The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (237 page)
Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
MAKES ABOUT
2¹⁄
2
CUPS
To make this salsa spicier, add the reserved chile seeds.
¹⁄ | teaspoon grated orange zest plus 5 oranges peeled and segmented; each segment quartered crosswise |
¹⁄ | cup minced red onion |
1 | jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeds reserved, and minced |
2 | tablespoons lime juice |
2 | tablespoons minced fresh parsley |
1 | tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil |
2 | teaspoons packed brown sugar |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons distilled white vinegar |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons minced fresh oregano |
1 | garlic clove, minced |
¹⁄ | teaspoon ground cumin |
¹⁄ | teaspoon salt |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
Combine all ingredients in medium bowl.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
A juicy, crisp-crusted pork loin is a great way to dress up an outdoor dinner, but it can be a challenge to keep the lean roast from drying out on the grill. First, we chose the best cut. Our top choice—the blade-end roast—was moist and flavorful and was the hands-down winner over center-cut and sirloin roasts. Brining the meat before grilling ensured that our finished roast met with rave reviews from testers and stayed juicy and moist, and a generous coating of black pepper—or our own spicy rub—provided ample flavoring. As we did with our
GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN
recipe, we seared the roast for a nice crust and finished it over indirect heat.
SERVES 4 TO 6
If the pork is enhanced (injected with a salt solution; see
“TEST KITCHEN TIP NO. 103 KOSHER? YES. ENHANCED? NO.”
), do not brine and add 1 tablespoon salt to the pepper or spice rub. Two medium wood chunks, soaked in water for 1 hour, can be substituted for the wood chip packet on a charcoal grill.
¹⁄ | cup salt |
1 | (2¹⁄ |
2 | tablespoons olive oil |
1 | tablespoon pepper or 1 recipe spice rub (recipes follow) |
2 | cups wood chips, soaked in water for 15 minutes and drained |
1.
Dissolve salt in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge pork loin in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. Remove pork from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Rub pork loin with oil and coat with pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
2.
Using large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap soaked chips in foil packet and cut several vent holes in top.
3A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Open bottom vent halfway (and place roasting pan on 1 side of grill). Light large chimney starter three-quarters filled with charcoal briquettes (4¹⁄
2
quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Place wood chip packet on coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent halfway. Heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 5 minutes.
3B. FOR A GAS GRILL:
Place wood chip packet directly on primary burner. Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s). (Adjust primary burner as needed during cooking to maintain grill temperature between 300 and 325 degrees.)
4.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Place pork loin on grill (hot side if using charcoal), fat side up, and cook (covered if using gas) until well browned on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes, turning as needed. Move to cool side of grill, positioning roast parallel with and as close as possible to heat. Cover (position lid vent over roast if using charcoal) and cook for 20 minutes.
5.
Rotate roast 180 degrees, cover, and continue to cook until meat registers 145 degrees, 10 to 30 minutes longer, depending on thickness of roast.
6.
Transfer roast to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 minutes. Remove twine, cut roast into ¹⁄
2
-inch-thick slices, and serve.
MAKES ABOUT 2 TABLESPOONS, ENOUGH FOR 1 RECIPE
GRILL-ROASTED PORK LOIN
The warm spices in this rub are a perfect match with pork.
1 | tablespoon cumin seeds |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons coriander seeds |
1 | teaspoon fennel seeds |
¹⁄ | teaspoon ground cinnamon |
¹⁄ | teaspoon ground allspice |
Toast cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds in small skillet over medium heat, shaking pan occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl, let cool to room temperature, and grind to powder in spice grinder. Stir in cinnamon and allspice.
MAKES ABOUT 2 TABLESPOONS, ENOUGH FOR 1 RECIPE
GRILL-ROASTED PORK LOIN
This rub packs some heat, so use the lesser amount of cayenne if you want a milder rub.
2 | teaspoons chili powder |
2 | teaspoons dry mustard |
1 | teaspoon ground cumin |
¹⁄ | teaspoon cayenne pepper |
Combine all ingredients in bowl.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Center-cut pork loin is an especially lean cut, making it difficult to cook without drying out. We wanted to add moisture to this cut using an approach other than traditional brines or sauces so we decided to stuff it. We bought a short and wide roast, more square than cylindrical. This shape only required four straight, short cuts to open to a long, flat sheet that was easy to fill and roll up. We needed a thick and flavorful stuffing to stay put in the roast and stand up to the meat. Poaching apples and cranberries in a blend of apple cider, apple cider vinegar, and spices developed a filling with the dense, chewy consistency we wanted. And this process had an added bonus—we had ample poaching liquid left, which could be reduced to a glaze.
See “HOW TO STUFF A PORK LOIN” illustrations that follow recipe.
SERVES 6
This recipe is best prepared with a loin that is 7 to 8-inches long and 4 to 5 inches wide and not enhanced (injected with a salt solution). To make cutting the pork easier, freeze it for 30 minutes. If mustard seeds are unavailable, stir an equal amount of whole grain mustard into the filling after the apples have been processed. Use more or less cayenne, depending on how spicy you’d like the stuffing. The pork loin can be stuffed and tied a day ahead of time, but don’t season the exterior until you are ready to grill. Two medium wood chunks, soaked in water for 1 hour, can be substituted for the wood chip packet on a charcoal grill.
FILLING
1¹⁄ | cups packed dried apples |
1 | cup apple cider |
³⁄ | cup packed light brown sugar |
¹⁄ | cup cider vinegar |
¹⁄ | cup packed dried cranberries |
1 | large shallot, halved lengthwise and sliced thin crosswise |
1 | tablespoon grated fresh ginger |
1 | tablespoon yellow mustard seeds |
¹⁄ | teaspoon ground allspice |
¹⁄ | teaspoon cayenne pepper |
PORK
2 | cups wood chips, soaked in water for 15 minutes and drained |
1 | (2¹⁄ |
Salt and pepper |
1. FOR THE FILLING:
Bring all ingredients to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until apples are very soft, about 20 minutes. Pour mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over bowl, pressing with back of spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Return liquid to saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to ¹⁄
3
cup, about 5 minutes; reserve for glazing. Pulse apple mixture in food processor until coarsely chopped, about 15 pulses. Transfer filling to bowl and refrigerate until needed.
2. FOR THE PORK:
Position roast fat side up. Insert knife ¹⁄
2
inch from bottom of roast and cut horizontally, stopping ¹⁄
2
inch before edge. Open up this flap. Cut through thicker half of roast about ¹⁄
2
inch from bottom, stopping about ¹⁄
2
inch before edge. Open up this flap. Repeat until pork loin is even ¹⁄
2
inch thickness throughout. If uneven, cover with plastic wrap and use meat pounder to even. Season interior with salt pepper and spread filling in even layer, leaving ¹⁄
2
-inch border. Roll tightly and tie with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Season with salt and pepper.
3.
Using large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap soaked chips in foil packet and cut several vent holes in top.
4A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Open bottom vent halfway (and place roasting pan on 1 side of grill). Light large chimney starter three-quarters filled with charcoal briquettes (4¹⁄
2
quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Place wood chip packet on coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent halfway. Heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 5 minutes.
4B. FOR A GAS GRILL:
Place wood chip packet directly on primary burner. Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on medium-high and turn off other burner(s). (Adjust primary burner as needed during cooking to maintain grill temperature between 300 and 325 degrees.)
5.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Place pork loin, fat side up, on cool side of grill, cover (position lid vent over roast if using charcoal), and cook until meat registers 130 to 135 degrees, 55 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.
6.
Brush roast evenly with reserved glaze. (You may need to reheat glaze briefly to make it spreadable.) Continue to cook until glaze is thick and glossy and meat registers 145 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes longer.
7.
Transfer roast to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 minutes. Remove twine, cut roast into ¹⁄
2
-inch-thick slices, and serve.
Substitute dried cherries for cranberries and 1 teaspoon caraway seeds for ginger, mustard seeds, and allspice. After processing filling in food processor, transfer to bowl and stir in 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme.
