In addition to being a chef and meat artisan, Steve Furgiuele is also an excellent photographer, which helps make his Fuge Fine Meats instagram absolutely drool-worthy.
I recently liked a photo Steve shared of porchetta, which is a savoury, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast of Italian culinary tradition. Since it is not something that Steve is selling at the markets this summer, I asked if he would share the recipe and his photo, which he graciously agreed to do.
It is no secret that Steve has a passion for Alberta pork farmers, which you can taste with every bite of sausage and salumi he creates. Fuge Fine Meats will be available at the 124 Street Grand Market and occasionally at the City Market this summer. To learn more about where you can buy Fuge Fine Meats visit www.fuge.ca. And if you happen to be a pork-belly addict like I am, you’re going to love his porchetta recipe:
What you’ll need…
1 whole pork belly, skin on
1 coppa, shoulder cut
Handfuls of your favourite herbs (I used thyme & rosemary), fresh garlic and sea salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Baking sheet with rack
Butcher twine
Directions:
Lay down the belly with the meat side down. With a sharp knife, add a series of cuts the length of the belly, just enough to pierce the skin. This will be critical for getting that crispy skin. Flip the belly over and season liberally. Spread minced garlic and fresh herbs all over the belly. Set aside.
Take the coppa cut and proceed to cut it open as you would prepare a roulade. Take your time and carefully cut lengthwise, while allowing the meat to roll open. Generously season the meat on both sides and apply more herbs, garlic and pepper, if you desire. (I marinated mine in hot Calabrese pepperonceno paste, wine and herbs). Roll the meat back up and place in the center of the belly.
Roll the belly over to wrap the coppa cut. Using a butchers’ knot, secure the porchetta firmly. About 6 across the belly and two lengthwise (to create an X) should do the trick. If you need help with this knot, view this YouTube video.
Once tied up, rub the porchetta with the extra virgin olive oil and apply more salt to the skin. Place on the racked baking sheet seam side down. Allow to rest overnight, uncovered. This step will allow the skin to dry out.
* I cooked mine using a wood pellet smoker, the Louisiana Grills LG900 with Tennessee Whiskey Barrel pellets. With the internal temperature probe set to 140F, this is how I proceeded to cook the porchetta.
550F for 20 minutes
315F until the internal temperature was reached, approximately 3 hours
180F for an additional 2 hours for smoke flavour development
After proper resting, the porchetta probe read about 166F. The skin crackled just right and it made some damn good sandwiches!
