Porketta With a Question

[BedouinBob]

Ok, this is something I have been wanting to try for a get together in January. I didn't actually use the SI #2 for this round as I wanted to stay true to the original recipe first before I modified it. Porketta is a pork belly with scored skin, flipped, and covered in garlic and herbs with some chunks of pork loin down the middle. What's not to like so far???  The pork belly is then rolled up  and baked at 400 deg for 40 minutes, 325 deg for 3 hours, and 500 deg for 20 minutes. Turned out great although I went too heavy on the herbs (but not the garlic) and the recipe called for baking soda on the skin to help it crunch up. I will not do the soda next time as I don't care for that. But, overall a tasty treat that you probably can't eat 4 times a week. 

My question to the forum is whether you think that by doing a cold smoke before baking the smoke would toughen the skin. When I do bacon the skin is tough to get anywhere useable for anything other than soup flavoring as I, so far, have not been able to make cracklings out of them. So that's my question. What say ye?

Happy Thanksgiving to all by the way.  Pictures attached for the porkinators out there. 

• Tweet
• 

[DivotMaker]

I'll defer to our bacon experts for your questions, Bob, but I will say that looks fantastic!   

[SconnieQ]

Just a theory, but I don't think a cold smoke would have a negative effect on the skin if you follow up the cold smoke with the rest of your Porketta process. You could put some water pans in the smoker to keep the skin from forming a crust and maybe rub the skin with a little oil.

The skin is tough on bacon, because it's basically still just the consistency of "skin" after the cold smoke. It has not been softened by long low and slow cooking or braising (like in your 325 phase), or rendered by high temp cooking (like in your 500 phase).

[BedouinBob]

Good point Kari.