Bacon Nation: 125 Irresistible Recipes (18 page)

Serves 8 to 10

Roast pork can be succulent and delicious but too often it can turn out dry. Brining it is a pretty failsafe method to produce juicy, flavorful pork and it knocks the ball out of the park in this recipe, which has proved to be one of the biggest crowd pleasers in this collection. Honey contributes beautiful floral notes in addition to sweetness. The simple rosemary-garlic rub adds a herbaceous accent. The truly memorable flavor that makes this recipe a standout is the stuffing of bacon and figs: fruity, supremely soft, salty, smoky. We made this for the twenty-ninth birthday of one of our kids and won the highest accolade from a crowd of hip, food-savvy New Yorkers: “Can I have seconds?”

For the pork roast and brine

6 tablespoons honey

⅔ cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt

6 bay leaves

8 medium-size cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with the flat side of a chef’s knife

1½ teaspoons fennel seeds (optional)

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 center-cut boneless pork loin roast (about 3½ pounds)

For the bacon and fig stuffing (see Note)

6 slices bacon, diced

1 medium-size onion, diced (about 1 cup)

1 large shallot, diced

8 ounces dried black Mission figs, stems removed and discarded, cut into ¼- to ½-inch pieces

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 packed tablespoon dark brown sugar

6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 bay leaf

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

⅔ cup coarse-ground homemade bread crumbs (see
page 32
)

⅓ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon Armagnac or Cognac (optional)

For the herb oil rub

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon table salt

⅛ teaspoon black pepper

1
Brine the pork: Combine the honey, ⅔ cup of kosher salt, 6 bay leaves, 8 cloves of garlic, fennel seeds, if using, peppercorns, and 4 cups of water in a large pot. Cover the pot, let come to a boil over high heat, and let boil for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally to dissolve the salt. Remove the brine mixture from the heat and stir in 4 more cups of water. Refrigerate the brine or place it in the freezer to cool to room temperature. Pour the brine into a ceramic or glass bowl or other nonreactive container large enough that the pork roast can be completely submerged. Add the pork, cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the pork for 6 to 8 hours (longer brining may cause the pork to become too salty).

2
Remove the pork from the brine and rinse it under cold water. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and discard the brine.

3
Prepare the bacon and fig stuffing: Cook the bacon in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until the bacon is lightly browned and most of the fat is rendered, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often and adjusting the heat as necessary. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, reserving the bacon fat in the saucepan. You should have 1 to 2 tablespoons of fat. If there’s more, pour off and discard the excess.

4
Heat the bacon fat in the saucepan over low heat. Add the onion and shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very soft and lightly browned at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.

5
Add the drained bacon, figs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, bay leaf, and ½ cup of water to the saucepan and season with pepper to taste. Cover the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Then, reduce the heat as necessary to maintain an even simmer and cook, uncovered, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the bay leaf, transfer the fig mixture to a medium-size bowl, and let cool for about 10 minutes.

6
Heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet. Add the bread crumbs and cook over low heat until evenly browned, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often. Stir the browned bread crumbs and the parsley and Armagnac or Cognac, if using, into the fig mixture. If desired, season with additional pepper to taste. Set the stuffing aside to cool completely (you will have about 2½ cups stuffing).

7
Make a pocket in the pork roast for the stuffing. Starting at one end and using a long knife (a boning knife works well for this), insert the blade through the center of the roast, making a 1½- to 2-inch-wide horizontal cut that runs from one end of the roast to the other. (If you find it easier, make 2 cuts halfway into the meat, working from each end of the roast toward the center so that the cuts meet in the middle.) Make another 1½- to 2-inch-wide cut through the center of the roast so that it intersects the first cut, forming a cross. Place the pork in a large roasting pan.

8
Using your fingers, pry the cuts open to make a cavity for the stuffing. Stuff the roast, using the handle of a long wooden spoon to push the stuffing deep into the roast. Be sure to force the stuffing well into the middle to fill the center of the roast. It helps to work from both ends of each cut.

9
Preheat the oven to 400˚F and tie the roast (see A Simplified Way of Tying a Boned Pork Roast on
page 116
).

10
Make the herb oil rub: Place the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the rosemary, chopped garlic, ¼ teaspoon of table salt, and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl or measuring cup and stir to mix. Rub the stuffed pork roast all over with the oil and herb mixture.

11
Roast the pork for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F and continue roasting the pork for about 20 minutes longer. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the roast and gauge how close the pork is to being done, inserting the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat 10 minutes after you have reduced the oven temperature. The roast will be done when the meat thermometer registers 135˚F, or 140˚F, if you like your pork a little more cooked. The internal temperature will rise rapidly after the roast reaches 125˚F; monitor it closely to keep the pork from overcooking.

12
When done, transfer the pork roast to a cutting board. Cover the roast loosely with aluminum foil and let it stand for 15 to 20 minutes before removing and discarding the string. As the roast rests the internal temperature will rise about 5˚F. Slice the roast and serve it immediately, drizzling any pan juices over the slices.

A Simplified Way of Tying a Boned Pork Roast

There are more complicated and “official” ways to tie a roast, but we like this simplified method for helping the roast to hold its shape and keeping the stuffing in place.

1
Tie the pork roast using six to seven individual pieces of butcher’s string (kitchen twine also works).

2
Evenly space the ties about an inch apart crosswise along the roast from one end to the other.

3
Cut a piece of string 2½ times longer than the roast and weave it lengthwise through the individual pieces of string on both the top and bottom of the roast.

4
Tie the ends of the string together in a knot to secure it and help hold the stuffing in place.

 

Serves 4

To make this recipe, we bought a beautiful pork tenderloin and then used the ingredients we had on hand; as is often the case, kitchen necessity became the nurturing mother of culinary invention. The fat from the bacon flavors the vegetables and moistens the meat. The fruitiness and sweetness of the orange is accented by the fennel. It’s a really nice dish to make for company (just double the recipe to serve eight). If you do double it, transfer the pork tenderloins and vegetables from the Dutch oven or skillet to a roasting pan to bake, so that the pork roasts rather than steams and stews, which it would do if you crowd too much in the pan.

3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

1½ teaspoons fennel seeds

1 pork tenderloin (1 to 1¼ pounds)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large fennel bulb

3 carrots, trimmed and peeled

¼ cup dry white wine

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ cup low-sodium chicken stock

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

Juice and grated zest of half an orange

1
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375˚F.

2
Cook the bacon in a large ovenproof skillet or a Dutch oven over medium heat until the bacon is lightly browned and most of the fat is rendered, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often and adjusting the heat as necessary. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, reserving the bacon fat in the skillet.

3
Crush the fennel seeds in a mortar using a pestle or pulse them in a mini food processor until crushed. Rub the pork tenderloin all over with the crushed fennel seeds and season it with salt and pepper to taste.

4
Trim the fennel bulb, setting aside the fennel fronds. Place the trimmed fennel bulb on a cutting board, flat side down, then cut it in half from top to bottom. Cut each half again to make 4 wedges. Then cut each wedge into thin wedges, about ½ inch thick. Slice the carrots in half crosswise and then lengthwise into sticks each about ½ inch thick.

5
Reheat the bacon fat in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork tenderloin and brown it on all sides, about 6 minutes total. Transfer the pork to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the fennel wedges, carrot sticks, and white wine to the skillet and toss the vegetables to evenly coat. Cover the skillet and cook until the fennel and carrots are tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, chicken stock, and butter and let come to a boil over high heat. Then, reduce the heat as necessary and let the fennel and carrot mixture simmer, covered, until the flavors blend, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the drained bacon.

6
Place the pork tenderloin on top of the vegetable mixture in the skillet, adding any juices from the plate, and bake until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tenderloin registers 140˚ to 145˚F, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the tenderloin to a cutting board, loosely cover it with aluminum foil, and let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.

7
As the tenderloin rests, chop enough of the reserved fennel fronds to measure 3 tablespoons. Place the skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the mustard, orange juice, orange zest, and chopped fennel fronds and let simmer for a few minutes until the liquid is reduced by about half.

8
Slice the pork tenderloin. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the fennel and carrots to a serving platter and arrange the sliced pork on top, drizzling the sauce from the skillet over all before serving.

Serves 4

If you have ever seen saltimbocca in a cookbook, no doubt you are familiar with the explanation that, in Italian, saltimbocca means jumps in your mouth. Perhaps this refers to how quickly people tend to devour it because it’s so delicious. Basically, our version is a “sandwich” of pounded pork cutlets enclosing a layer of bacon and sage that is then dusted with flour and bread crumbs. The fat from the bacon helps to compensate for the lean (often too lean) consistency of much modern pork. If you can find the well-marbled meat from heritage breeds, you will notice the difference in flavor and texture. The completed dish includes a sauce of Marsala wine and mushrooms. In Italy they prefer pancetta to American-style bacon, but given the mix of powerful flavors, we feel the smokiness of the bacon nicely balances the woodsy notes in the Marsala.