Tuscan-Style Garlic-Rosemary Roast Pork Loin with Jus
Pork
Ingredients
Roast
2 cups kosher salt or 1 cup table salt, for brining
2 ⅓ cups packed dark brown sugar, for brining
10 large cloves garlic, lightly crushed and peeled, for brining
5 sprigs fresh rosemary (each about 6 inches long), for brining
4 pound pork rib roast, bone-in, center cut, prepared according to first two illustrations below
Garlic-Rosemary Paste
8 - 10 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press or minced to paste (1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt or pinch table salt
Jus
1 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 ¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened
Description
For the best Tuscan-style roast pork loin recipe, succulent and with a crisp crust, we chose a bone-in, center-cut pork rib roast. Its protective cap of fat and muscle made it the tastiest of all the cuts we sampled, and its rack of bones helped to protect the meat during roasting. Brining the meat in a mixture of water, salt, brown sugar, garlic, and rosemary ensured juiciness and imparted flavor. To add more flavor to our pork loin recipe, we butterflied the pork loin, then rubbed the meat with a garlic, rosemary, and olive oil paste (olive oil helped heat and cook the paste, boosting flavor).
Directions
The roasting time is determined in part by the shape of the roast; a long, thin roast will cook faster than a roast with a large circumference. Though not traditionally served, the ribs are rich with flavor. If you'd like to serve them or enjoy them for yourself, increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees, untie the roast and remove the loin as directed, then scrape off the excess garlic-rosemary paste from the ribs, set them on a rimmed baking sheet, and return them to the oven for about 20 minutes, until they are brown and crisp. Slice in between bones and serve.
TO BRINE THE ROAST: Dissolve salt and brown sugar in 1 1/2 quarts hot tap water in large stockpot or clean bucket. Stir in garlic and rosemary; add 2 1/2 quarts cold water and submerge meat and bones in brine. Refrigerate until fully seasoned, about 3 hours. Rinse meat and ribs under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
FOR THE GARLIC-ROSEMARY RUB: While roast brines, mix together garlic, rosemary, pepper, olive oil, and salt in small bowl to form paste; set aside.
TO PREPARE THE ROAST: When roast is done brining, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Heat heavy-bottomed 12-inch nonreactive skillet over medium heat until hot, about 4 minutes. Place roast fat-side down in skillet and cook until well-browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer roast browned-side up to cutting board and set aside to cool. Pour off fat from skillet and add wine; increase heat to high and bring to boil, scraping skillet with wooden spoon until browned bits are loosened, about 1 minute. Set skillet with wine aside.
Following "Adding the Paste" illustrations below, make lengthwise incision in pork loin, rub with one-third of garlic-rosemary paste, rub remaining paste on cut side of ribs, and tie meat back to ribs. Sprinkle browned side of roast with 1 teaspoon pepper and set roast rib-side down in flameproof roasting pan. Pour reserved wine and browned bits from skillet in roasting pan. Roast, basting loin with pan drippings every 20 minutes, until center of loin registers about 135 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 65 to 80 minutes. (If wine evaporates, add about 1/2 cup water to roasting pan to prevent scorching.) Transfer roast to carving board and tent loosely with foil; let stand until center of loin registers about 145 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 15 minutes.
While roast rests, spoon off most of fat from roasting pan and place over 2 burners at high heat. Add shallot and rosemary; using wooden spoon, scrape up browned bits and boil liquid until reduced by half and shallot has softened, about 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Add any accumulated pork juices and cook 1 minute longer. Off heat, whisk in butter; strain jus into gravy boat.
Cut twine on roast and remove meat from bones. Set meat browned-side up on board and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve immediately, passing jus separately.