Roast pork loin with cous cous and prune stuffing

Pork loin

Ohhhh look it’s a cooking post. It’s been a while – because gasp – I’ve barely been cooking anything decent.

In fact, this roast pork is from Christmas lunch. Shameful, I know.

Yes, I don’t know what’s going on either. I’m just being lazy. Fortunately I’ve been stocking the freezer with plenty of prepared meals (shhhh they’re fancy ones, okay) so at least Alastair isn’t going hungry.

Personally I’d be happy with toast every day if I didn’t get nagged to eat proper food. Toast is great. Toast is the best food. Toast & me 5ever.


Pork loin

Right. Enough about my love affair with toast (really Toast, I love you). Pork. For Christmas lunch I basically reprised the pork loin I did for Christmas 2013, except with a different stuffing. It worked okay, though I think the cherry and pistachio stuffing was more successful and more festive.

Still, here’s the recipe.

(Coming up next time, 10000 ways with toast.)

Roast pork loin with cous cous and prune stuffing

Rating: 41

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 4 hours

Yield: Serves 6

Roast pork loin with cous cous and prune stuffing

Ingredients

    For the brine
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 litres of water
  • For the pork
  • 1.5 kg rolled boneless pork loin, skin on
  • 1 tablespoon cooking salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • For the stuffing
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small brown onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup couscous
  • 1/2 cup (90g) pitted prunes,coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped sage

Instructions

    Brining the pork
  1. Make the brine by dissolving the salt in the water. Add the pork loin to the mixture and leave in the fridge overnight. Try to not submerge the skin.
  2. In the morning, rinse the pork loin under tap to remove any excess salt and pat dry with paper towels.
  3. Score the skin of your pork - cutting in the direction that you'll be slicing the meat in.
  4. Mix together the cooking salt and baking soda and rub all over the dry skin.
  5. Leave in the fridge - uncovered - for several hours (as long as you can).
  6. Remove from the fridge an hour before you're ready to cook to let the meat come up to room temperature. Brush all the salt and baking soda off the skin and pat dry again with a paper towel.
  7. Preheat your oven to 150°C.
  8. Unroll the pork loin and slice crossways through the thickest part of the meat without cutting through to the skin. Open out the pork to form 1 large piece and press stuffing on to the cut side of the loin. (Instructions for the stuffing are below).
  9. Roll the loin back up and tie it tightly.
  10. Roast at 150°C until the internal temperature reaches 70°C when measured with a meat thermometer. It should take about 2 hours.
  11. Increase the heat on your oven up to the maximum (about 220°C?) and continue to roast until the skin is crisp and blistered - it should take another 20-30 minutes.
  12. Remove from oven and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes.
  13. Slice with a serrated knife into thick slices and serve.
  14. To make the couscous and prune stuffing
  15. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat.
  16. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion softens.
  17. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Remove from heat, add the couscous and stir to combine.
  18. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes.
  19. Use a fork to fluff the grains.
  20. Add the prunes and sage and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
https://www.offthespork.com/2015/03/roast-pork-loin-with-cous-cous-and-prune-stuffing/