Stuffed Pork Loin

I love the fall and holiday season. It’s a great time to cook and keep the home smelling like a home should smell. Last Sunday I was in Utah cooking this dish for a friends family. The children walked in and commented how the house smelled like fall. I loved that comment. Funny how food can really dictate how we feel, and how much we associate memories with food. 

Over the years it has been interesting to see the shift in how we cook pork. When I was younger it was pounded in us to over cook the pork Pink was unheard of and if heard of highly discouraged. From what I have learned it all had to do with how the pigs were fed at the time. Times have changed and with the change comes the wonderful ability to cook pork perfectly. Perfectly means it should be slightly pink, at least to a tender pork loin or tenderloin. Pink is perfect.

They recommend cooking pork now to 140 degrees. I think you should cook it to 135 and remove it from the oven and let it rest. It will reach 140 as it sets and it will settle. Cutting the pork as soon as you take it out of the oven does not allow for the juices to settle. Letting it rest at least 10 to 15 minutes insures a more tender and juicy meat. This also works well with poultry, letting it rest before you cut into it.

This is one of my favorite dishes. The stuffing is amazing. I love mushrooms, but my family does not. So I use cranberries. They don’t like them either, but at least they can be hidden better. The mushrooms scream they are there, but the cranberries just hide and add so much.

I find that if I cut the large loin in half I could get two roasts. After stuffing them both, I put one in the freezer for later.  I just pulled it out a few hours before I was ready to bake and it turned out perfect. Remember, don’t over cook the meat and be generous with the stuffing. For the sauce I just pulled the drippings off and added cranberry sauce and thickener for a wonderful tasty sauce.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as me and my family did. It’s a keeper.
Happy fall!

Chef Brad
America’s Grain Guy

Stuffed Pork Loin

2 apples
1 onion
1/2 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup carrots
1 cup baby portobello mushrooms or 1 cup fresh cranberries
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 bunch fresh parsley
1/2 cup dijon mustard
3/4 cups pecans
1 tablespoon Chef Brad’s Salt and Pepper Medley
I large pork loin, not a tenderloin
Melted butter and olive oil for basting

1. In your food processor chop all ingredients except the mustard. Set aside.
2. Take your pork loin and cut in half. Set one half aside.
3. Place one portion on a cutting board and with a good knife slice the total length of the loin from one end to the other about 1/2 inch from the bottom being careful not to slice all the way through. Go almost to the other side and fold the meat over and start again and again until you have a single large piece of flat meat.
4. Rub the meat with half the mustard. Take half of the chopped mixture and spread it evenly over the meat. Roll the meat tight and tie with meat twine.
5. Repeat process with other piece of meat.
6. Roast in an open baking dish drizzled with butter and olive oil, in a 350 degree oven until the internal temperature is 135 degrees. Remove and let rest before slicing.
7. Enjoy!