Ingredients
1 Pork Belly ( 10 pounds deboned)
1 Pork Butt (6-7 pounds butterflied)
2 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
30 cloves garlic
2 fennel bulbs with fronds
Zest of 2 lemons
Olive oil
Preparation
- Thinly slice fennel bulb and sautee, with one onion finely diced, 10 cloves of garlic and olive oil. When sweated, add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and a couple of leaves of shredded basil. Let cool completely in refrigerator.
- Pierce belly with sharp knife all over with 1/8” deep holes
- Make scoring marks on both sides 1/3” deep in criss cross pattern
- Pound belly skin with a meat mallet for 3 minute to tenderize
- Rub with kosher salt and pepper on both sides
- Zest 2 lemons and 1 package of rosemary. Add 8 cloves of garlic and a little olive oil to make a paste.
- Rub generously on the scored skin, getting into the rut in the flesh
- Season inside of pork belly with kosher salt and fresh pepper.
- Add the fennel onion mixture, now cooled. Dice the fronds finely and add to the middle, along with the orange zest
- Season the pork butt with salt, pepper and ground fennel seed
- Place the pork but in the center of the open pork belly.
- Wrap the belly and tie with butchers twine at ½ intervials
- Cut off the excess and put into a large aluminum pan ,
- Refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Remove from refrigerator and let set for at two hours
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees
- Place on a roasting rack and roast for 45 minutes to crisp skin
- Reduce temperature to 275 and roast for 4 more hours, until internal temp is 145 degrees
- Remove from over, tent and let rest until temperature reaches 155 – 160
- Slice and serve
