What is porketa (and why it’s about to become your new obsession)

Porketa is pork at its absolute best: boneless pork belly or leg, marinated with herbs and spices, rolled tight and cooked low and slow until it’s crackling on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth juicy inside. It comes from Italian porchetta, but a Venezuelan and criollo spin has turned it into something else entirely. Here’s the full story.

What is porketa, exactly

Porketa (derived from porchetta) is a pork preparation that starts with a skin-on cut — usually pork belly or leg — which gets boned out, seasoned, rolled up tight and slow-cooked for hours.

The result is two textures in a single bite:

• Outside: the skin turns proper crackling — shatteringly crisp.
• Inside: the meat stays juicy, tender and packed with herb flavour.

This isn’t just a roast. It’s technique, patience and a marinade that changes everything. 🐷

From Italian porchetta to Venezuelan porketa

Italian roots

Porchetta was born in the Lazio region of Italy as a street-food classic: whole boneless pig, seasoned with rosemary, garlic and fennel, roasted for hours. From there it went global — today you’ll find it everywhere from food trucks to tasting menus.

The Venezuelan chapter

In Venezuela, porchetta got a makeover with criollo marinades and became known as porketa. It stopped being just an Italian roast and took on a life of its own: more spiced, often smoked, served as a plate dish or loaded into a good bread roll. It grew in popularity as proper street food — not a fancy-restaurant thing.

That’s exactly the story we brought to Barcelona.

How a proper porketa is made

No shortcuts here. Traditional porketa comes down to three steps.

The cut

You start with pork belly opened up like a book, or a whole leg with the skin on. The skin is non-negotiable — it’s what gives you the crackling.

The marinade

The meat gets rubbed and packed with garlic, rosemary, pepper and sometimes citrus zest. Criollo versions bring in more spices. This step is what separates a great porketa from a forgettable one.

The cook

Rolled tight, tied with butcher’s twine and roasted or smoked for hours until the skin is full-on crackling and the meat pulls apart. Low. Slow. That’s the whole secret.

The versions you’ll come across

• Smoked: cooked in barrel smokers over charcoal. Deep flavour, a smell that gets you from the street. 🔥
• Christmas-style: some cooks stuff it with hallaca ingredients — raisins, olives, capers, raw cane sugar. Pure Venezuelan celebration.
• In a sandwich: sliced into a canilla or country loaf. This is where porketa goes street-food and fully addictive.

How we make porketa at ComePorketa

We’re Barcelona’s first 100% porketa-specialist restaurant, right in the Eixample next to Sagrada Família. Here’s what we do differently:

• 12-hour process: our own dry rubs, slow cooking and smoking. Nothing leaves the chamber in a rush.
• Indirect grill + smoke: our technique renders up to 70% less fat than traditional pork belly — without losing a single drop of flavour.
• Everything made in-house: signature breads (charcoal black, Hawaiian, brioche, bagel), sauces and artisan desserts. We don’t buy anything ready-made.
• Over 20,000 porketas served in our first year (we opened in August 2024) and a 4.9 on Google with more than 730 reviews.

Bottom line: Italian technique, Venezuelan soul and a serious obsession with crackling pork belly — all in one bite. You’re going to love it. 🥩

Why porketa is healthy, fast, affordable and delicious

Four reasons porketa should be your next meal:

• Healthier than you think: our indirect grill drains the fat and leaves the meat clean. With 70% less fat than classic pork belly, this is pork you can eat without guilt. Pure protein.
• Fast: we put in the hours upfront so you don’t have to. Walk in, order, eat in minutes. Perfect for a midweek lunch in the Eixample.
• Affordable: chef-quality food at street-food prices. Our Fast Brunch starts from €5.99 (Monday to Saturday, 11am–2pm) and every Wednesday is Burger Day with special pricing.
• Delicious: this one speaks for itself. Crackling skin, juicy meat, house-baked bread and our own sauces. 🤤

How to get your porketa in Barcelona

On our full menu porketa is the star — in every shape it comes:

• Traditional Porketa — the classic, served as a plate. Our most-ordered dish.
• Burry Belly — porketa in a sandwich, our signature.
• Porky Rolls — porketa to share.
• Porky Burger — the burger version, loaded with crispy pork belly.
• Yuca croquettes — the side that surprises everyone.

Find us at Carrer de València 438, Eixample (a short walk from Sagrada Família). We also deliver to your door via Glovo and Uber Eats.

Preguntas frecuentes

What’s the difference between porketa and porchetta?

Porchetta is the original Italian roast from Lazio. Porketa is its adaptation — mainly Venezuelan — with criollo seasonings and often a smoke element. Same roots, completely different personality.

Is porketa made with pork belly or pork leg?

Either works, as long as the skin is on. The classic is pork belly opened up like a book, though whole leg is also traditional.

Why does the skin come out so crispy?

It’s all in the slow cook and the smoke: hours at low temperature render the fat beneath the skin and turn it into proper crackling. At ComePorketa we do it on an indirect grill for 12 hours.

Is porketa high in fat?

It depends entirely on how it’s cooked. Ours loses up to 70% of its fat through indirect grilling, so it’s a much leaner pork than you’d expect — high protein, low baggage.

Where can I try porketa in Barcelona?

At ComePorketa, Carrer de València 438 (Eixample, next to Sagrada Família). We’re the only 100% porketa-specialist spot in the city.

No more excuses: porketa is pork done right. Come find us at Carrer de València 438 or order via Glovo or Uber Eats. One bite and you’ll get it. 🔥