Cranberry-rosemary Stuffed Pork Loin is a traditional American recipe for a classic dish of butterflied open pork loin with a pancetta, cranberry, rosemary and breadcrumb stuffing that's brined before roasting. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic American version of: Cranberry-rosemary Stuffed Pork Loin.
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For a premium cut, pork loin is a very economical cut of meat. Being slightly fatty pork works well with tart fruit (pork and apple for example). Therefore, if you have leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving or Christmas this is an economical but very tasty dish that can make use of them. The only culinary issue here is to double butterfly the pork so it can be flattened out. However, this is a much simpler to achieve than it might at first seem.
Ingredients:
For the Brine:
50g (1/4 cup packed) brown sugar
50g (1/4 cup) sea salt
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
500ml (2 cups) boiling water
12 ice cubes
For the Pork Loin and Stuffing:
1.35kg (3 lbs) pork loin, trimmed
2 tbsp rapeseed (canola oil), divided
70g (1/2 cup) pancetta, chopped
175g (1 ½ cups) fresh cranberries
50g (1/2 cup) fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
¾ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
Method:
Begin with the brine. Combine the brown sugar, salt and rosemary in a baking dish (about 25 x 33cm [9 x 13 in]). Pour over the boiling water and stir to dissolve then add the ice cubes.
To butterfly the pork, make two long horizontal cuts on both sides of the fillet, dividing the meat into thirds without going all the way through. Place the meat on a cutting board then, holding the blade of a sharp knife flat so it’s parallel to the cutting board make a lengthways cut into the side of the roast just above the centre line stopping just short of the opposite side so the flap remains attached. Rotate the board by 1800° and still holding the knife parallel to the board make a lengthways cut into the side opposite the original cut; this time just below the centre. Again, take care not to cut all the way through the meat. Now open up the two cuts so the meat butterflies to a large rectangle. Place the meat between two sheets of plastic and pound out to 12mm (1/2 in) thick. Transfer the butterflied pork to the brine, adding more water to cover as needed. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours (but no more than 4 hours).
For the stuffing, heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp (about 4 minutes). Transfer the meat and any pan juices into a bowl then stir in the cranberries, breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp brown sugar and the rosemary. Cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and refrigerate until needed.
After 2-4 hours chilling, remove the pork from the brine (discard the liquid) and rinse the meat thoroughly before drying with kitchen paper. Season the meat with ½ tsp black pepper then open up and spread over the cranberry stuffing. Roll the meat up tightly, securing with kitchen twine. Sprinkle over the remaining ¼ tsp black pepper.
Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to a large frying pan over medium-high heat then add the pork and fry until nicely browned on all sides, turning frequently (about 5-8 minutes, total). Transfer to a roasting dish lined with kitchen foil then place in an oven pre-heated to 190°C (170°C Fan, 375°F, Gas Mark 7) and roast for 50 minutes, turning the meat twice during this time until the meat is nicely coloured and cooked through.
Transfer to a cutting board, cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
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