Today's blog is a tribute to the Pig. I love pork. Love it, love it, love it. If the world came to an end and all the chickens, cows, ducks, deer, fish, etc. were vaporized, I'd be okay with that, just spare the pigs. I could eat pork all day, every day....I'm telling you I love pork. It's versatile, healthy and modestly inexpensive compared to beef and fish. I recently made a pork tenderloin from a recipe I came across and tweaked it, as usual, to suit my tastes. I believe it being respectful of an animal if I'm cooking it. I love meat but I don't relish the thought of an animal dying, so when I cook with an animal product, I believe in treating that animal with appreciation and respect. That means I don't waste one usable ounce of that animal. Pork tenderloin is a great cut to use because after everyone has had their fill of it as a roast, it can be chunked up to make at least 3 other meals from the same roast - that makes it really affordable and convenient. I like to serve the tenderloin with Sweet Potato Grits and Ponzu Sauteed Haricot Vert Beans. It's good stuff.
Today's recipe is for Jalapeno Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin. This makes a great holiday meal or just a family dinner. I buy a nice, big tenderloin (8+ pounds) and trim it myself by cutting away most of the fat and removing as much of the silver skin as I can. Silver skin is the silvery-looking, fibrous covering on the meat. It's actually muscle fascia that connects with the tendons and ligaments to keep muscle in place in the animal and when it's in an uncooked state, it's not a big deal, but as it's cooked, it contracts up and becomes like rubber bands. Not good when it's tenderness you're going for.
So here we go......Jalapeno Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
We're going to do this in 4 steps.
First step: Make a brine for the pork. For an 8 lb tenderloin to 3 qts water, add 1/3 c salt, 1/2 c sugar. Bring to boil to dissolve sugar and salt, remove from heat. I sometimes add a few handfuls of ice to cool it or if you're not in a hurry, just let it cool to room temp.
Second step: Trim the tenderloin as explained above. Now butterfly the pork. This can be done 2 ways: Cut it in half lengthwise and pound flat or cut in a spiral manner, lengthwise as well, to open the entire roast, then pound enough to make it uniform in thickness. (I prefer the latter because it's less work and the results are nicer, but if your knife skills aren't the best, do it the first way.) Place the pork in a lidded container just long enough and deep enough to allow for the brine to cover it. Pour the brine over the pork and cover tightly, refrigerate for 24-48 hours. Procure some twine now because you'll need to truss the roast before cooking, here's a video on how to truss: http://youtu.be/uLg0NiiFMj4 .
Third step: Making stuffing: You can make your own or you can use a mix like Stove Top or Pepperidge Farms - it doesn't matter (I use Stove Top).
1 pkg stuffing mix or homemade stuffing, prepared per instructions
1/2 onion, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 medium to large jalapenos, minced
1/2 c red bell pepper, minced
1/2 t black pepper
2 T bacon fat, optional
1 t cumin powder
Bacon for wrapping the roast
Prepare stuffing per package directions, mix in all ingredients to prepared mix, set aside. Have some kitchen twine handy now, cut two 3 ft pieces and set aside. Remove pork from brine and discard liquid. Rinse pork well in fresh water until all brine is gone. Pat dry with towel. Open roast flat and spread with stuffing to 1/2 " from edges. Starting on one end of the roast, roll it up lengthwise, warp the bacon slices crosswise on the roast and rest the rolled roast on the cut side so it doesn't unroll while you're working with it and start trussing the roast. Preheat the oven to 425. Heat a skillet with 2 T oil and brown the roast on all sides till golden. Place in roasting pan or other oven safe dish along with all the pan drippings and bake at 425 for 10 mins. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for 10-15 min per pound or when meat thermometer reads 145 degrees in center. Baste occasionally with drippings while in oven. When roast is done, allow to rest for 15 minutes before removing string or cutting. While resting meat, make pan gravy by pouring drippings back into skillet and heating, add 1 T cornstarch or flour to drippings and stir over med-high heat till thickened, adding water or chicken broth to thin if needed. Salt and pepper to taste.
Leftover Pork Tenderloin ideas:
Pork Hash and Potatoes with Eggs
Pork Carnitas
Chili
BBQ Sliders
Stew
Enjoy!
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