The Laughing Wolf

Just To Annoy JimK At Right Thoughts

Roast Pork, Roast Pork, Roast Pork!

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a quick update that mentioned roast pork, and set off the good JimK at Right Thoughts. I wanted to share a bit more, and see if I could set him off again.

I did two pork roasts while I had access to a real grill and real hardwood charcoal (and chips for smoking). The two roasts came from one chunk of meat: a whole boneless pork loin. Cut in half, it makes two good roasts. One I stuffed with an herbed goat cheese mixture, and the other was stuffed with a mixture of sautéed fresh porcini and crimini mushrooms and jarlsberg, cave-aged emmenthaler, and another cheese. One of the roasts was coated with a rub that included cinnamon, truffle powder, smoked paprika, chipotle, and fresh cracked pepper.

Rubs are great for many meats, and you should consider having some for the meats you cook regularly. I have a grill mixture for beef, and am working on mixtures for chicken and pork. Figure out what works for you, and go with it. Most grill or beef seasonings are pretty simple: salt, pepper, and garlic as a base, with other things thrown in according to the individual. I usually add a small amount of chipotle to the mix, just for a dash of smoke and heat. Cinnamon is great with pork, as is nutmeg, when used in small amounts. That little dash can really bring out the flavor in a good piece of pork. I also use cinnamon, just a small pinch, with fresh blueberries and strawberries – done right, people know something is there, but they are not sure what. Now, for roasting rubs I don’t usually do salt, as they can pull moisture out during a long, slow roast. Save that for when things are done and the meat rested.

Whenever you reheat the meat, keep in mind that you are continuing the cooking process. I tend to pull mine a bit rare when cooking to freeze, so that it stays rare or at least juicy during the reheat. To be safe, I also use the trick of adding some pork stock or chicken broth either at reheat or to the package if I vacuum seal the meal. Another thing to do is some version of maitre d’butter. All this really is, is herbed butter. To make it, take some good butter and bring it up to room temperature so that it is nice and soft. Add a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar of your choice, and some dried or fresh herbs that suits both you and the meat upon which it will be used. Once all is blended and tastes good, I put it on plastic wrap and roll it up, and then re-refrigerate so that I can serve nice round slices when plating.

On this trip, I did two such butters. One was herbed with pepper, fresh dill, fresh shallots, and I forget what else went into it. I made use of what I got (this is a reference to a cooking show, BTW). The other was made with saffron, and was intended for the scallops, but that is a post for another day. To augment things, I also did up a beurre blanc with the other half of the package of saffron. That was used both with the fresh scallops and the next day with the eggs over medium. In fact, it went well with a lot of things. Alas, it does not store or travel well, so what was left had to go out. The butters I froze and brought home.

For the record, both roasts turned out very nice, very moist, and delicious.

Jim, hope you enjoyed, and hope this makes you go roast more meat.

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