The Butcher's Guide: Porchetta

There's a reason porchetta has earned its place as one of the great showstopper roasts. Crisp, bubbled skin on the outside, layers of seasoned, rolled pork on the inside, and a filling of flavour running right through the middle. Here at Bondi Junction, it's one of our favourite things to prepare in-house, and we thought we'd take you through exactly how we do it from the cut we choose right through to the final tie.

 

 

Starting With the Right Cut

Great porchetta starts before you even pick up a knife. We use a free-range pork cider saddle, which we dry age first. Dry ageing isn't just for beef, it concentrates the flavour of the pork and firms up the meat, giving you a better texture once it's roasted.

The saddle is the ideal cut for porchetta because it gives you a long, even sheet of meat with a good balance of lean meat, fat, and skin, exactly what you need to roll into a tight, even joint.

 

Butterflying the Saddle

Once the saddle is dry aged, we butterfly it open. This means cutting through the meat so it opens out flat, roughly doubling its surface area. The goal here is an even thickness across the whole piece, no thick or thin patches, because that's what allows the porchetta to roll up neatly and cook evenly all the way through.

 

Building the Flavour: The Italian Mix

This is where the character of the dish really comes through. We spread our Italian herb mix evenly across the whole surface of the meat. Getting even coverage matters you want every slice of the finished porchetta to carry that same hit of flavour, not just the outer edges.

From there, we add a white wine and white rub, working it into the meat with a good, thorough rub down. This step isn't rushed, it's about making sure the seasoning penetrates rather than just sitting on the surface. A well-seasoned porchetta should taste incredible right through the centre, not just around the crust.

 

Rolling and Tying

Once it's seasoned and rubbed, it's time to roll. The meat is rolled up firmly into a tight cylinder, keeping the layers of fat, meat, and herbs compact this is what gives you those beautiful spiral layers when you carve into it later.

Then comes the tie. A proper butcher's tie isn't just about holding the roast together; it's about shaping the porchetta so it cooks evenly and holds its form in the oven. We tie it at regular intervals along the length, then finish by tying it in half to check the shape and tension.

 

The Finished Product

Once it's rolled and tied, you can already tell you've got something good on your hands firm, even, and ready for the oven. A well-prepared porchetta like this will roast down to crackling-crisp skin on the outside, with juicy, herb-flecked pork in every slice.

 

Get Your Own Porchetta

 

Why It's Worth the Effort

Porchetta is a genuine labour of love dry ageing, butterflying, seasoning, rolling, and tying all take time and a bit of butcher's know-how. But that's exactly why it's worth getting from someone who does it properly. Every step, from the cut we start with to the final tie, is there to build flavour and texture into the finished roast.

Come see us at Bondi Junction if you'd like to pick one up, or ask us about it next time you're in store. we're always happy to talk pork.