Tuscan Pork Roast with Rosemary, Sage, and Garlic

In anticipation of my Christmas baking I am trying to make room in the freezer. Last year because we were off to Rome I baked one thing as a gift for a friend. This year I expect to be back to my old self . . . although not perhaps THIS bad:

Believe it or not that was a 'light baking' year!

For the past while every time I have opened the upright freezer (we have two freezers . . . lord knows 2 people require 2 freezers, right?) a large pork roast fell out. Once it almost broke my big toe. It was time for IT to go!

When I was searching for a recipe to make I found this one on the Fine Cooking website. It was from a 2011 feature called 'A Vineyard Harvest Dinner' - imagine my shock when it was one of my favourite Niagara wineries that was featured in the spread. If you are in the Niagara you must go to Henry of Pelham.

You must.

Because I love the winery I had to try the pork roast. The juicy roast gets a flavourful, burnished crust from its time on a rotisserie grill. If you don’t have a rotisserie (as I do not), you can grill the pork over indirect heat (with a drip tray so you do not have a fire!) for equally delicious results. Steer clear of pork loins labeled “extra tender” or “guaranteed tender,” because they’ve been treated with sodium phosphate and water and will be too salty if brined.

This roast is brined, stuffed with a zesty Tuscan-style herb paste, tied and grilled. It seems complex but the work is spread out over time so it is not as bad as it might be. The results were amazing so it clearly is worth every bit of the effort!

Tuscan Pork Roast with Rosemary, Sage, and Garlic

For the brined pork

3 oz. kosher salt (3/4 cup if using Diamond Crystal; 6 Tbs. if using Morton)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 medium cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
3 large sprigs fresh rosemary
3 large sprigs fresh sage
One 3-lb. all-natural boneless pork loin, trimmed of excess fat

For the herb paste

8 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs

Brine the pork

In a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, combine the salt, sugar, garlic, and herb sprigs with 2 cups of water. Stir over high heat just until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add 6 more cups of water and cool to room temperature. Transfer to a large container, add the pork, cover, and refrigerate for 8 to 18 hours.

Make the herb paste

Put the garlic, rosemary, sage, 1 Tbs. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper in a large mortar and pound to a coarse paste with the pestle. Add the oil and use the pestle to work it into the garlic paste. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, combine all the ingredients in a mini food processor and pulse into a coarse paste.

Butterfly and season the pork

Remove the pork from the brine and pat it dry (discard the brine). Butterfly the pork loin by making a horizontal slit down the length of the loin, cutting almost through to the other side. Open the meat like a book. Spread half of the herb paste over the inner surface of the roast; then fold it back to its original shape. Tie the roast at 1-inch intervals with butcher’s twine and then spread the remaining herb paste over the entire outer surface.

Grill the pork

Set up a grill for indirect rotisserie cooking according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Heat the grill to 350°F. When ready to cook, skewer the roast lengthwise on the rotisserie spit and let it rotate on the grill, covered, until an instant-read thermometer inserted near the center of the roast registers 145°F, 35 to 45 minutes.

If you don’t have a rotisserie, set up your grill for indirect grilling. Heat the grill to 350°F. Put the roast in the cool zone on the grill, and cook as directed above, turning the roast about every 10 minutes.

Remove the roast from the spit if necessary and transfer it to a cutting board. Let stand for 5 minutes, remove the string, and slice thinly. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Make Ahead Tips

The pork must be brined 8 to 18 hours ahead. You can also butterfly and season the roast with the herb paste up to 4 hours before grilling. Refrigerate, but let sit at room temperature while you heat the grill.

Comments

[bellini]

Pinned and waiting for company Jerry.

[Kayte]

Tuscan Roast indeed, that looks positively gorgeous! Wow, that photo of all the Christmas baking is so impressive (and I had seen it before), just a shock how much you can get out your baking days! Will try the roast recipe, it is quickly becoming that time of year...time to start the roasting season.

[JDeQ]

It is roasting season here as well Kayte - I have been craving a nice pork roast with apples and sage. Perhaps this weekend after our trip to the apple farm!