Porchetta Panini, a delicious herbed pork shoulder, roasted then rotisseried on the grill till the skin sings crackle, and the meat says nothing but tender and succulent! You can't get any better than that!
Song of the day: "Winds of Change" Scorpions.
Porchetta Panini, take a beautiful organic pork shoulder skillfully butterflied then given some love with a herb wet rub, tied, and marinated in yet some more herbs, Evo oil, white wine, and you have the makings of a perfect aromatic, absolutely delicious stuffed Porchetta panino. Perfect for the upcoming Oktoberfest.
Porchetta was something I was not aware of. Yes I know I am Italian, but we never had it, go figure, but I am sure glad I was introduced to it and have made it my friend, lol. Picture this: we are driving up a foot hill overlooking a huge lake. Beautiful blue water, hot temperatures, a slight breeze coming in, and on the side of the road a Porchetta food truck. There were a few along this road close to a town called Nemi which over looks Castel Gandolfo, an old castle which many of the popes new and old have graced. One of these food trucks had a line up while the others were relying on overflow traffic. I told Nicoletta we couldn't pass up finding out why this phenomenon was occurring and also of course to try the Porchetta Panino. I was happier than a pig in ____!, pardon the pun. This sandwich was incredible. The porchetta with nice crispy bits, beautiful herb rubbed insides, and so scrumptious I just devoured it and made a pact with myself that I was going to attempt this recipe and so the story continues.
We were asked to be a part of an Oktoberfest bash, virtual that is. Milena and Chris from Craft Beering put a group of us together to share great Oktoberfest recipes. For me when I think of Oktoberfest I automatically think sausages, sauerkraut, schnitzel, hand held, meaty good bites to go with a nice pint of cold ale, beer that is. Well, we can't leave it like that, especially when in the back of my mind I had that wonderful porchetta surrounded by that crusty bread. So there is only one thing to do, introduce this wonderfully aromatic, deliciously scrumptious Porchetta Panini to the entourage of other meaty guests for Oktoberfest!
Porchetta Panini, from farm to table and so much more!
Look at this beautiful pork shoulder. Thanks to the people at Acme meats who skillfully deboned and butterflied this wonderful piece of pork, I asked them to leave the skin and fat on to provide me with the fat that will keep this meat moist and the crackle. I feel privileged to have a great butcher to go to. This pork shoulder was tender from the get go. I went out to our herb garden and filled a bowl with basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley. In the house I had some mountain oregano, coriander, and fennel seeds, and just a touch of red chillis, perfect grouping to stuff this pork shoulder. I mixed the herbs with some evo oil, garlic, and white wine, plus some pink Himalayan sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder. When all these ingredients are mixed and blended, it is time to give this pork shoulder some love. I massaged the herb mixture really well onto the inside of the pork shoulder.
This is where it gets good. I roll up the shoulder and rub the remaining herbs into the skin and sides. The marinade easy, white wine, evo oil, a few cloves of whole garlic, some sage leaves and bay leaves and it is ready to just rest and absorb. 48 hours of mingling and this baby is ready to cook.
Before we can cook it we have to tie it up. I have never tied a roast like this but a few hints from a butcher and You Tube and I think I did a pretty good job. The aroma is incredible and we have not even started to cook it. Running a bit late and not wanting to eat too late I opted to start the Porchetta in the oven, nice and hot to get all those flavors melding for about an hour and then off to the barbecue on the rotisserie with all the burners on low this porchetta cooks perfectly.
The juices that were left in the roaster I placed on the grill where I turned the burner off. I used this juice to baste the porchetta. This ensures keeping the meat moist and having the surface nice and caramelized and also getting that skin beautifully crispy.
I can't wait to try this porchetta. The herbs are so aromatic, the rosemary, thyme, oregano, coriander, bathed in the juices of the meat smell so so good, the garlic always a welcome partner with pork, and all those other spices and that marinade coming to the table with a definite wow factor.
Nicoletta made a beautiful rustic Italian bread loaf which is perfect for what we want to achieve. Porchetta sliced and bread toasted with some olive oil slathered on both sides, we are ready to put this baby together. I love it, all those feelings of Italy, eating porchetta on that foot hill road, the aromas and flavors reawakening, absolutely perfect. That porchetta was so moist and that crackle was stupendous. The herbs taking our taste buds to incredible heights, and bring in the factor of a nice cold Sleeman Honey Brown Lager with its robust flavor which is perfect with this panino. Oktoberfest this year has a new act and I think we have a keeper. If you are planning to celebrate Oktoberfest and you are wanting something flavorful and delicious, try our Porchetta panini, or check out all the other incredible recipes below. I have a feeling this is going to be a spectacular Oktoberfest!
Happy Oktoberfest!
Enjoy!
Song of the day: "Winds of Change" by Scorpions.
Porchetta Panini
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
Ingredients
Pork:
- 2.5 kg about 6 pounds of organic pork shoulder (bone out and butterflied)
Herb rub:
- ¼ cups evo oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp fresh basil hand torn
- 3 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped fine
- 1 tbsp fresh ground corriander
- 1 tbsp fresh ground fennel seeds
- 1 tsp pink himilayan sea salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 2 fresh sage leaves chopped
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- Pinch of chili flakes
- Juice of ½ a lemon
Marinade:
- ½ cup white wine
- 3 tbsp evo oil
- 1 sage leaf
- 2 bay leaves
- pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
Herb rub:
- In a medium bowl combine evo oil, garlic, basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, coriander, fennel, sea salt, pepper, sage, chili flakes, dried oregano, lemon juice. Blend well.
Pork:
- Unroll butterflied pork shoulder.
- Take about ¾ of the herb rub and massage it into the flesh of the interior of the pork.
- Roll the shoulder up forming a roll.
- Rub the remaining herb mixture over the top skin and sides of the pork roll.
- Place in a medium roasting pan.
Marinade:
- In a bowl combine evo oil, white wine, sage leaf, bay leaves, mix well and pour into the roasting pan.
- Sprinkle pork roll with salt and pepper.
- Place cover on roasting pan and put in the fridge.
- Marinate for 48 hours.
Tying:
- Using butchers twine start at one end forming a loop and tighten and knot.
- Conntinue down the pork roll every 1 inch or so till you get to the end.
- Then bring twine down the top center back to the loop you started at.
- Go over the side and run twine to the bottom and under the loops and through the center till you come to the end tie in a knot to secure the net you have created.
- Tie a knot
Cooking:
- Take porchetta out of fridge and put on counter for about 20 minutes or until it comes to room temperature.
- Heat oven to 425° F and place porchetta into the oven.
- Bake for 1 hour.
Grilling:
- Put porchetta onto a rotisserie skewer.
- Secure with rotisserie forks and place on pre heated 350 F barbecue
- Place roaster with marinating liquid on the side of the grill and turn heat off on that side.
- Baste porchetta with the heated marinating liquid.
- Grill for 2 and ½ hours or till the pork comes to a 160° F temperature, continually basting.
- Take off rotisserie and let rest for 15 minutes.
Making Panini:
- Cut bread into ¼ inch thick slices.
- Brush olive oil on both sides and place on a baking sheet.
- Place in a 350° F oven and bake till toasted a bit.
- Cut nice slices of the porchetta.
- Place slices onto bread.
- Place bread on top.
- Ready to eat.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Remeber you need 48 hours for marinating time.
You will also need 15 minutes to let the meat rest after cooking.
If you are having trouble tieing up the porchetta with butchers twine, look up a procedure on U Tube, there are quite a few good videos.
If you are not good at butchering ask your butcher to de-bone and butterfly the pork shoulder.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
Make sure to check out the other amazing #Oktoberfestbash dishes prepared by our fellow bloggers:
Craft Beering / Milena & Chris and their Schweinshaxe (Bavarian Roasted Pork Knuckle)
Itsy-Bitsy Kitchen / Kelsie and her Bee Sting Cake
Girl Heart Food / Dawn made a Traditional Pork Schnitzel
Tasty Ever After / Karrie made Kartoffelsuppe (German Potato Soup)
Beer Girl Cooks / Rachelle and her Beer Mustard Crusted Pork Loin
SugarLoveSpices / Loreto and Nicoletta (that's us!) and our Porchetta Panini
Seasons & Suppers / Jennifer and her German Beef Rouladen
The Bearded Hiker / Jaxx made Sauerbraten
Kelly Lynn's Sweets & Treats / Kelly made German Chocolate Cake Cookies
Leeks and High Heels / Sandra made Beef with Beet Puree & Purple Cauliflower
The Home Cook’s Kitchen / Georgie and her Cheese and Cherry Strudel
What Should I Make For / Cathy and her Bavarian Soft Pretzels
P.s. Making our recipes? Take a pic and tag us on Instagram: #sugarlovespices. You’re going to be in our gallery!
Disclosure: All links in our post are NOT affiliate links. They are only about products or places we normally purchase and like.
When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.
Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says
Freakin' delish recipe, you guys!! I love a good sandwich and this one is over the top good! I've never made porchetta before and it definitely looks like a labour of love. I enjoy recipes like that and I can only imagine the smell as this cooks! Pinned! Have a wonderful weekend! xo
Hi Dawn, definately a labor of love this one, but once you make it and smell all those wonderful fresh herbs mingling with the strands of succulent juicy tender meat, you are hooked and impatience sets in and you pray by the grill for just a morsel to drop,lol. It was truly delicious. Thank you so much for your lovely comment, love reading them.
You too have a great weekend!
Till the next time.
Loreto out.
Cathy says
me oh my! that porchetta is a thing of sheer beauty. you've inspired me to break out my rotisserie. YUM.
Hi Cathy, It was quite some time since I have used my rotisserie. It is such a great back yard cooking tool and especially if you have developed a great working relationship with the heat of your grill. I love the way it cooks so evenly all around and you hear that sizzle not to mention the way the outside gets that caramelized crispy goodness that gives us that variation in texture and flavor. Can't wait for you to start up that rotisserie!
Have a great Thursday and thanks a million for taking the time to comment!
Cheers!
Loreto
seasonssuppers says
Absolutely perfect! I could eat my weight in porchetta and I love that you panini-d it 🙂 Perfect Oktoberfest food 🙂
Thank you Jennifer I am pretty proud of this porchetta especially because it was my first time making it. I have a few pieces of pork shoulder left and so porchetta lives on, lol.
Have a great rest of the week!
Loreto
Kelly @ Kelly Lynn's Sweets and Treats says
Your porchetta is like a work of art! And then to add it to a panini?! I'm a sucker for an awesome sandwich and I know I would eat EVERY bite of this 🙂
Hi Kelly I am blushing, you are too kind. It did look so beautiful in all that rolled up splendid glory. But the aroma and flavors took it over the top. Wish people could transport food off the net, that would really chnage the food industry wouldn't it, lol. Thank you for taking the time to comment, and have a wonderful joyous weekend!
Cheers!
Loreto
Happy Oktoberfest!
annie@ciaochowbambina says
Oh goodness! This is a treat for the tastebuds! The collection of recipes is absolutely gorgeous and this panini has my name written all over it! Beautiful and delicious! Pinned!
Hi Annie, thank you.this porchetta has Italian written all over it. I love the flavors and have some other pieces of pork shoulder on standby ready for that porchetta party. I am so glad you enjoyed all the recipes. Oktoberfest is going to be a great one this year I think.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Ciao
Loreto
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
I'm absolutely drooling over this! I can't think of anything I'd rather dive into headfirst right now than one of your delicious panini :). Happy Oktoberfest!
Hi Kelsie, thank you for your comment. Nicoletta and I are so proud of this one. It turned out so much more than we expected it to be. After being in Italy and tasting the food and the amazing products, your confidence level is brought down a bit, but I think we would make Italy proud with this one, and so much better to share it with another culture and their festivities!
Have a great one!
Loreto
Milena | Craft Beering says
This is most certainly a class Oktoberfest act! I have pinned every single picture! I can stare at the marinating pork shoulder and giggle in excitement about what comes after. Such a well documented story, both background and process wise! I am sure glad you drove by those porchetta food trucks! That was a real blessing! So thankful for you guys bringing this to the #oktoberfestbash table! Let's party! And the beer you chose to go with it - great profile!
Hi Milena, Thank you so much for this wonderful comment. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I feel very fortunate having these times in Italy. It is a blessing and this porchetta is just a mere reflection of my experiences there, and a memerable one at that! I agree life is too short. Let's Party!!!!
Lol.
Here's to Oktoberfest
Cheers!
Loreto
Sandra says
gosh that looks soo yummy! txs for sharing
Hi Sandra, thank you. It was very yummy and am so thinking of maaking it again real soon!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Ciao!
Loreto
The Bearded Hiker says
I seriously need a rotisserie thingie for my grill because this has got to go in that baby! That looks so good and I bet the smells made your mouth water!
Hi Jaxx, thanks a bunch for stopping by. I would definately invest in a rotisserie for your grill. Perfect for any type of roast even whole chicken. The only thing is controling the heat and a good drip pan underneath to catch the drippings so you don't get flare ups. Other than that a truly amazing way of cooking. You are right, the aroma with all the herbs and spices happening really had my mouth watering, and I have to confess caught some bits that were ready to fall into the grill and for the sake of not wasting them ate them, so delicious!
Happy Oktoberfest!
Cheers!
Loreto
The Bearded Hiker says
Sold!
Hi Jaxx, the power of food, isn't it lovely, lol.
Georgie | The Home Cook's Kitchen says
Oh gosh this looks fantastic! I rarely cook with pork, but you may have made me change my mind!
Hi Geogie, always pleased to inspire and this one would be a game changer for sure. Thanks for commenting, much appreciated!
Happy cooking!
Loreto
karrie @ Tasty Ever After says
I adore porchetta! Yours looks incredible Loreto and I'm highly impressed with your pork skills. lol! I love the crispy skin too, so happy you left it on. Happy Oktoberfest 2017!!! 🙂 ps I also love leftover porchetta fried in a pan with some eggs for breakfast 😉
Hi Karrie, you always make me smile with your beautiful comments. Thank you for being impressed. I surprised myself as I have never made this before. It turned out quite well if I do say so myself. Love the idea of frying it in a pan with some eggs for breakfast, yum! The crispy skin offered a real surprise to the texture, and who doesn't like a little crackle! Add in a nice cold one and we are ready to set Oktoberfest in motion!
Happy Oktoberfest Karrie!
Cheers!
Loreto
chef mimi says
That is an amazing sandwich! I've never made porchetta. Something to add to my list! Happy Octoberfest!
THank you Chef Mimi. If you are ever in Italy you just may encounter one of these panino, and it will be love at first sight, smell and taste. Really hope you have a chance to try out this recipe!
Happy Oktoberfest to you too!
Cheers!
Loreto
chef mimi says
I've been in Italy, but never come across this! And I'm so sorry I spelled Oktoberfest wrong!
Hi Chef Mimi, no problems we all have those moments. You know what this means if you didn't find the Porchetta, you will have to go back to Italy again!
Have a great cooking week!
Loreto
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says
Oh my goodness! Making a porchetta panini was genius! This looks fantastic!
Thank you Rachelle, I am so pleased with the way this turned out and so grateful at the response it has recieved. Sometimes the simple ideas can really take off and this Porchetta Panino did just that. I have some more pork shoulder reciepies coming that are incredibly delicious, stay tuned!
Have a great Tuesady!
Loreto