From A Love Affair with Southern Cooking. Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. Copyright © 2007 by Jean Anderson. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
To keep pork moist, Southerners baste them with everything from orange juice to Coca-Cola. Bourbon is an old favourite; so is apple juice or cider and I’ve combined the two here. With porker leaner than ever, keeping it moist is doubly difficult. It helps, to use more artisanal pork such as that produced by Niman Ranch and to roast it at a high temperature for a short period of time so the heat sears the outside of the meat and seals in the juices. Finally, roasting pork to a lower internal temperature (145 to 150°F.) makes it more succulent. Although tinged with pink, this pork is perfectly safe to eat; the microbes that cause trichinosis are killed at 140°F. Indeed trichinosis, prevalent when hogs were slopped with kitchen scraps, is a thing of the past. Still, if like many Southerners you prefer well-done pork, give the roast another 15 to 20 minutes in the oven. Note: It’s important that the pork loin be wrapped in a thin layer of fat – this, too, increases the roast’s succulence.
To keep pork moist, Southerners baste them with everything from orange juice to Coca-Cola. Bourbon is an old favourite; so is apple juice or cider and I’ve combined the two here. With porker leaner than ever, keeping it moist is doubly difficult. It helps, to use more artisanal pork such as that produced by Niman Ranch and to roast it at a high temperature for a short period of time so the heat sears the outside of the meat and seals in the juices. Finally, roasting pork to a lower internal temperature (145 to 150°F.) makes it more succulent. Although tinged with pink, this pork is perfectly safe to eat; the microbes that cause trichinosis are killed at 140°F. Indeed trichinosis, prevalent when hogs were slopped with kitchen scraps, is a thing of the past. Still, if like many Southerners you prefer well-done pork, give the roast another 15 to 20 minutes in the oven. Note: It’s important that the pork loin be wrapped in a thin layer of fat – this, too, increases the roast’s succulence.
Ingredients
- One 2-3/4 to 3 pound boned and rolled pork loin
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup apple juice (I use an organic Gravenstein juice that has deep apple flavour)
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 1-3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Steps
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Preheat the oven to 425°F. Rub the pork well with the pepper and place in a medium-size shallow roasting pan.
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Whisk the apple juice, bourbon, and mustard until smooth, then brush generously all over the pork roast. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
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Brush the pork again with the bourbon mixture and roast uncovered on the middle oven rack for about 45 minutes or until an instant-read meat thermometer, thrust into the center, registers 145 to 150°F. As the pork roasts, baste generously every 10 minutes with the bourbon mixture (this keeps the drippings from charring on the pan bottom). Transfer the finished roast to a heated platter and let stand while you prepare the gravy.
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Pour the remaining bourbon mixture (you should have 1/2 to 2/3 cup) into the roasting pan, set over moderate heat, and deglaze the pan by scraping up the browned bits.
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Pour the deglazing liquid into a small saucepan and boil uncovered over high heat for about 2 minutes, stirring often, until as thick and dark as molasses. Stir in 1-1/4 cups of the chicken broth with the flour and salt, add to the pan, and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes or until the gravy thickens and no raw floury taste lingers.
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To serve, slice the pork about 1/2 inch thick and top each portion with plenty of gravy. Accompany with boiled rice or mashed potatoes and smother these with gravy, too.
