 4 minutes. Add degreased pan juices and whisk to blend. Pour pan sauce into small bowl (sauce will be thin).
- Thinly slice roast. Serve with sauce.
Test-Kitchen TipThe leftover roast pork would make great pulled-pork sandwiches. Shred the meat and pile it on soft rolls with your favorite barbecue sauce and creamy coleslaw. You could also use the shredded meat as a delicious filling for burritos or enchiladas.- Tips:
- This was absolutely delicious! I hesitantly followed the advice of a reviewer below and let the internal temp rise to 195, though I was very nervous the roast would come out of the oven dry, especially at 450 degrees. I am so glad I did! The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender, and so juicy and flavorful. The spices formed a crispy, delicious crust over the outside, and the fennel seed was nowhere near as overwhelming as I feared it would be. Perfect! I did not make the sauce last time, and the roast was outstanding on it's own. I am in the process of making this recipe for a second time now, and this time I do plan on making the sauce. I will update my review accordingly.
- I'm making this today... For those asking/wondering about the 190 degree recommendation, that is not a typo. 190 degrees is the magic temp at which the collagen in the meat begins to break up and melt into a god-like, oily, saucy, moist liquid that gives properly cooked pulled pork its awesomeness. It's fine if you cook it to 145 or so and enjoy it that way - it just ends up being different, more like a cut of meat that stays together. Between 150 and 190 or so is a strange period where the pork actually dries out... But if you let it go to the magic 190, even 195 or so, that's when the magic happens and it goes from dry to incredible. It can take some time - it's like the temp may go on pause for a while - but then when it begins to rise and you reach that 19 and you begin to wonder if it will ever increase again - but once you hit the 190 mark, you will have the best pork you can imagine. Keep this in mind for ALL pork shoulder recipes, really, depending on what you're going for.
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