PORCHETTA SLIDERS

Prep Time: 8½ Hours
Yields: 20 Sliders or 12 Servings

Comment:
Porchetta is the king of all pork roasts. I have seen it made with everything from suckling pig to whole hog down to pork butt or loin. The secret to this "center of the table" dish is lots of garlic, fennel and rosemary with a proper rubbing of salt and two peppers. The porchetta is then thinly sliced and served on slider buns as a sandwich.

Ingredients:
1 (3–5 pound) boneless pork butt, butterflied
¼ cup fennel seeds
¼ cup finely chopped basil
¼ cup minced sage
3 tbsps finely chopped rosemary
½ cup olive oil, divided
salt and black pepper to taste
red pepper flakes to taste
granulated garlic to taste
1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
3 tbsps lemon zest
10 cloves garlic, sliced
½ cup minced red onions

Method:
Place fennel seeds into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until seeds are finely chopped and at least half powder. In a small bowl, mix together chopped fennel seeds, basil, sage and rosemary. Set aside. Unfold pork butt on a cutting board and drizzle with ¼ cup olive oil. Rub herb mixture well into the pork butt then season generously with salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and granulated garlic. When well seasoned, arrange sliced fennel bulb, lemon zest, sliced garlic and minced red onions evenly on pork butt. Roll up pork butt and tie with butcher’s twine at 1″ intervals then rub outside skin with remaining olive oil. Wrap the roast tightly with clear wrap then again tightly with aluminum foil. Transfer to a 9” x 13” baking dish. Place in refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours. When ready to cook, remove roast from refrigerator, remain wrapped and place a digital thermometer through the foil into the center of the pork butt. This will ensure an accurate temperature reading in the center of the roast. Allow roast to sit at room temperature until internal temperature reaches 50°F, 3–4 hours. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook roast until internal temperature reaches 195°F, 3–4 hours. Remove from oven and allow to rest until internal temperature reaches 170°F. To serve, thinly slice porchetta and serve on slider buns with your favorite toppings and condiments, or slice porchetta and serve with roasted potatoes and vegetables as an entrée.