Fennel and Rosemary Pork Loin
Back to Porchetta-Style Pork Loin
Last updated
- Prep
- 20 min
- Bath
- 4 hours
- Total
- 4 hr 35 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
Main Courseporkfennelroast
Ingredients
- 1 plain boneless center-cut pork loin roast, 2 to 3 lb, fitting the guide’s whole-roast size limits
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, optional
Method
Prepare
- Keep the loin unrolled and untied. Trim loose fat without cutting pockets, then measure the whole roast and verify the starting conditions in the guide.
- Season with salt and pepper only and seal separately. Keep the fennel, garlic, rosemary, lemon, and oil for the finish.
Cook
- Set the water bath to 140°F.
- Use one plain boneless center-cut pork loin roast weighing 2 to 3 pounds. Keep it unrolled and untied, with every dimension within 2 3/4 × 4 1/8 × 6 7/8 inches, measured from shortest to longest. This is porchetta-style loin with herbs on the outside, not traditional rolled pork belly or a belly-wrapped loin. Use plain, fully thawed meat without injection, mechanical tenderizing, added solution, brining, curing, or marinade. Season with salt and pepper only. Keep sauces, wine, lemon, fats, and other finishing ingredients outside the pouch. Verify a 41°F starting temperature and the selected bath setting with a thermometer. Seal each piece separately in its natural shape, without folding, rolling, tying, or overlap. Trim loose fat without cutting pockets in the roast. Fully submerge the sealed bags in a verified, preheated circulating bath with water space around every bag. Start timing at immersion and complete the full listed time without interruption. The listed duration is the complete bath time, including heating; do not shorten it to a center-temperature reading or add another heating interval. Use clean utensils and discard all pouch liquid. Keep cooked food away from raw food, used bags, and utensils used for raw food. Dry and briefly brown the whole roast. Add a separately prepared fennel, rosemary, and garlic dressing after browning so the herbs do not scorch. Carve across the grain and serve immediately. These methods cover immediate service only, not frozen starts, chilling, storage, reheating, or holding. Colder or unknown starts, larger roasts, belly, shoulder, tenderloin, skin-on pork, stuffing, and rolled or tied preparations are excluded. The loin method cannot be applied to traditional porchetta.
- Cook for 4 hours for up to 2 3/4 inches thick; the whole piece must fit within 2 3/4 × 4 1/8 × 6 7/8 inches, measured from shortest to longest.
- Near serving time, toast the fennel in a dry skillet until fragrant, then crush it. Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil gently with the garlic and rosemary until fragrant, without browning the garlic.
- Take the dressing off the heat. Stir in the fennel, lemon zest, lemon juice, and optional red pepper.
Finish
- After the complete cook, discard the pouch liquid and dry the loin. Brown the whole roast briefly in a hot skillet with the remaining oil.
- Take the roast off the heat and spoon the aromatic dressing over it.
Serve
- Carve across the grain and serve immediately. This is an unrolled loin; do not use the recipe for rolled belly or stuffed pork.
Want another texture or thickness?
The complete guide has all reviewed settings, safety context, and finishing options.