Porketta is a rolled pork roast that orignated in Italy and migrated to the Iron Range region of Minnesota.
Porketta is the American-ized word for porchetta. Porchetta is an Umbrian-Italian rolled, rubbed pork roast that is slow-roasted or braised before it is pulled apart to make sandwiches. Make porketta with lesser-quality cuts of pork, such as the shoulder, forelegs and head. Some porketta recipes call for marinating the meat in wine before spicing and rolling it. You can use sangria, a mixture of wine, citrus fruit and juice, to infuse your porketta with additional flavor. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Fennel Seed
Fennel is also known as sweet anise, due to its light, licorice flavor. It aids digestion and sweetens your breath. "Two Hot Tamales" chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger use 1/2 cup of fennel seed for a 6-lb. roast. in their porketta recipe at Food Network.com. The "Midwest Living" recipe is more frugal, calling for just 1 1/2 tsp. fennel for a 3- to 4-lb. roast. Midway between the two stands Minnesota resident Erin Clotfelter, wife of chef John Clotfelter and a founding member of RecipeZaar.com. Her porketta recipe calls for 1 tbsp. fennel seed for a 2 1/2- to 3-lb. pork roast.
Black Pepper
Milliken and Feniger use 2 tbsp. black pepper in their eye-watering spice rub, while the much milder "Midwest Living" recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp. Erin Clotfelter's recipe strikes the middle ground with 1 tbsp. of this sinus-clearing spice. If you choose Milliken and Feniger's version, serve a yogurt-based side dish or dessert with your porketta to offset the heat.
Garlic
Milliken and Feniger use 12 whole cloves of chopped, fresh garlic in their rub. Garlic's active ingredient, allicin, is destroyed by long cooking times, so reserve at least six cloves for the last five minutes before you serve the dish if you are eating garlic for its health effects. "Midwest Living" uses just two cloves of chopped garlic, or substitutes 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, while Clotfelter calls for six to eight cloves of fresh, chopped garlic. Again, reserve at least half to add in the last five minutes before you serve the dish.
Parsley
While Feniger and Milliken's porketta recipe includes a full cup of fresh, chopped parsley, the "Midwest Living" recipe uses just 1/2 cup or substitutes 1 tbsp. dried parsley flakes. Like fennel, parsley is a digestive aid and breath sweetener. Clotfelter omits parsley altogether, including a crumbled bay leaf instead.
Salt
Clotfelter's porketta includes a whopping 1 tbsp. kosher salt. Feniger and Milliken use only 2 tsp. in their porketta. The "Midwest Living" version calls for just 3/4 tsp. Slow roasting meat releases its natural juices and flavors, so omit salt if you choose, especially if you are going to marinate your pork before applying your spice rub. Citrus juice will supply more than enough flavor if you are on a low- or no-sodium diet.
Tags: Midwest Living, Living recipe, Midwest Living recipe, Milliken Feniger, pork roast