Ingredients:

• 12 lb pork belly, (1 slab), boneless, skin on and not tied
• zests, of 2 oranges
• ⅓ cup fresh thyme, rosemary, parsley, dill leaves, or a combination of all, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 tbsp olive oil, if using, for basting
• 1 tbsp salt, coarse
• ½ tsp chili flakes
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 6 cups vegetable oil
• butcher's twine

To Serve:

• ¼ oz side salad, of your choice, we used lettuce, tomatoes, & Italian dressing
• ¼ cup sauce, of your choice, we used applesauce
• 3 oz potatoes, cooked to your preference, we used crispy marble potatoes
• 1 lemon wedge, per serving

Instructions:

1. Layout your pork belly, flesh side up. Roll your pork belly, stopping at the point where a part of the skin will be rolled into the flesh. Mark this as a guide, then turn the skin side up.

2. Trim off the excess skin and fat using a sharp knife. This will prevent the porchetta from having a gummy texture once consumed.

3. Flip to its underside and make 1-inch deep cuts, 2 inches apart.

4. In a small bowl, combine your orange zest, fresh herbs, garlic, salt, chili flakes, and nutmeg. Set aside.

5. Sprinkle the prepared mixture all over the scored flesh of the pork belly.

6. Roll tightly and tie pork with kitchen twine, then keep chilled for at least 6 hours (best if overnight) to marinate the flesh, while drying out the skin as much as possible.

7. When ready to roast the porchetta, preheat oven to 250 degrees F and line a roasting pan with aluminum foil.

8. Set pork in a roasting pan, fat-side up. Roast for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees F.

9. Baste your porchetta skin with the olive oil occasionally.

10. Once your pork internal temperature reads 160 degrees F, increase the oven temperature to its highest setting until skin turns mahogany and crispy, roughly 20 to 25 minutes.

11. Remove from the oven. Let meat rest for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

12. Remove and discard the twine. Heat up your vegetable oil until smoking.

13. For an even crispier skin or crackling, pour your very hot oil around the porchetta just before serving. The skin should blister up as you drizzle the hot oil.

14. Serve with side salad, lemon wedges, sauce, and potatoes of your choice.