Pork Belly Porchetta
This pork belly porchetta is my Mexican spin on the classic Italian roast. You butterfly a whole skin-on belly, spread the inside with a smoky guajillo and ancho adobo, roll it up tight, tie it, and let it ride on the rotisserie till the fat renders out and the skin blisters up. Slice it thick and you get crispy skin on the outside with that deep red adobo running through the middle of every piece.
Author’s Notes
A Little More Work Than Your Average Pork Belly
I’ll be honest, this is a more advanced cook. Butterflying the belly is the hard part. You’re working with a big piece of meat, so use a very sharp knife, go slow, and if that makes you nervous just ask your butcher to butterfly it for you. That’s what they’re there for.
The other thing is the char on the meat side. A little browning is good. Too dark and the chile marinade goes bitter on you, so I run it low and slow and save the hotter fire for the very end when I’m crisping the skin.
On the citrus, skip regular oranges. If I make this again I’m either leaving the orange out or going with sour orange, cause you get the acidity without it turning sweet, and I like this one savory. And have some guac or a good salsa ready on the side. They were made for rich pork like this.
Miguel
What Is Porchetta?
Porchetta is a traditional Italian pork roast. Boneless belly, seasoned, rolled into a log, tied up, roasted slow till the skin crisps. Over in central Italy where it comes from they season it with fennel, rosemary, and garlic. My pork belly porchetta keeps all of that technique, I just take the seasoning somewhere else, with an adobo I build from guajillo and ancho chiles, chipotle, achiote paste, and lime.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| Skin-on pork belly | Look for a 6 to 8 pound slab with the skin still on, since the skin becomes the crispy shell. While you’re at the butcher counter, you can ask them to butterfly it for you too. |
| Guajillo chiles | The backbone of the adobo. Fruity, mild heat, deep red color. |
| Ancho chiles | Darker and a little sweet, almost like raisins. |
| Chipotle peppers in adobo | These bring the smoke. Two keeps things balanced, three if your crowd likes heat. |
| Achiote paste | Earthy flavor and that signature red stain. |
| Garlic, Mexican oregano, cumin, coriander | The aromatics. Mexican oregano is brighter than the Mediterranean kind, so grab it if your store carries it. |
| Lime juice and apple cider vinegar | For acidity. |
| Avocado oil | Blends the adobo smooth. |
| Sour orange juice, optional | Skip sweet oranges here. Sour orange gives you the citrus without the sugar. |
| Butcher’s twine | You’ll need it. |
You can also throw chopped cilantro, mint, diced jalapenos, or extra garlic into the filling before rolling. Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
How to Make Pork Belly Porchetta
Here’s the short version. All the amounts, temps, and details are down in the recipe card.
- Dry the belly in the fridge overnight, skin salted and uncovered.
- Score the skin, then butterfly the belly open like a book. This is the hard part, and your butcher will do it for you if you ask.
- Blend the softened chiles and everything else in the marinade list into a smooth adobo.
- Season the meat side, spread the adobo edge to edge, and let it marinate overnight.
- Roll it tight, tie it up, and spin it low and slow with clean salted skin on the outside.
- Crank the heat at the end to blister the skin, then rest it and slice thick.
Why This Cook Works
Pork belly carries a ton of fat, and 185 degrees F is about where enough of it has rendered that the slices come out tender instead of chewy. That temp would wreck a leaner roast. Belly’s built for it. The overnight in the fridge is doing quiet work on the skin that whole time too, and keeping the adobo rolled up inside shields the chiles from the flame, which matters, cause charred chile marinade goes bitter quick.
Other Ways to Cook It
I ran this one over charcoal on a kamado with the rotisserie attachment, and live fire earns its keep on the skin alone. A gas rotisserie at the same 300 to 350 gets you most of the way there. If you don’t own a rotisserie, set the tied roll over indirect heat and give it a quarter turn every so often, or do it in the oven and blast the skin under high heat at the end.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The adobo holds in the fridge a few days, so blend it ahead if you wanna split the work, and honestly the porchetta’s better with the full overnight marinade anyway. Leftover pork belly porchetta goes in something airtight in the fridge. Reheat slices in a hot skillet so the edges crisp back up, and they make serious tacos and tortas the next day.
What to Serve With It
Fresh guacamole or salsa verde to cut the richness, warm corn tortillas, Mexican rice, pickled onions, cilantro, lime wedges. Set the whole roll in the middle of the table as the centerpiece, or slice it thin and let everybody build their own tacos.
Miguel’s Tips
- Sharpen your knife before scoring, or just use a box cutter with a fresh blade. Handles thick pork skin better than most kitchen knives.
- Pull the twine snug when you tie.
- Stay close for the high heat finish. Blistered turns to burnt quicker than you’d think.
- If the meat side’s getting dark too fast mid cook, back the heat off and give it more time instead.
Pork Belly Porchetta FAQ
Can I make pork belly porchetta without a rotisserie?
Yes. Cook the tied roll over indirect heat on a grill at 300 to 350 degrees F, turning it now and then, or roast it in the oven at the same temperature. Either way, finish with high heat so the skin crisps.
What internal temperature should pork belly porchetta reach?
About 185 degrees F in the center. That sounds high for pork, but belly carries enough fat that it needs the extra time to render and turn tender.
Why did my adobo turn bitter?
Charred chiles taste bitter, and adobo chars quickly over direct flame. Keep the heat moderate for most of the cook, watch the meat side, and save the strong heat for the final skin crisping.
Related Recipes
If this pork belly porchetta is your kind of cook, put these on the list next: my Adobo Marinated Pork Roast runs the same chile marinade on an easier cut, the Smoked Pork Belly Tacos and Pork Belly Burnt Ends show off what belly can do on the smoker, and the Sweet Buffalo Rotisserie Pork Ribs keep the spit spinning.
Pork Belly Porchetta
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pat the pork belly completely dry. For the best skin, lightly season the skin with salt and refrigerate the belly uncovered overnight. This draws moisture out of the skin and gives you a much better shot at crispy, blistered skin. Recommended, but you can skip it for a same day cook.
- Place the belly skin side up. Using a very sharp knife or a box cutter, score the skin lengthwise about every inch. Cut through the skin and slightly into the fat, but not into the meat.
- Flip the belly meat side up and carefully butterfly through the thicker portions of meat and fat so it opens like a book into an even surface. Take your time here. If you’re not comfortable butterflying a large pork belly yourself, ask your butcher to do it for you.
- Blanch the guajillo and ancho chiles in hot water until they soften.
- Add the softened chiles to a blender with the chipotle peppers, garlic, achiote paste, Mexican oregano, cumin, coriander, black pepper, lime juice, vinegar, avocado oil, and the sour orange juice if using. Blend until completely smooth and thick enough to spread.
- With the butterflied belly open and meat side up, season the meat generously with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Spread the adobo evenly across the entire inside, then sprinkle on any optional add-ins.
- For the best flavor, cover and refrigerate overnight. A same day cook works too, the overnight marinade just builds deeper flavor.
- Starting from one end, roll the belly tightly into a log with the filling tucked inside. Tie with butcher’s twine every 2 to 3 inches, snug enough to hold a compact, even shape.
- Secure the porchetta on the rotisserie spit. Brush the skin lightly with avocado oil and season it generously with coarse salt. Keep the adobo off the outside skin so it stays clean and dry for crisping.
- Set the grill or rotisserie to approximately 300 to 350°F and cook slowly until the internal temperature reaches approximately 185°F. Watch the meat side during the cook. A little browning is good, but heavily charred adobo can turn bitter.
- Once it hits temperature, check the skin. If it isn’t crispy yet, raise the heat at the end until the skin is blistered, puffed, and crispy. Stay close, it can go from crisp to burnt quickly.
- Rest the porchetta, remove the twine, and slice into thick rounds.
Notes
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