Porchetta, meaning 'young pig' is a favorite centerpiece at any Italian Celebration.
By boning and stuffing a whole pig you can greatly increase the yield, you still have the great presentation of the whole pig and you make carving easy. It’s up to you whether you keep the head and legs on or trim them back. If you want to feature boned/stuffed porchetta on your menu then you will need the porchetta rod set that holds your roast firmly in place during rotisserie cooking.
An 80lb pig on the bone would traditionally yield 35lb - 40lb of meat, providing you with 100 x 6oz portions however, if you bone and stuff the pig with pork you can serve more people and you make carving easier, you also are not left with look of the skeleton of pig after you have carved off the meat.The increased yield obtained by boning and stuffing your 80lb pig with 25lb of seasoned pork meat will provide you with 170 x 6oz portions.We recommend roasting at 350-380 degrees and increasing the temperature for the last 30 mins to get a crackling skin.
Staff efficiency is increased as one Chef can serve more people when carving up a boneless pig rather than having to work around the bones! Many butchers will de-bone and stuff your pig for a fee, however for a great finished product, try our traditional porchetta recipe for a 40-50 pound pig below.
Ingredients
- 40-50 pound pig
- Add an additional 1/3 of pig weight of additional meat (shoulder, ham)
- Two Large Caramelized Spanish Onions (diced)
- Kosher or Sea Salt (cup and a half)
- Fresh Cracked Pepper (half cup)
- Fresh Ground Garlic (half cup)
- Fennel (toasted in pan prior to use) (one cup)
- Fresh Chopped Rosemary (cup and a half)
- Grated Nutmeg (tablespoon)
Directions
(photos below)
- Rinse and clean the pig.
- Pat dry with a paper towel.
- Lightly score the pig skin and rub in a generous amount of kosher or sea salt.
- Roll the pig over and open the belly cavity to expose ribs, remove kidneys or other giblets if present.
- Use a sharp boning knife to follow rib cage and expose ribs from meat.
- Cut neck bone at top of ribs to release ribs from the carcass.
- Remove the two main hip bones to release from ribs.
- Gently pull ribs towards you and carefully use boning knife to remove ribs from the spine and meat.
- Remove main femur bones from the legs and remove feet and head if preferred.
- Once main bones are removed, begin removing meat from the major bones that were removed to add to the middle of the porchetta.
- Insert your Spit-Pole through the pig (through the mouth if head is still intact) and through the hind end.
- Chop additional meat into roughly 8 oz. pieces then add to increase total yield. Choose tender cuts of pork such as a pork shoulder, ham or a combination of both.
- Salt interior of the pig liberally with kosher or sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, garlic, and toasted fennel.
- Massage seasonings well into the interior of the porchetta carcass.
- Add fresh rosemary and grated nutmeg.
- Caramelize two whole onions and layer over seasonings and herbs.
- Fold and position the meat and the pig carcass so that the Spit-Pole is centered within the body.
- Begin sewing the body cavity back together.
- Using the Porchetta Rod Set insert the prongs so that they are firmly holding your Porchetta in place on all four sides.
- At this point you are ready to roast your Porchetta in your PigOut Propane Roaster and Outdoor Cooking Center. At this weight we suggest roasting for roughly 3-4 hours, or until the internal temperature in the thickest parts of your Porchetta are reading between 155-165 degrees
*(remember when you remove your porchetta from the roaster or alternative heat source the internal temperature will continue to rise approximately 5-10 degrees, you should let it sit for roughly 10 minutes before carving to allow the heat and internal juices to disperse evenly throughout the body to ensure perfect succulent meat for all of your guests)*
For more recipes and ideas to use on your Propane Roaster check out our other blogs, or our instructional videos on YouTube! If you would like more information on our Roasters or on how to use the Porchetta Rod Sets feel free to contact us and we would be happy to help. Alternatively, if you have any suggestions for future blog posts let us know and sign up for our Newsletter to stay informed when new blogs are posted!
