How to cook porchetta on the Traeger Timberline 850 (VIDEO)

This classic Italian pork roast makes a delicious alternative for all those who don’t like turkey at Christmas. We have just used belly pork but some recipes do also include the meaty eye from the loin just to balance the fat to meat ratio, but belly pork makes a gorgeous dish just on it’s own. The stuffing we have used is a mixture of onion, fennel bulb, coriander seeds, garlic, orange zest and sage, all bound with an egg.

Cover the entire belly with the stuffing mixture, taking care to get it right to the edge, so that all the meat is infused with the aromatic flavours of the stuffing. Once covered in stuffing, roll tightly and tie up with string. Rub a little rapeseed or extra virgin olive oil into the skin and season generously with sea salt. Score the skin well to enable the fat to render out.

Pre-heat the Traeger to 190 – 200C and place the porchetta straight onto the grate. Insert the tip of the temperature probe into the centre of the meat and leave to cook until the temperature is reading at least 74C. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes underneath a couple of sheets of tinfoil and a couple of folded teatowels to retain the heat.