Traditional Italian porchetta is a laborious dish of pork shoulder or loin that is slathered with seasonings, wrapped in bacon, marinated overnight, and slow roasted. This recipe uses the same seasonings—garlic, fennel, rosemary, and thyme—but the pork cooks in just 15 minutes in the Instant Pot. Cooking under pressure helps the meat absorb the flavors in the same way long marinating does.
Serves 4
Prep: 15 minutes
Closed Pot: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
1¼ teaspoons salt
1 Whole30-compliant pork tenderloin (1½ pounds), fat trimmed
6 slices Whole30-compliant bacon
1 package (9 ounces) shaved Brussels sprouts (or see Tip)
2 medium shallots, sliced
¼ teaspoon coarse black pepper
Place the rack in a 6-quart Instant Pot. Add 1 cup water to the pot.
Using a mortar and pestle, combine 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the garlic, fennel seeds, thyme, rosemary, and 1 teaspoon of the salt until a paste forms. Rub the paste all over the pork. Tuck the small end under. Wrap the bacon around the tenderloin. Place the tenderloin on the rack. Lock the lid in place.
Select Manual and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Use natural release. Remove the pork from the pot; cover with foil to keep warm. Discard the cooking liquid.
On the Instant Pot, select Sauté and adjust to More/High. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When it’s hot, add the Brussels sprouts, shallots, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle with coarse black pepper.
Slice the tenderloin and serve with the Brussels sprouts.
Tip To shave your own Brussels sprouts, use a food processor to shave about 10 ounces trimmed Brussels sprouts. You should have about 5 cups shaved sprouts.