On porchetta......

    Porchetta is an Italian word for a stuffed and roasted suckling pig dish that originated in a region of Rome called Lazio. Traditionally porchetta is made by deboning a suckling pig, seasoning it with salt, pepper, fennel, rosemary, fennel seeds, and tons of garlic and stuffing it with its own liver. It is then rolled up and slowly roasted whole head on over a wood fire. The meat is usually sliced thinly or pulled and served cold on a piece of thick crusty bread. Many variations can be found throughout Italy and the marinades and stuffing vary from cook to cook. Most recipes that I have come across involve wrapping skin on pork belly around a whole pork loin and marinating it in the traditional porchetta style.
   Anytime I make porchetta I like to use only pork belly. I'll remove the skin from the meat and marinade both in rosemary, thyme, fennel seeds, black pepper, orange zest, a good amount of garlic, and sage for at least one day. I take the skinless pork belly meat and stuff it with italian sausage, sliced fennel, livers, and whole garlic cloves. I roll the meat tightly into a cylinder and wrap it in its own skin and some butchers twine.  I roast the pork belly porchetta in a 500F degree oven for 45 minutes making sure to turn it four times to ensure even browning. After 45 minutes, I drop the temperature to 300F and roast for another 2.5 hours. Make sure to let the meat rest for at least 20 minutes prior to slicing into it. Here is a picture of the porchetta fresh out of the oven.