THE SECRET OF PORCHETTATURA - Skewered Rabbit

Can porchetta only be made with pork? In this recipe, we reveal barbecued rabbit porchetta: a creative and tasty twist on the Italian classic that will delight every palate.

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INGREDIENTS

• Whole boneless rabbit

• Salami paste or minced pork

• Pork or rabbit liver

• Stretched bacon

Spicing

• Fennel seeds

• Pimento

• Java pepper

• Coriander berries

• Salt

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PREPARATION

Rabbit has a delicate but tasty meat that the barbecue manages to ennoble very well.

The most complex part is removing all the bones from the rabbit, but to avoid this we recommend buying a boneless cut from the butcher's shop, keeping in mind that for this recipe we will need the whole rabbit.

The first step is seasoning. We used fennel seeds crushed in a mortar, which give the rabbit a fantastic flavor.

After sprinkling the rabbit with fennel, we leave it to rest in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes, just enough time for it to absorb the flavors and proceed with the recipe.

The porchetta technique often involves adding other ingredients to the meat roll, especially if the meat is lean, like rabbit. To do this, you'll need to prepare a filling made with fairly fatty ground pork (you can also add salami paste) and pork or rabbit liver.

To prepare the filling, dice and mince the liver, then mix it equally with the minced meat. Mix well and add a very fine spice mix of allspice, Java pepper, coriander pods, and more fennel seeds. Finally, season the mixture with salt.

We also set the filling aside in the refrigerator to let the flavors blend well.

Let's prepare the pancetta, which we'll use to roll up the porchetta. Using a slicer, cut it into slices, arranging them evenly so they completely cover a sheet of parchment paper or butcher paper. This will make it easier to roll up the rabbit porchetta.

All that remains is to continue with the actual composition of the roasted rabbit.

Take the rabbit and lay it on the bacon sheet, backside down, then fill all the less thick parts of the rabbit, such as the belly, with the spiced mince until you obtain an even layer.

Once the filling is finished, we come to the most complex part of the recipe because we will need a bit of manual skill: rolling up the rabbit.

The parchment paper will help us, but we must make sure to form a nice tight and compact roll to prevent the porchetta from turning on the spit once skewered.

The tying process is similar to that of salami or roasts, using longitudinal and transverse knots, always making sure to compact and tighten well. You can also use a roasting net to make the job easier.

Finally, we skewer the meat on the spit trying to center the porchetta and secure it with the two forks.

Before putting everything on the barbecue, let's also prepare a quick side dish by cutting, oiling, and seasoning some potatoes, which we'll cook with the porchetta.

Once the spit is placed on the barbecue, we proceed with balancing the counterweight: this step is essential to allow uniform rotation and consequently obtain correct cooking.

To balance the spit, disconnect it from the motor and let the heaviest, most offset part of the meat hang down. Then, position the counterweight on the opposite side from where the rabbit falls, tightening it in place.

We check that it rotates in a balanced manner and insert the spit into the motor.

Next, place the potatoes under the rabbit and leave only the rear burners on: this way, with the lid closed, we will be able to have a widespread and uniform heat that will remain stable.

Placing the potatoes under the rabbit will allow us to collect the meat juices, which will drip and add flavor, preventing the barbecue from getting dirty.

We want to add more flavor through smoking. To do this, we light a single burner away from the meat and place the smoke box containing soaked walnut wood pieces on top.

The temperature must be set to 200°C. Thanks to our Broil King with IQue system, it is simple and convenient to set, even via the app. The temperature is managed automatically throughout cooking and remains fixed at the default setting.

The rabbit porchetta is finished when the internal temperature of the rabbit reaches 75°C.

Once cooking is complete , using our Gevis heat-resistant and food contact safe certified gloves, we take the hot porchetta and remove it from the spit.

With a nice clean cut we check the internal result: juicy and uniformly colored.

The fennel and spices add a touch of flavor and perfectly combine the flavors of the filling and the rabbit meat, while the pancetta adds saltiness and crunchiness.

An alternative recipe but really worth trying!