Porchetta on the BBQ

Porchetta - just of the BBQ

I made porchetta before I started with this blog, but I knew I had to make again and again and again. Like a Danish pork roast aka flæskesteg, the porchetta has the crackling pork skin aka flæskesvær, that makes this dish so perfect. The crispy and salty skin goes perfect with the soft juicy pork seasoned with all kinds of goodness. 

If you can get hold of a meaty pork belly and make the porchetta it might be the best BBQ meal you've ever had. But if the pork belly is mostly fat, it won't be that great. Well, you still have excellent  cracklings.

This time I was lucky to find a nice piece of pork belly in my local Whole Foods Market. It was so meaty, with only thin lines of fat between the meat. This called for a porchetta, even though it would mean a late dinner for us.

Ingredients:

• 5-6 pounds (2½-3 kg) Pork belly with skin on

• ½ cup (1 dl) breadcrumbs, fresh and finely chopped

• 1 cup chopped parsley

• 1 large onion, chopped

Spice rub:

• 2 lemons, zest of

• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tablespoon whole black pepper, cracked

• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and cracked

• 4 bay leaves

• 2 sprigs rosemary

• salt - quite a lot

Equipment:

• Grill Rotisserie

Directions:

Let the pork belly sit at room temperature for 2 hours.

Make a spice blend from lemon zest, garlic, rosemary, toasted fennel seeds, bay leaves, salt and pepper.

Try to roll up the pork belly, and remove the part of the skin, that will be rolled up inside the porchetta. If you don’t do that, you’ll have a chewy rubbery piece of skin inside your porchetta. 

Place the pork belle skin-side down on your kitchen counter. Spread the spice rub, onions, parsley and breadcrumbs. 

Roll up the pork belly tight, and tie the roast crosswise at 1-inch (2½ cm) intervals with butcher's string. 

Porchetta

Insert the grill rotisserie, spear into the center of the roast. Rub the porchetta with olive oil and a good amount of salt. Let the porchette roast for 2-4 hours until the skin is chrisp and dark golden brown, and the center temperature is about 140℉ (60℃). Use indirect heat.

Let the Porchetta rest for about 20 minutes before serving.

Slice the porchetta and serve in a hamburger bun and/or with a good salad.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Porchetta on the BBQ

Ingredienser:

• 2½-3 kg svineslag

• 1 dl hakket daggammelt lyst brød uden skorpe

• 2 dl hakket persille

• 1 stor løg, hakket

Krydderiblanding:

• 2 citroner, skallen fra

• 3-4 fed hvidløg, pressede

• 1 spsk hel sort peber, meget groft kværnet

• 1 tsk fennikel frø, tørristede og groft kværnede

• 4 laurbærblade

• 2 kviste rosemarin

• salt - Ret meget

Udstyr:

• Roterende grillspyd

Fremgangsmåde:

Lad svineslaget ligge et par timer på køkkenbordet, så det opnår stuetemperatur.

Bland ingredienserne til krydderiblandingen.

Rul svineslaget og fjern den del af  sværen som vil være rullet ind i porchettaen. Denne del af sværen vil blive sej og gummiagtig, hvis den steger med. 

Læg svineslaget med sværen nedad og spred krydderiblandingen, løg, persille og brød på kødet. 

Rul svineslaget stramt op som en stor rullepølse og snør den stramt, med ca. 2½ cm imellem snorene.

Spid stegen med det store grilspyd, og sæt den på grillen og motoren. Smør porchettaen ind med olie og en del salt. Steg porchettaen i ca. 2 timer indtil sværen er brun og sprød, og kødet har en center temperatur på ca 60℃. Brug indirekte varme.

Lad Porchettaen hvile i ca. 20 minutter inden serveringen.

Skær porchettaen og server den i en burgerbolle og/eller med en god salat.

Velbekomme!

Grilled Espresso Tri-Tip

Grilled Espresso Tri-Tip

I had never heard about a tri-tip roast befor moving to California. And even though I have seen the cut in the stores, I didn't know how to cook it. My dear neighbors changed that, when they invited us for a BBQ, and served tri-tip. Now tri-tip is on my cuts to buy. It is so good and flavorful. Now I have to get my neighbor's secret rub, to get the perfect tri-tip for summer.

The tri-tip is a cut from the bottom of the sirloin, and is a close cousin of the culotte roast. 

Since the tri-tip is a lean cut, you have to be careful not to over cook it, particularly when preparing the full roast. You don't want to cook it to more than medium. 

This time the tri-tip became a little more done, than I would have liked, but I still turned out great. The deep flavor of the coffee worked perfect with the spice from the pepper and the beef. 

Ingredients:

• 1 tri-tip roast
• 3 tablespoons finely ground espresso coffee beans
• 1 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Combine espresso beans, brown sugar, garlic powder, black pepper, and chili powder. Rub mixture onto the roast and place in a large dish. Let the roast marinade covered, in the refrigerator for at least an hour. 

Preheat grill to medium heat (400℉/200℃).  

Remove roast from fridge and place on grill/BBQ, use indirect heat. Cook for 15-18 minutes turning occasionally. When done, remove from heat allow to sit for a few minutes before carving into  thin slices. 

Enjoy!

Maple Plank Salmon

Maple Plank Salmon

Have you ever grilled salmon on a plank? It's actually really easy, and it brings a lot of great flavor to the salmon. The most important thing is to soak the plank for one or two hours before grilling. You can soak the plank in water, cider, or even wine. 😃

I have had planks lying in the my kitchen cabinets for a very long time, I've totally forgot all about them. But on my last few runs to Whole Foods Market, I've wanted to try their Cedar Plank Salmon. But I opted to try making my own, Hawaiian inspired salmon.

Here is my take.

Serves 2-3 people

Ingredients:

• 1 food-safe maple plank (you can use any kind of food-safe planks)
• 1 salmon fillet, or 2-3 portion sized
• salt & white pepper
• lemon juice

Topping:

• 2 thin slices fresh pineapple, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon curd
• ½ jalapeño, minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ cup macadamia nuts
• salt & white pepper
• sprinkle of red pepper flakes

Directions:

Soak the plank in water for about two hours, making sure that it stay submerged.

Abut 15 minutes before you are ready to cook, preheat the grill/BBQ to 375-400℉ (190-200℃). You want to cook the salmon over direct heat.

Maple Plank Salmon ready for the grill/BBQ

Remove skin and bones from the fillet. You can let the skin stay on the fish, but I always remove it.
Drip some lemon juice over the fish, and season it with salt and white pepper. Place the fillet on the plank, and make the topping. If the filet has a thin tapered belly edge, tuck the edge under to get a more even thickness of the filet. This prevent the thin part to overcook. 

Mix the topping and spread it evenly over the fillet.

Cook for about 12-18 minutes with the lid closed, until the salmon is done (when the salmon is no longer translucent but uniformly pink in the center. Small fillets will cook more quickly than larger cuts. 

(Check the doneness by inserting a knife in the center and peek inside.)

You can reuse the planks until they become overly charred, cracked, or impossible to clean. 

Enjoy!