Cajun Roast Pork

This is a lean cut roast in the style of Prudhomme, with the abundant gravy that was the hallmark of the fatter cut recipes. But it is not cooked as Chef Paul would have prescribed, for he was bound by the rules of the day - when, just to be sure it was safe, pork had to be cooked to a temperature of 160 degrees. The fact that pork loin’s optimal temperature for eating is more like 145 - 150 degrees didn’t carry much weight.

But with improved industry standards, things have changed. There is no longer any need to overcook pork loin. Hallelujah.

This roast is pretty to look at, and suited to an elegant presentation, sliced and sauced on a big platter. But it eats like comfort food, and should be accompanied by something that thrives on gravy - rice, mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing, cheese grits, or biscuits. The last time I made it I served it with a Creole eggplant casserole, and boy did that work well. 

Here it is:

  

Roast Pork Louisiane

3-4 pound pork loin roast (from the rib end)

1 T sugar

1 T salt

1 T black pepper

INGREDIENTS FOR STUFFING:

3 T butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 t salt

1 heaping t thyme

1 scant t cayenne

1/2 t black pepper

1/2 t white pepper

1/2 t dry mustard

INGREDIENTS FOR gravy:

4 C’s unsalted chicken broth

1 C red wine or Madeira

2 T vinegar

2 T corn starch

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1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a saucepan blend the 4 C’s chicken broth and 1 C wine, and over high heat reduce by half.

3. Rub sugar, salt and pepper all over the pork. With a paring knife, cutting lengthwise with the grain on the fat side of the pork, make 12 to 15 deep slits - each two to three inches long. Cut as deeply as possible without going all the way through to the bottom. With your fingers stretch and enlarge these slits to form pockets for the stuffing. These pockets should be roughly 1 1/2 inches apart, in rows down the length of the pork, staggered so that slicing anywhere against the grain would cut into two or three pockets. Also cut pockets into the ends. 

4. In a large skillet, sauté stuffing ingredients (vegetables first, then, when colors brighten, the spice) in butter over fairly high heat for five minutes, stirring frequently. Remove to a dish big enough to accommodate the pork and the vegetables - a 9 x 13 inch baking dish is probably ideal - and allow to cool.

5. Place the pork in the stuffing dish, and fill the pockets with stuffing. Press vegetables as deeply as possible into the pockets, filling them to capacity. There should be a considerable amount of stuffing left over. It will be used.

6. Wipe clean the skillet, add 3 T of oil, and get it hot. Carefully - using tongs and spatula - place pork fat side down in the hot oil, and brown for several minutes. You will lose some stuffing in the process, but searing should constrict the pocket slits enough to hold things together. Turning with tongs and spatula, brown the roast all over - including the ends. It should take about ten minutes.

7. Cut two stalks of celery in half. Arrange these pieces cross-ways like the rungs of a ladder along the bottom of a roasting pan, forming sort of a rack for the pork. Place the pork upon this rack, and press additional stuffing in all the pockets - as much as they will hold. With your hands scoop up the excess stuffing and mold it to completely cover the topside of the pork. This buttery, spicy mixture will baste the pork during roasting.

8. Add 2 T vinegar into broth mixture, and pour it all into the roasting pan.

9. Place roasting pan - covered - in the preheated oven, and roast for one hour.

10. Remove pan from oven and rake the vegetable mixture off the top of the pork, stirring it into the broth. Return the pan to the oven, uncovered, and roast 30 more minutes - watching to make sure the top does not brown too much. You are looking for a temperature of 145-150.

11. When you have a temperature of 145-150 degrees, take the pan out of the oven, remove the pork to a serving platter or cutting board, and tent with foil.

12. Put the roasting pan on the stovetop and bring the broth to a boil, then lower the heat. Ladle about 1/2 C of the broth into a bowl, and allow to cool. Blend the 2 T of corn starch into the cooled broth, and stir this mixture into the broth in the roasting pan. Simmer, stirring, till the broth thickens. Now it’s gravy. Adjust seasoning.

On a platter, slice the roast, and cover it with gravy.