Easy Crockpot Porketta Sandwich

The Porketta sandwich has deep ties in Minnesota. The dish was made by Italian immigrants that came to northern Minnesota to work in the iron mines and has been a staple ever since. Porketta is a take of the Italian dish Porchetta, which is a whole pig that has been de-boned and stuffed with herb and slow cooked until tender.  This porketta sandwich is a great meal, the pork is extremely tender and packed with flavor from the herbs and spices that the pork marinates in and cooks slowly with. The cooked fennel is tender and is tamed down and almost sweet like caramelized onions flavor. The fennel is one of the most important part of the dish. Top it with your favorite dressing, a typical one is a creamy horseradish sauce. Check out the recipe below.

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Start off by butterflying the pork shoulder in half. Make a 1” diamond pattern about ½”- ¾” deep. Combine the fennel seeds, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Spread the seasoning over the pork equally. Work the seasoning into the pork cross hatching.

Fold the pork back over and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, overnight preferred. 

Unwrap and place the pork and place fat side down, seasoning side up. Slice the fennel bulb into thin strips and place over the pork. Cook for 4 hours until pork is tender. Remove from crock pot and let rest for 20-30 minutes.

Slice the pork into thin slices and place on the sandwich rolls equally. Finish off by topping with the fennel and enjoy the sandwiches.

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