This takes a bit of time to prepare, but it all can be done a day ahead. This Stuffed Pork Loin Roast has terrific flavor and it's super moist also.
Even though it's the beginning of October, and officially Fall, our temperatures in Charleston, SC are still in the low 80's. But, that's not to say that it's not time to be doing some inside cooking. The Summer's been mostly grilling, and now it's time to get into some comfort food. I know you'll like this recipe as much as we did.
This was the 2nd day of cooking a large Pork Loin Roast, that I bought on sale at $1/95 / pound. It's a great value, in the fact that there's almost no waste, and it shrinks very little when cooked. The first cooking was 1/2 of the whole loin, that I cut into 1 1/2" chops and made Jerked, Pork Loin Chops.
Pork Loin is a very lean piece of meat, and is easy to cook until it's quite dry. That's why I came up with the idea of putting the Genoa Salami inside. It's a mild Salami, and has enough fat that will melt while it's being cooked to add some much needed fat to the inside of the roast. In this case, the Salami was perfect, and, in no way overpowered the flavor of the roast. It's flavor was vaguely there and it did provide the required fat to make a moist roast.
It may also seem like you'll be using a lot of my Jerk seasoning in making this roast. My Jamaican Jerk Seasoning Blend, is not a very hot blend, but has a ton of flavor. While eating, you'll get a nice hint of the flavor throughout the meat.
I served this with a bread stuffing, and a gravy the I added the "fond" from the bottom of the pan, and a little more of the Jerk Seasoning Blend. All the flavors worked real well together with very little heat.
The Dried Apricots provide the fruit flavor, Genoa Salami provides some much needed fat inside the pork roast, and the Jerk Seasoning gives lots of flavor for this Rolled Pork Roast.
1. Begin by Butterflying the Pork Loin. I used my carving knife, because it's razor sharp, long, and has a straight blade. This made Butterflying the Pork Loin much easier than using a fillet knife or a chef's knife.
I began on the top, cutting the meat 1/2" thick, then continued cutting as I rolled it around.
2. Lay out the butterflied meat on a large table, then place a layer of the Genoa Salami on it. Dust it liberally with the Blacken and add a double row of dried apricots.
Roll about a 1/ turn, and place another double row of apricots in a way that they would be directly opposite the first row. Optionally, you could roll a little more and add another double row of apricots.
3. Ron's Note:
When working with Butcher's Twine, placing it in a bowl will keep it in place, and keep the spool from rolling all over your countertop, or falling on the floor.
4. Cut enough strings to tie on the roast every 1 1/2 or so. To tie, begin in the middle and work towards both sides. When you're finished, place th roast, fat side up, on a rack in a pan. Pour some of the blacken, then the Kosher salt on top, and rub it in real well.
5. To Cook:
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, and place the roast in. Let it cook for 15 - 20 minutes, and turn the temperature down to 300 degrees.
Cook the roast un til an Instant read meat thermometer reads 135 - 140 degrees in the center of the roast. The internal temperature will rise to 140 - 145 degrees while the meat is resting. Total Cooking Time is about 1 1/2 hours.
6. Place the meat on a rimmed platter, and cover with aluminum foil. Let it rest at least 15 minutes for the juices to redistribute within the meat.
The high cooking temperature of the oven draws any moisture in the meat to the outside. Letting it rest for the 15 - 20 minutes will give the juices time to travel back to the center of the meat.
I like slicing a Pork Roast into 1/2 thick slices. And try to use a long, sharp knife, so you can cut it in one pass of the knife. If you use a short knife, and have to saw the cut, you'll end up with a funny looking slice of pork that will show all of those small cuts you made.
This recipe prints as a shortened version, with only 1 Picture, Ingredients, and Directions.
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This recipe prints as a shortened version, with only 1 Picture, Ingredients, and Directions.
By Cap'n Ron
