Rec from Charlie: Garlic Studded Roast Pork Loin from ATK
Charlie: REC: Garlic-Studded Roast Pork Loin from America's Test Kitchen--
had to try this unique method & it produced...
Posted: Oct 14, 2003 1:44 PM
a wonderful flavorful roast.
Garlic-Studded Roast Pork Loin Recipe By :America's Test Kitchen 2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves -- or allspice
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 large garlic cloves -- peeled and cut into slivers
1 2 1/4-pound boneless center loin pork roast -- fat trimmed to about 1/8 inch thick; roast tied with heavy twine into tight cylinder and dried with paper towel
Country Mustard- Shallot Sauce with Thyme for Pork Loin -- (See Recipe)
1. Mix thyme, cloves or allspice, salt, and pepper. Coat garlic slivers in spice mixture. Poke slits in roast with point of paring knife; insert garlic slivers. Rub remaining spice mixture onto meat. Wrap roast in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 24 hours.
2. Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Take meat directly from refrigerator and place on cake rack set in shallow roasting pan. Roast exactly 30 minutes.
3. Remove meat from oven; immediately reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Insert instant-read thermometer at one end of roast, going into thickest part at the center (temperature will range from 80 to 110 degrees); let roast rest at room temperature, uncovered, for exactly 30 minutes. (At this point the roasts internal temperature will range from 115 to 140 degrees.) After this 30-minute rest, remove thermometer, return meat to oven, and roast until thermometer inserted in thickest part of roast reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees, 15 to 30 minutes longer, depending on roasts internal temperature at end of resting period. Since roast may cook unevenly, take temperature readings from a couple of locations, each time plunging thermometer to center of meat and waiting 15 seconds.
4. Let roast stand at room temperature, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes to finish cooking. (The temperature should register between 150 and 155 degrees.) Slice meat thin and serve with the sauce that follows. NOTES : A center loin pork roast is a very lean piece of meat. Even when removed from the oven at an internal temperature as low as 140 degrees, this roast feels hard to the touch. As the meat rests prior to carving, during which its internal temperature rises another 10 degrees or so, it becomes harder still. Anyone who has cooked a pork roast has witnessed the dire consequences of this process: All of the wonderful juices that should be inside the meat are instead squeezed out onto the platter. Surprisingly, we found that the ideal method for making a pork roast is to allow the roast to rest on the counter between sessions in the oven. This allows the middle of the roast to heat gently, by conductionthat is, the heat that has been absorbed by the outside of the roast penetrates the interior portions as it rests. A return to the oven at a lower temperature finishes fully cooking the roast through the center without overcooking the exterior portion. This method results in a tender texture and minimizes the loss of juices. No matter what cooking method you use, a thin, flat pork loin roast will always overcook. You can prevent overcooking by tying the roast at 1-inch intervals (or have the butcher perform the task for you). For extra flavor and moisture, serve the sliced roast with the mustardshallot sauce