Smoked Porchetta-Style Pork Shoulder with Fennel & Rosemary

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

All the fennel, garlic and rosemary flavour of Italian porchetta, done the easy way: a whole pork shoulder rubbed the night before and smoked low and slow over cherry wood until it pulls apart at 203°F. Almost no hands-on work, and it feeds a crowd with leftovers for sandwiches.

Ingredients

• 5 lb boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), fat cap on
• 2 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 6 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 cup dry white wine
• 8 ciabatta rolls, for serving

Instructions

1. Crush the fennel seeds coarsely (a heavy pan or mortar works) and stir together with the kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest and olive oil to make a wet paste. Score the fat cap of the pork in a 1-inch crosshatch, cutting about 1/4 inch deep, then massage the paste over every surface, working it into the scores and crevices. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours or overnight.
2. Take the pork out of the fridge 45 minutes before cooking. Set up your smoker for indirect cooking at 250°F and add 3 to 4 fist-sized chunks of cherry wood (apple is the best substitute); fill the water pan if your smoker has one.
3. Place the pork fat side up directly on the grate and smoke undisturbed for 3 hours. Pour the white wine into a spray bottle or small bowl and, starting at hour 3, spritz or brush the surface every 45 minutes to keep the bark from drying out.
4. Continue smoking until the bark is deep mahogany and firm and the internal temperature in the thickest part reads 165°F, about 5 hours total. Expect the temperature to stall around 155 to 165°F — that is normal.
5. Wrap the pork tightly in a double layer of heavy-duty foil with any remaining wine poured in, return it to the smoker fat side up, and cook until a probe slides into the meat with no resistance and the internal temperature reaches 203°F, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours more.
6. Leave the pork wrapped and rest it in a dry cooler or turned-off oven for at least 45 minutes, up to 2 hours. Resting is what makes it juicy — do not skip it.
7. Unwrap over a tray to catch the juices, pull the meat into large chunks with two forks, discarding any big pockets of fat, and toss the pork with the collected juices. Pile onto split ciabatta rolls or serve as is.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

One-Pot Chicken Creole

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem