Roast Pork Loin
Roast pork, with its tender interior and crusty juicy exterior, is superb eating. Pork loin can be roasted boneless or as a standing rib roast. When requesting a bone-in roast, ask your butcher to cut it from the rib end and to remove the chine (or spinal) bone. A bone-in roast can be carved into thick chops with rib bones attached or it can be completely boned after roasting and sliced thin. In that case, cut apart the bones and serve them along with the meat.
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Season, the day before if possible: 1 bone-in 4-rib pork loin, or 1 boned 2 1/2-pound pork loin with: Salt, Fresh-ground black pepper.
Step 2
If the roast has its bones, use a sharp knife to partly separate the meat from the ribs, stopping about 1 inch before the end of the bones. Season the roast liberally all over. Take the roast out of the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking. Tie it snugly in a few places with cotton string to promote even roasting.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the roast in a roasting pan, fat side up, and cook until the internal temperature registers 130°F, about 1 hour and 15 minutes; start checking the temperature after 45 minutes. When the roast is done, let it rest for 20 minutes before carving. Pour off some of the fat from the roasting pan, then deglaze the pan with some wine and broth or water, scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the juices released from the roast while resting and reheat. When ready to serve, cut the strings from the roast, slice, and serve with the roasting juices.
Variations
Step 4
After separating the bones from the meat, season generously with a mixture of herbs (such as sage, fennel, or rosemary), garlic, salt, and pepper; tie the roast with cotton string; and spread more of the herb mixture over the exterior.
Step 5
While the meat is coming to room temperature, slice a lemon very thin and line up the slices between the rib bones and the meat before tying the roast. If the roast is boneless, arrange the slices underneath the roast.
Step 6
Roast a leg of pork the same way.
