Lay the belly skin side down and score the meat side in a crosshatch about 1 cm deep with a sharp knife. Turn it over and score the skin at intervals of about 1 cm, cutting only into the fat, not the meat.

Ingredients

• 1,500 gPork, fresh, belly, raw
• 1,000 gPork, fresh, loin, top loin (chops), boneless, separable lean and fat, raw
• 50 gSalt, table
• 8 gSpices, pepper, black
• 15 gRosemary, fresh
• 25 gGarlic, raw

Method

1. Lay the belly skin side down and score the meat side in a crosshatch about 1 cm deep with a sharp knife. Turn it over and score the skin at intervals of about 1 cm, cutting only into the fat, not the meat.
2. Finely chop the garlic and rosemary and mix with 8 g of coarsely crushed pepper. Salt the meat side of the belly and the loin on all sides (50 g of salt in total, i.e. 20 g per kilogram of meat, with only a thin layer on the skin) and rub in the herb mixture.
3. Place the loin along one edge of the belly and roll the belly tightly around it, skin side out, so that the edges of the skin meet. Tie the roll firmly with kitchen string every 2–3 cm.
4. Set the roll on a rack over a tray and leave it uncovered in the fridge for 12–24 hours so the skin dries out.
5. Take the roll out of the fridge an hour beforehand. Heat the oven to 160 °C, set the roll on a rack over a roasting tin and roast for 3.5–4.5 hours until the internal temperature in the belly reaches about 85 °C. The rendered fat drips into the tin and is not served.
6. Raise the temperature to 230 °C and roast for 10–15 minutes until the skin blisters and turns crisp. Watch it so that it does not start to blacken.
7. Let the porchetta rest on a board for at least 30 minutes. Remove the string and carve with a sharp knife into slices about 1 cm thick. Serve warm or cold, traditionally sliced in bread.