Porchetta with pepperberry, kunzea and fennel

Want the best crispy pork? This recipe utilises an unusual tool normally found in your arts and crafts box to help make the crispiest skin possible! Bonus, it’s seasoned with Indigenous pepperberry and kunzea for extra special flavour.

Credit: A Girl's Guide To Hunting Fishing and Wild Cooking

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  2:30 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg porchetta (belly and loin attached, skin-on)
• 1 small bunch wild fennel fronds, finely chopped
• Kunzea salt (see Note) and ground pepperberry, to season
• 2 apples
• 1 radicchio

For the walnut dressing

• 60 g walnut butter
• 2 tbsp (40 ml) apple cider vinegar
• 40 g honey

Chilling time: Overnight.

Standing time (to bring roast to room temperature): 20-30 minutes.

Instructions

1. Using paper towel, pat the porchetta dry. Use a craft knife to score thin lines, 1 cm apart on the skin of the porchetta (taking care not to cut all the way through the skin).
   
2. Lay the porchetta out flat, skin-side down, then spread the wild fennel fronds evenly over the meat. Sprinkle liberally all over with the kunzea salt and ground pepperberry. Roll the porchetta up, then use butcher’s twine to tie the porchetta at 5 cm intervals.
   
3. Place the rolled porchetta onto a wire rack placed over a flat tray. Refrigerate overnight, uncovered, to allow the skin to dry out.
   
4. Once ready to cook, preheat the oven to 160°C (fan-forced). Bring the porchetta to room temperature, then place into the oven and bake until the internal temperature registers 60°C with a digital thermometer (around 2 hours).
   
5. Increase the oven temperature to 220-240°C and roast until the skin is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to rest. Remove the twine with kitchen scissors.
   
6. Meanwhile, to make the walnut dressing, combine the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk well.
   
7. Thinly slice the apples using a mandolin. Tear the radicchio leaves into a large bowl, then add the sliced apple and walnut dressing. Toss lightly to combine.
   
8. Carve the porchetta and serve with the apple salad on the side.

Note

Kunzea salt and ground pepperberry are available from online stockists.

Watch how to make this recipe on Episode 4 of A Girl's Guide To Hunting Fishing and Wild Cooking Season 2 streaming free on SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.