The pros: Trader Joes Uncured Bacon Wrapped Porchetta Pork Roast is a great seasonal find that makes for a presentable roast.
The cons: This is a seasonal item so if you want to try it, grab one as soon as possible because when they are gone they are gone.
The verdict: This post contains affiliate links which means I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. It is at no additional cost to you.
So when the Fearless Flyer landed I was excited to see some holiday roasts. But they flyer landed on the 28th of November this year and wouldnt have these roasts in until December 6th. Thats a long time to have people hanging. Im not the type to try something new on a holiday. I always want to do a recipe before serving it to anyone. Well, fear not. I tried it. I think Ill be picking up another one for the freezer. Sadly, this is a seasonal item, but would make for a nice Sunday dinner any time. Its perfect for the pork lovers in your life.
Making this required some minor kitchen equipment. A roasting rack, a baking sheet, and a meat thermometer are what is needed. I used a standard cooling rack to lift my roast about the cookie sheet. It lead to a perfectly crisp exterior all the way around and allowed for the excess fat to drain away. Now, if youve read any of my other posts on meats, I have an iDevices thermometer that pairs with my phone via bluetooth. How many roasts have I burned or overcooked since getting the device? Zero. Gone are the moments of forgetting to set a timer, or worse sitting for what seems like a moment and then wondering, “whats that smell?” As your thermometer is placed in the center, then youll have an accurate read and be able to remove your meat at the precise temperature without opening and closing the oven door.
The directions on this are fairly straight forward. Let this sit for 30 minutes at room temperature. If you are like me and have an electric oven, then this is your standard wait time to get and maintain an oven at 500F. After 25 minutes, the oven was turned down and cooking continued until it reached 145F. I know the directions say 150F. The USDA says 145F is safe, therefore I want my meat to be safe but moist. And moist it was. The bacon was perfectly crisp. The netting allowed it to conform to the shape of the meat. When the netting was removed, it was easy with a pair of scissors. After waiting around for this roast to cool enough to slice into it, I had perfectly cooked moist pork. That was accented by the thin slice of bacon that wrapped it and there was a fine layer of herbs. All of which would make any pork lover happy.
For $6.99 per pound or $18.31 for the one I reached for, it made for 7 nice sized slices. There is some shrinkage in the oven, so plan accordingly. This was not greasy in anyway. The bacon ensured that the meat stayed moist. My husband and I enjoyed this. Id pick up another before they are gone for the season. Its a roast that isnt much effort. This is a safe bet if you are thinking about reaching for this for the holidays. Its only a bummer to think about the fact that this would make a lovely Sunday dinner regardless of the season.
Watching the temperature rise (on my phone) on my roast. And since it doesnt mention it, yes, this roast will take about an hour of just cooking time. Yes, set my timer for 145F to remove it as that is what the USDA says is the safe temperature for pork. The temperature did continue to rise after it left the oven. The red line is where the alarm on my phone went off to remind me that it was done.
Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joes Uncured Bacon Wrapped Porchetta Pork Roast again. Even if its just for the freezer, this item is well priced and very good.
Want to see more items Ive reviewed from Trader Joes? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
The cons: This is a seasonal item so if you want to try it, grab one as soon as possible because when they are gone they are gone.
The pros: Trader Joes Uncured Bacon Wrapped Porchetta Pork Roast is a great seasonal find that makes for a presentable roast.
The directions on this are fairly straight forward. Let this sit for 30 minutes at room temperature. If you are like me and have an electric oven, then this is your standard wait time to get and maintain an oven at 500F. After 25 minutes, the oven was turned down and cooking continued until it reached 145F. I know the directions say 150F. The USDA says 145F is safe, therefore I want my meat to be safe but moist. And moist it was. The bacon was perfectly crisp. The netting allowed it to conform to the shape of the meat. When the netting was removed, it was easy with a pair of scissors. After waiting around for this roast to cool enough to slice into it, I had perfectly cooked moist pork. That was accented by the thin slice of bacon that wrapped it and there was a fine layer of herbs. All of which would make any pork lover happy.
Making this required some minor kitchen equipment. A roasting rack, a baking sheet, and a meat thermometer are what is needed. I used a standard cooling rack to lift my roast about the cookie sheet. It lead to a perfectly crisp exterior all the way around and allowed for the excess fat to drain away. Now, if youve read any of my other posts on meats, I have an iDevices thermometer that pairs with my phone via bluetooth. How many roasts have I burned or overcooked since getting the device? Zero. Gone are the moments of forgetting to set a timer, or worse sitting for what seems like a moment and then wondering, “whats that smell?” As your thermometer is placed in the center, then youll have an accurate read and be able to remove your meat at the precise temperature without opening and closing the oven door.
Want to see more items Ive reviewed from Trader Joes? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
I had seen other roasts that people had made online and several of them were perfect roasts with a tight spiral. Unfortunately, mine was not. Not sure if I got a bad piece of meat or not, but one end of the roast was very tough. The other end of the roast was nice and almost melt in your mouth. Then I kept my roast in the netting. I wasn’t sure if I was to take it out or not. In hindsight, I think I was supposed to. I don’t think it made any difference on the baking or whatever but I do think it kept the bacon from crisping up nicely.
Trader Joe’s Bacon Wrapped Porchetta Roast Review – On a whim, I picked one of these up around Christmas time. Trader Joe’s has been releasing them for a few years and I just never pulled the trigger and got one. I am not a fan of pre-marinated meat, especially if it’s been sitting around for a long time. From my taste, these pre-marinated meats get over marinated and the flavors get muddled and weird, almost metallic. This was the case with the Spatchcocked Lemon Rosemary Chicken, the flavors were just weird. I made the chicken once and the whole family went “Ewwww”. It had some off-flavors I didn’t really like. Making a spatchcocked chicken is super easy, especially on the grill. The hardest thing is cutting out the backbone of a whole bird. If you can’t do it at home get the butcher to do it for you. You’ll thank yourself. Anyway, on to the review…
I’d like to try this again next year. Maybe smoke it on the grill, low and slow, and see what it does but as it is now, I probably won’t spend the money since it was almost $20 for the roast I picked up.
PERISHABLE, KEEP REFRIGERATED Let roast sit for 30 minutes at room temperature. Preheat oven to 500`F. Fit a rimmed baking sheet with a roasting rack, place roast on rack, and tied side down Roast until bacon is browned and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Check the center of the roast temperature with a meat thermometer. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F and continue roasting: check the temperature every 15 minutes until the center of the roast reaches 150°F, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cook time may vary depending on the weight of the roast. At 150°F, remove from oven, cover, and let stand until temperature reaches 155°F to 160°F, or about 10 minutes longer, remove ties and slice.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take pictures post slicing. We ended up eating most of it. I trimmed off the tough gristly parts and the rest was pretty good. The meat was tender and juicy, but like the chicken I mentioned above, it had a weird medicinal flavor from marinating for days in the packaging that it came in. The rosemary, in my opinion, is OK if used fresh, but sitting in juices for days on end extracts too much flavor.
Pochetta Pork Roast from @traderjoes … Serious flavor!
FAQ
Should you bake a pork roast covered or uncovered?
Does porchetta need to be cooked?
Should I put water in the pan of a pork roast?
What is the best temperature to cook a pork roast?