Turkey Porchetta
Here we're taking a turkey breast & prepping, flavouring & cooking it like an Italian porchetta. It's juicy, tender & full of flavour!
Servings: 10 People
Equipment
- Digital Food Probe
- Pestle & Mortar
- Microplane/Grater
- Mixing Bowls
- Meat Tenderising Hammer
- Butcher's Twine
- Large Frying Pan/Skillet
- Large Roasting Tin (With Rack)
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
- 2.5 kg Boneless Turkey Breast (Skin On - See Notes)
Porchetta Marinade/Cure
- 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
- 1 tsp Black Peppercorns
- 2 tsp Fine Sea Salt
- 4 Garlic Cloves (Grated)
- 2 tsp Finely Chopped Sage
- 2 tsp Finely Chopped Rosemary
- 2 tsp Finely Chopped Thyme
- 1 Lemon (Zested)
- ½ Orange (Zested)
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
Herb Butter
- 75 g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
- ½ tsp Finely Chopped Rosemary
- ½ tsp Finely Chopped Thyme
To Cook
- 1 tsbp Vegetable Oil
Instructions
Porchetta Marinade/Cure
- Place the fennel seeds into a small frying pan then toast over a medium-low heat, until fragrant. This will take a minute or two.
- Transfer the toasted seeds into a pestle & mortar, grind into a coarse powder then transfer to a small mixing bowl.
- Add the peppercorns into the pestle & mortar, crush into a coarse powder then add into the bowl with the fennel.
- Next, add the salt, grated garlic, chopped herbs, zests & oil to the bowl then stir to make a paste. Set this aside for now.
Turkey Prep
- First, carefully remove the skin from the turkey breast then set to one side. You should be able to separate the skin from the meat using just your fingers. If there's any bits of skin that are stuck, use a sharp knife to carefully release them from the meat.We need to keep the skin in one piece, without any holes, so make sure to remove it from the turkey really carefully!
- Flip the turkey over & remove the tenderloin (it should just pull off!). Set this aside for another dish.
- Next, using a sharp knife, cut through the thick part of the breast horizontally, leaving around 1½ cm of meat uncut. Make sure not to cut all the way through! The meat should be an even thickness all over (around 3cm thick). If needed, you can use a meat tenderising hammer to flatten it out slightly (do this between 2 pieces of baking parchment).
- Lightly score the meat in a criss cross pattern then spoon over the marinade. Use your hands to rub the marinade into the meat.
- Roll the turkey breast up, into a tight log then place it seam side down on your chopping board. Lay the turkey skin over the top, making sure that it completely covers the top & sides of the meat.
- Tie the turkey up with butcher's twine (horizontally), leaving a couple of centimetres between each piece.
- Next, cut off a long piece of twine & tie it to one of the end pieces of string. Run this down the middle of the entire length of the turkey (both on top & underneath), tucking it under & over each horizontal piece of twine until you come all the way round to where you started. Tie the end off, to secure.The twine needs to be long enough to go all the way round the turkey, so make sure to cut off plenty.
- Season the turkey skin lightly with table salt then place into a container/onto a baking tray, cover loosely with clingfilm then refrigerate overnight (or up to 2 days).
Cooking The Turkey
- Take the turkey out of the fridge 30 minutes - 1 hour before cooking.
- Preheat an oven to 150°c/130°c fan (302°f/266°f).
- In the meantime, add the softened butter & herbs into a mixing bowl then season with salt & pepper and stir to combine. Set this aside for now.
- Next, set a large frying pan/skillet over a high heat, add in the tbsp of vegetable oil & leave for a minute or two, to get hot.
- Season the outside of the turkey with salt & pepper then add into the hot pan. Sear on all sides, until golden brown all over then place onto a wire rack, set inside a roasting tin lined with foil.
- Brush half of the herb butter over the turkey then transfer to the preheated oven & roast until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 71°c/160°f, basting with the butter & juices from the tray every 30 minutes or so. The total roasting time will take 2-2½ hours.Take the internal temperature in the centre of the turkey. Turkey is full cooked when it reaches 75°c/167°f, but the temperature will continue to rise as the meat rests.
- Once cooked, brush the remaining herb butter over the turkey, loosely cover with foil & let rest for 30 minutes.
- To serve, remove all of the twine from the turkey then slice with a sharp knife.
Notes
1. To Cook In An Aga - Use the boiling plate to sear the turkey. Roast the turkey on the bottom set of runners in the baking oven, with a cold plain shelf set as close to the turkey as you can, without letting it touch.
2. Turkey Breast - Ask your butcher for a boneless turkey breast with the skin on. You could make a larger porchetta using a larger turkey breast, just keep in mind that it will take longer to cook.
3. Internal Temperature - Turkey needs to reach an internal temperature of 75°c/167°f, to be fully cooked. We're going to be taking it out of the oven a few degrees lower than this as the turkey will continue to cook as it rests. You'll need a digital food probe for this.
4. Storage - Once rolled, the porchetta can sit in the fridge for up to 2 days before being cooked. Any leftovers should be stored in the fridge & eaten within a couple of days.
5. Leftovers - Leftover turkey can be served hot or cold. To reheat, place turkey slices onto a tray, spoon over some gravy or butter then cover with foil & cook in a 180°c/356°f oven for 5-10 minutes, until piping hot.