An Easy-To-Make Feast for an Autumn Gathering.
A properly roasted boneless pork loin from THE SPRUCE EATS; photo by Diana Chistruga
Before we get cooking, let's cover some important points:
PORK LOIN IS NOT THE SAME AS PORK TENDERLOIN.
As with their beef equivalents, pork LOIN (top) is thicker, fattier, and more flavorful than pork TENDERLOIN. The loin roasts nicely, while the tenderloin requires special handling so it doesn't dry out.
AND NO, THE LOIN ISN'T "PRIME RIB OF PORK."
It's okay to think of it that way, because it is the same muscle and similarly delicious. Just don't call it that, and avoid butcher shops that do.
And perhaps most importantly...
THINK PINK!
Out of fear of contracting trichinosis, my parents' generation was raised to cook pork beyond recognition to lumber toughness and sawdust dryness. But thanks to stricter agricultural regulations, trichinosis has long been largely eliminated, down to a dozen or so cases per year that are typically caused by eating under-cooked meat from wild game or home-raised pigs.
And yet, here is what you get when the government tells us how to cook--
The party-poopers at the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) recommend cooking beef and pork to an internal temperature 145ºF... which would destroy Prime Rib as we know it (see HERE) but actually works okay for Roasted Pork Loin. Prior to 2011 the USDA insisted on 165ºF for pork... okay for bacon and braised or smoked shoulder, but ruinous for a roasted loin.
For my first Roast Pork Loin of this autumn season I proceeded as follows:
After thawing a large Kurobuta/Berkshire boneless loin of pork, I trimmed off SOME of the fat and tied it up with cotton string to make it more round, which helps it cook evenly;
I made a paste of brown sugar, garlic, mustard, and coco aminos (a great soy substitute) and rubbed it all over the roast and then wrapped it tightly with industrial-width (24") plastic wrap. 4 hours like this is plenty of time... do not season it like this overnight;
I let the roast warm to room temperature before roasting, then removed the wrap, wiped off the excess paste, and put it on a roasting rack and then into a 475ºF oven for 12 minutes;
I removed the roast and re-set the oven to 325ºF. The roast went back into the oven with a digital thermometer inserted into its thickest part.
I roasted it to 140ºF internal temperature, removed it, and tented it with foil to rest.
After 10 minutes of rest, we sliced and plated the perfectly roasted meat, which was the color of rose quartz--
Rose Quartz
My kitchen helpers and I then topped each slice with onion-apple butter compote and a sautéed slice of apple.
Even though autumn doesn't officially begin for another three weeks, it was a fantastic start to the cool-weather eating season.
NOTES:
One rarely finds Kurobuta/Berkshire pork in local grocery stores, but the suppliers we list in OUR FAVORITE THINGS all sell great pork.
"Onion-Apple Butter Compote" is simply gently browned onions cooked with apple cider, sugar, and apple cider vinegar, and then combined with a scoop of commercial apple butter. (See Cry, Baby, Cry for insights into onion cookery.)
Much more so than beef, pork loves the company of herbs. The paste with which I coated the roast might well have included chopped fresh rosemary, thyme, and/or sage.
If you love great Riesling, it makes a perfect pairing with pork dishes like this. Lighter reds (like Pinot Noir) work better than dark and powerful reds.
We refer to the website THE SPRUCE EATS so often that they deserve a plug. Please check them out for a wide variety of great recipes, product reviews, and more.
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