This is one of my favorite holiday meals and I have been making this dish since the late 1980’s after I first learned about a mesquite roasted version of the preparaton from Chef John Draz who was chef at The Winnetka Grill near Chicago, Illinois. The original restaurant burned down in 1996 and has since been shuttered and Draz has moved on to other lofty chef duties but the recipe remains alive in this version and my variation.
I have prepared this pork loin roast for restaurant buffets, holiday brunches and for family holiday meals and it has always been a popular dish. I just made this dish again last week while my parents were in town, and it was a treat for them too. In this instance I used some of the pumpkin seed and cheddar cornbread muffins that I posted earlier this week, but any cornbread will do for the stuffing of the pork loin.
Ingredients
|
||
1 |
Piece |
Boneless pork loin trimmed (3 pound average) |
2 |
Each |
Granny Smith Apples, cored and small diced |
½ |
Lb |
Ground bulk pork sausage (no skin), fresh, cooked and then drained |
3 |
Cup |
Cornbread, crumbled |
1 |
Cup |
Apple cider |
½ |
Cup |
Apple brandy or Calvados |
2 |
Tbsp |
Fresh parsley, chopped fine |
1 |
Tbsp |
Fresh rosemary, chopped |
½ |
Tbsp |
Fresh thyme, chopped |
To taste |
Salt and white pepper |
|
Sprinkling |
Coarse salt and fresh cracked black pepper |
Procedure Steps
|
|
1. |
Pre-heat the oven to 325° F. |
2. |
To stuff the pork loin take a long bladed knife and cut through the center of the loin making a 2 to 3-inch slit the entire length. |
3. |
To make the stuffing combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix well ensuring there are no large lumps of apple, ground pork or cornbread. This mixture will be somewhat moist. If too dry, add more cider or apple brandy. |
4. |
Put the stuffing into a pastry bag or use a large gallon zip type bag. If using the zip type bag, use scissors to cut a small 1” from one corner of the bag. |
5. |
With the bag of stuffing force the mixture into the loin from both ends until it is filled well. If you have extra stuffing it can be placed around the outside of the loin just prior to roasting (see step 7). |
6. |
Season the outside of the loin by sprinkling it with the coarse salt and fresh cracked black pepper. |
7. |
Place the loin in a large roasting pan with the remaining stuffing and cover, then into the pre-heated oven for 1 ½ hours or until an internal temperature of 160° F is reached. |
8. |
Remove from oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving. |
9. |
Serve with the Brandy Demi-Glace Sauce
|
Brandy Demi-Glace Sauce
Ingredients
|
||
1 |
Ounce |
Butter, unsalted |
2 |
Ounces |
Apple brandy or Calvados |
¼ |
Cup |
Shallots, minced |
2 |
Cups |
Apple Cider |
2 |
Cups |
Veal Demi-glace or beef stock |
½ |
Cup |
Heavy Cream
|
Procedure Steps | |
1. | Melt butter in a large sauce pan and then add the shallots and sauté until translucent. |
2. | Remove the pan from the heat and add the apple brandy to deglaze the pan, it may flame. |
3. | Then add the apple cider and bring to a rolling simmer to reduce the liquid volume by half. If using beef stock add it now as this intensifies the flavors and allow to reduce by half. |
4. | If using veal demi-glace add it now and simmer another 5 minutes, skim any scum that might form on the top. |
5. | Allow to come to a boil, then reduce heat and whisk in the heavy cream. |
6. | Strain the sauce through a fine strainer and reserve for serving with the pork. |
17 responses so far ↓
1 danipal // Nov 17, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Oh wow! We just finished this recipe for dinner and all were blown away. This is a must make for anybody and a new addition to my recipe files. Thanks so much for sharing this with your FoodBuzz friends.
2 Dana Max // Dec 22, 2009 at 11:29 am
Delicious recipes for Christmas!
3 Jason's BBQ Adventures // Dec 22, 2009 at 11:33 am
Amazing recipe, the brandy glaze looks wonderful.
4 Emily // Dec 22, 2009 at 1:25 pm
This looks unbelievable! I’m coming over for dinner :o)
5 FARID // Dec 22, 2009 at 1:29 pm
فكرة جميلة
6 Jenn @ cook or be eaten // Dec 22, 2009 at 1:39 pm
I love that combo of pork, apples, and cornbread … I still have some an extra pork roast in the freezer, might try it with this … with the addition of caramelized fennel … cuz I have leftover fennel!
7 Tina Marie // Dec 22, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Very beautiful presentation. The pork available to us here tends to run on the dry side. I will bet brining helps with moistness. Very nice Chef Ryan!
8 Alta // Dec 22, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Looks lovely! Wonderful for the holidays or even whenever company is coming.
9 Ingeborg // Dec 22, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Looks delicious!
10 Drick // Dec 22, 2009 at 11:53 pm
well, I was wondering what to make the Sat for company…now I have a pretty good idea – thanks
11 penny aka jeroxie // Dec 23, 2009 at 1:15 am
Perfect. Im making pork loin this xmas. but no granny apples. can I use soemthing else to stuff?
12 Conor @ HoldtheBeef // Dec 23, 2009 at 8:10 am
Fantastic recipe. I bet it tastes as good as it looks, too.
13 redakthy // Dec 23, 2009 at 10:11 am
Preparing loads of pork these days. Will add this to my list, thanks. Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas!
14 wasabi prime // Dec 23, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Oh, delicious! I love stuffing a pork loin with delicious flavors, and cornbread is a wonderful choice!!
15 Kristen // Dec 26, 2009 at 2:39 pm
What a wonderful looking pork loin. A real treat for company. Happy Holidays!
16 pegasuslegend // Dec 28, 2009 at 9:04 am
absolutely gorgeous presentation…I do something similar, not as pretty as this is…
17 Thinkerati // Jan 11, 2010 at 9:12 pm
I tried a bread-herb-bacon stuffed pork roast the other day and it worked very nicely. Stuffed pork roast is my new favourite dish. I think I will try this one tonight!