Porchetta with pickled rhubarb

Serves: 4
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 3 hrs 0 mins
Ingredients
  • For the porchetta
  • 1kg/3kg free roam porchetta 
  • A good rub of sea salt and white pepper 
  • A sprinkling of dried oregano and thyme 
  • Quick pickled rhubarb 200ml apple cider vinegar 
  • 75g muscovado sugar 
  • 1 star anise 
  • 3 pods of cardamom
  • 20g dried rose petals 
  • 4 sticks of rhubarb, cut into 1cm rounds, or thin strips

Dry out the porchetta skin, preferably in the fridge overnight.

Take the meat out of the fridge three hours before you want to cook it.

Preheat your oven full whack at 250C.

Give the porchetta a good rub down with the seasoning and herbs.

Place the porchetta in the oven for 30 minutes then reduce the temperature to 170C and cook for a further 2 hours or until the juices run clear. Wrap in foil and leave to rest for another 30 mins.

While the porchetta is cooking, make the pickled rhubarb by combining the vinegar, sugar and spices and place in a deep saucepan.

Put the saucepan on the heat and bring to the boil. Once boiling, pour over the rhubarb. Cover and set aside.

After 10 mins this should be tart and sweet providing the lovely balance you need to cut through the richness of the pork.

Jess Murphy

Jess Murphy

Jess Murphy, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a Kiwi chef living on the west coast of Ireland