Ibérico Pork Belly Porchetta with Morels
Bex Blundy
12
15 minutes
1 hours
Iberico pork belly porchetta with morels takes one of Spain's most prized cuts and rolls it into a slow-roasted centrepiece worth gathering people around. This Iberico porchetta recipe leans on the pork belly's high fat content, which gives it a rich, nutty flavour that develops further as it roasts, while a filling of fresh morel mushrooms and a dusting of truffle adds a deep, earthy aroma running through the middle of each slice. Served pink and just-cooked, the meat is tender and melting, with crackling crisp enough to shatter under a knife. A long, considered slow-roasted pork belly worth the time, ideally served at a relaxed weekend lunch or special-occasion dinner.
Ingredients
1.5kg Ibérico Pork Belly
250g fresh morel mushrooms
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
2 tablespoons truffle dust (optional but recommended!)
25ml cognac
2 tablespoons flaky salt, to season
Drizzle olive oil
Directions
Preheat the oven: To 200°C.
Prepare the Ibérico pork belly: By scoring the fattier side with a sharp knife, creating diagonal slashes all along the cut. This will make it easier to roll. Flip over the pork belly, then pound the other side with a mallet to tenderise the meat.
Toast and crush the dried herbs and spices: Toast the mustard seeds and peppercorns in a dry pan until fragrant, then crush together the toasted spices, the garlic cloves, the dried rosemary and thyme, the chilli flakes and one tablespoon of the flaky salt in a pestle and mortar, or a mini chopper.
Make the morel filling: By blitzing together the morels, the herb and spice blend, and the truffle dust if using in a food processor. Once smooth, fry off a pan with the 25ml of cognac.
Fill the porchetta: With the mushroom mix, spreading evenly across the surface of the pork belly.
Tie the porchetta: With string into a tight roll. Rub the outside of the pork belly with the additional 1 tablespoon of flaky salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
Roast the porchetta: For 1 hour and 20 minutes, basting with oil every 20 minutes. Ibérico pork is best served slightly pink and the best way to ensure it does not overcook is to check with a temperature probe every 20 minutes, aiming for 60°C as the final core temperature. It will increase by several more degrees as it rests.
Rest the porchetta: For 20 minutes before carving.
Serve the porchetta: In rolls or with seasonal vegetables. We’d recommend pairing with a sharp and acidic salsa verde or similar herbal but acidic sauce.
Ingredients you'll need
