Whats the best cut of pork for a roasted pork loin?
The decadent Berkshire pork is the only way to go when choosing pork because of its renowned richness, texture, marbling, juiciness, tenderness, and overall depth of flavor. It’s the Kobe beef of pork. It is also known as Kurobuta – meaning black hog in Japanese.
This bodacious rack of yumminess is stuffed with dried fruit…right smack in the middle of the roast…no tying, no spiral lame cut unfolding on the plate. And everyone asks, “how did you do this piece of magic?” And your reply is, “simply tubular insertion.” Serve with braised purple cabbage and a loaded sweet potato for a meal everyone will remember.
What to serve with this delectable stuffed pork loin?
How about some braised red cabbage with German style egg noodles?
|
Ingredients
Equipment
Ingredients
Chef Gerrie's Notes
* Pork loin roast: Check out YouTube for frenching rib roast. Basically, it’s cutting out the meat in between the rib bones to just shy of the attached loin. It’s to expose the sexy, naked rib bones. If you are doing a whole pork loin, with ribs or no ribs, make sure you trim roast of silver skin.
* Brine: Pork loin can be tough if you don’t brine it. I suggest a 12-24 hour brine on a whole pork loin. Here you can get creative on the liquid. For example, fruit juice, wine, beer…etc. Also, the addition of spices and brown sugar. Alternatively, you can also pick up a brine kit. Usually they have a brine bag inside. The super XXL Ziplock bags work great in/or a cooler with the addition of ice to keep cold, if you don’t have room in your frig.
* Fruit filling: There are no dried fruit police here, so pick the ones you like, add nuts, or any other type of filling…it has to be reconstituted or cooked somewhat. The need for the fruit to be cut in a small dice is important for a nice, tight roulade.
Instructions
-
Using a boning knife, trim roast of excess fat and silver skin/sinew. Then french the ribs, by cutting out the meat in between the ribs, being careful not to cut into loin. Check out “Pork Loin – Home Butchery Part 1 and Part 2”.Really take a look at the size of the loin roast from one end. Here you can justify the size/diameter for the roulade and the incision you need to make.
-
Once pork is trimmed, fill either a large bowl/container, or if you have a two sided sink (using one side) fill with cool water and add salt. Mix well to help dissolve salt. Make sure that the roast is covered with the brining solution. Let sit for an hour while you prepare the fruit roulade.
-
In a medium bowl add the diced dried fruit. Soak in warm water or liquor for 15 to 20 minutes, or until soft. Then drain and reserve liquid to pour over roast, or use when making pan gravy.
-
On your countertop, layout a long piece of saran wrap twice the length of your roast. Take your drained fruit and form into a tubular sausage-like-shape in the middle of the saran wrap lengthwise. Now take the saran wrap nearest you and lift up over the fruit and roll up into a tubular form. You will notice that on either end you will have excess saran. Take a hold of saran at both ends of fruit roulade…pinching the roulade at either end and twisting the saran tails at the same time while lifting and rolling the roulade in a forward motion. You will start seeing the roulade getting tighter and firm. That is what you want! Stick it in the frig set or you can freeze it.
-
Now remove the roast from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. With your boning knife, insert the knife to make a slit the width of the diameter of the roulade into the middle of one end of the loin. You may have to cut one direction and then turn knife around in another direction. Be careful not to cut through the sides of the loin. You’ll be cutting the slits with your knife side ways, so use your hand (thumb and heel of hand) holding the knife as a measuring device. Now on the other end, copy the same slit size located as the first slit. You are wanting them to meet. Carefully, stick both hands into both ends to spread opening to further open the passageway for the roulade.
-
Preheat oven to 350° F. All righty then, you are ready to thread one of the long saran tails into one end of the roast. With the other hand, or using a pair of tongs, reach into the other end and grab the saran tail and pull through the roast. Once the roulade passes just outside of the opening…hold tight…take your chef knife and cut through the roulade at the opposite end. Then grab hold of the the first saran tail, holding the the other hand as leverage up against the roast . Now pull the saran tail off leaving the fruit inside the roast and viola…the plastic has been removed! Are you fabulous or what?
-
Rub roast with oil and seasoning rub. Place on a rack in the roasting pan in preheated oven. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until done–temperature should show 150 degrees. Let rest for 15-20 minutes.
-
Now if you want to make a sauce…add 2-3 T of flour to the bottom of the pan to make a roux (like wet sand on a beach). Then add reserved liquid from dried fruit and 2-3 C of chicken or beef stock. Stir with a whisk to mix. Heat pan on top of stove to reduce mixture to a sauce. Allow sauce to thicken until it coats the back of a spoon. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a couple of shots of good balsamic vinegar. Pass the sauce through a fine mesh strainer. Pour sauce on plate and place pork rib slice on top because you want to see the magic positioning of the fruit roulade.
|
