Porchetta Recipe: Crispy Italian Herb-Roasted Pork Roll 2026

Porchetta is one of Italy's most treasured street foods: a whole boned pig, generously seasoned with garlic, rosemary, fennel and black pepper, rolled up and roasted until the skin turns into shattering crackling. This homemade version keeps the spirit of the original but scales it down to a manageable pork belly that still feeds a crowd.

While the classic preparation is reserved for holidays and festivals, you'll find porchetta in charcuteries and supermarkets all year round. Our homemade roll is far smaller than the enormous commercial ones, but it delivers the same Mediterranean perfume and juicy, herb-packed interior.

The key is a fresh pork belly with the skin still attached. Ask your butcher to remove the rib bones and leave all the meat intact, then follow the steps below for a golden, crackling-crusted centerpiece that works as a main course, in a sandwich, or alongside roasted vegetables.

Ingredients for Porchetta

This recipe yields 12 generous servings.

• 1 whole fresh pork belly with skin
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 18 g salt
• 7 g black peppercorns
• 7 g dried rosemary leaves
• 4 g dried sage leaves
• 3 garlic cloves
• 7 g dried fennel seeds
• 3 dried bay leaves

How to Make Porchetta Step by Step

1. Prepare the pork belly

Take the fresh pork belly and remove any bones, cartilage or excess fat. Using a very sharp knife, separate the meat and fat from the skin at both short ends, working only about 8 to 10 cm inward and leaving the rest attached.

2. Season with wine, oil and salt

Drizzle the inside of the pork belly with 60 ml of the dry white wine and the 4 tablespoons of olive oil, then sprinkle with the 18 g of salt. Rub the meat thoroughly with your hands and set aside.

3. Blitz the herbs and garlic

Blend the 7 g of black peppercorns with the 7 g of dried rosemary, the 4 g of dried sage and the 3 chopped garlic cloves. You don't need to grind it to a fine powder; a coarse mixture is perfect.

4. Coat with herbs and fennel seeds

Spread the blended herb mixture evenly over the pork belly, then sprinkle the 7 g of dried fennel seeds on top.

5. Roll the meat

Roll up the pork belly meat with your hands, keeping the skin edges unrolled for now.

6. Wrap with skin and tie

Fold the skin from both sides over the roll to cover it completely, then tie the porchetta with kitchen twine to give it an even, compact shape.

7. Dry the skin and apply the salt paste

Pat the entire skin of the porchetta dry with paper towels. Make a salt paste by mixing 80 g of salt with 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of wine, then brush it all over the skin. You won't need to use all of the paste; just make sure the skin is well coated.

8. Set up the roasting tray

Pour the remaining 140 ml of white wine into a roasting tray, add the 3 dried bay leaves and fill the tray almost to the top with water. Place a rack over the tray and set the porchetta on it, making sure it never touches the liquid.

9. Roast the porchetta

If you have one, insert a meat thermometer into the center of the porchetta. Roast for 75 minutes at 200°C, then lower the oven to 120°C and continue roasting for another 60 minutes, or until the thermometer reads between 80 and 90°C.

10. Rest, chill and slice

Remove the porchetta from the oven and let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 8 hours. This rest allows the flavors, fat and juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Before serving, let it come back to room temperature and cut it into slices. Serve with fried potatoes, roasted vegetables, or in a sandwich.

Tips for the Best Porchetta

Choose the right cut

A fresh pork belly with the skin on is essential for crackling. Ask your butcher to remove the rib bones but leave the meat whole, and make sure the skin is intact and dry before you begin.

Dry skin means crisp crackling

Pat the skin thoroughly dry and brush it with the salt paste just before roasting. The salt draws out moisture and helps the skin blister and crisp as it roasts.

Rest overnight for deeper flavor

Chilling the cooked porchetta for at least 8 hours lets the fat and juices redistribute, making every slice more flavorful and juicy. Bring it back to room temperature before slicing.

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