Porchetta might translate from Italian to “little pig,” but the traditional dish—skin-on pork belly wrapped around a boneless loin and slow-roasted for hours—requires big effort. “You cook it on a spit, and then [to get the skin crispy], you ladle super-hot oil over it,” says AJ Paloni, chef-owner of the 10-month-old Porchetta House, a lunch-to-late-night sandwich shop in City Park West.

While Paloni hopes to someday go full rotisserie with his recipe, his current oven-roasted adaptation doesn’t sacrifice the original’s crispy yet tender texture for the sake of ease. Case in point: Each day, the chef scores, rolls, trusses, and cooks two to three porchettas for the next day’s service. Then, he slices and sears individual portions to order on the flat top to regain that all-important crunch.