The cold season is upon us and it’s the perfect time for comforting family meals. We recommend going for a pork roast in the oven or slow cooker. If you’re going to stay at home in cocooning mode with the family and Netflix, you might as well take advantage of it and slow cook a delicious pork loin.
Every family has its own recipe for cooking pork loin, usually with a brown sauce and potatoes, carrots, celery and onions. A pork roast is easy to cook. It is prepared then left to cook slowly in its own juices. The pork roast is sometimes tied before cooking to maintain a shape that ensures even cooking.
The pork is then baked in the oven until the rind becomes crispy. Several cuts of meat can be used in this dish, but for a good pork roast, we recommend using pork loin or pork tenderloin.
To add a little flavour to this classic yet sometimes flat dish, here are 5 original and tasty recipes to make the best pork roast ever this fall.
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Stuffed pork roast with wild rice and citrus sauce
• Preparation: 20 minutes
• Cooking time: 105 minutes
• Serving size: 8 servings
Ingredients
Wild rice stuffing
• 500 mL water
• 125 mL wild rice
• 125 mL brown rice
• 10 mL butter
• 250 mL crushed pecans
• 2 small onions, finely chopped or one large onion
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 5 shallots, chopped
• A little fresh ginger, grated
• 125 mL whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
Orange pork roast
• 1 boneless pork loin roast, trimmed (about 5 lbs/2 1/2 kg)
• 15 mL liquid honey
• 30 mL orange marmalade
• 30 mL soy sauce
• 125 mL orange juice
Citrus sauce
• Zest of 1 orange, cut into thin strips
• 60 mL water
• 250 mL orange juice
• 30 mL (2 tbsp) lemon juice
• 10 mL Dijon mustard
• 60 mL orange marmalade
Here’s how to make the wild rice stuffing
1. Place wild rice, brown rice and water in a saucepan until boiling. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat oven to 350°F (180°C) and cook pecans for about 5 minutes or until golden and fragrant. Set aside.
3. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add celery, onion and garlic and cook until onion has softened.
4. Place onion mixture in a bowl. Add breadcrumbs, green onions, ginger, egg and rice and pecans. Mix well.
Here’s how to prepare the orange pork roast
1. Unroll the pork loin roast flat and spread the wild rice filling in the centre of the meat. Roll up pork loin, pressing firmly and starting with a long side. Tie roast with string.
2. Place roast on a rack in a roasting pan. Bake in oven preheated at 400°F (200°C) for about 30 minutes or until roast begins to brown. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F (160°C) and cook for 1 hour.
3. Combine orange juice, orange marmalade, honey and soy sauce in a small bowl.
4. Brush pork roast with mixture and continue cooking for about 30 minutes or until pork is tender and no longer pink inside.
5. Cut pork roast into thin slices just before serving. Serve the pork roast with the citrus sauce.
Here’s how to prepare the citrus sauce
1. In a small pan of boiling water, add the orange peel and simmer for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In the pan, combine the orange marmalade, lemon juice, orange juice, Dijon mustard and water. Bring to a boil. Boil, uncovered, for 5 to 7 minutes or until sauce has reduced by about half.
3. Strain sauce through a fine sieve over a bowl. Add orange zest and stir.
Apple and bacon stuffed pork roast
• Preparation: 40 minutes
• Cooking time: 1 hour 40 minutes
• Serving size: 12 servings
Ingredients
Apple and bacon stuffing
• 5 slices of bacon
• 1 apple (Gala or Empire), peeled and cut in small pieces
• 3 French shallots, finely chopped
• 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cups crusty French or Italian bread, cut into 1/2-inch (1 cm) cubes
• 1/3 cup reduced-salt chicken broth
Grilled pork roast
• 1 boneless pork loin roast (about 3 lbs/1.5 kg)
• 1 tbsp whole-grain mustard
• 1/2 cup apple jelly
• Salt and pepper
Here’s how to prepare the stuffing
1. Cook bacon over medium heat for 6 minutes or until crispy (turn halfway through cooking). Drain bacon on a paper towel-lined plate and chop. Set aside.
2. Save 2 teaspoons (10 mL) of bacon fat. Add shallots and garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes or until softened.
3. Add apple, sage and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until apple is tender.
4. Add bread, stir and drizzle with broth and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until absorbed. Place stuffing in a bowl. Add reserved bacon and mix. Let stuffing cool to room temperature.
Here’s how to prepare the pork roast
1. Place the roast on a cutting board with the narrow side facing you and the fat on top and make a cut in the roast.
2. Place a knife horizontally 3/4” (2 cm) from the base of the roast. Make an incision 1" (2.5 cm) deep towards the centre of the roast. Lift the top of the roast and continue to make shallow horizontal cuts in the thick part of the roast, unrolling the roast as you go, keeping the knife parallel to the board to achieve the same thickness, until the unrolled roast forms a flat rectangle. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
3. Next, spread the stuffing and roll tightly in the same direction as it was rolled out, so that the fat is on top and the opening is underneath. Tie the pork roll tightly and place it on the rack of a roasting pan.
4. Bake the stuffed pork roast in a preheated 375°F (190°C) oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until it is only slightly pink inside. Juices should run clear when meat is pierced with a fork.
5. In a small pan, combine apple jelly and mustard. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
6. Brush roast with glaze and broil for 4 minutes or until glazed and lightly browned.
7. Place roast on cutting board and cover loosely with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes, then slice.
Pork roast with mustard and thyme
• Preparation: 25 minutes
• Cooking time: 105 minutes
• Serving size: 8 servings
Ingredients
Meaux mustard mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Meaux mustard
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp tabasco sauce
Pork roast
• 1 boneless pork loin roast (about 2 lbs/1 kg)
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
Mayonnaise preparation
In a small bowl, using a whisk, mix all ingredients until smooth.
Roast preparation
1. Combine Dijon mustard, oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Brush roast with mustard mixture and place on rack of a small roasting pan.
2. Bake in oven preheated at 325°F (160°C) for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
3. Place pork roast on a cutting board and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let rest for 10 minutes, then slice thinly.
4. Serve with Meaux mustard mayonnaise.
Roast pork with goat cheese and maple glaze
• Preparation: 20 minutes
• Cooking time: 70 minutes
• Serving size: 4 servings
Ingredients
• 1 pork loin roast, 2 to 3 lbs (1 to 1.5 kg)
• 5 oz goat cheese
• 3 tbsp chopped pecans (or walnuts)
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup water
• Salt and pepper
Maple sauce
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp port
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 French shallot, chopped
• 1 cup veal stock
• 1 tbsp flour
Roast preparation
1. Mix goat cheese and pecans. Season with salt and pepper.
2. If necessary, remove the string around the roast, then make an incision along the entire length of the roast in the centre.
3. Using a spatula, spread the cheese mixture into the cavity of the roast. Season with salt and pepper. Tie roast again lengthwise with roasting twine.
4. Place pork roast in an ovenproof dish.
5. In a bowl, combine maple syrup and water and drizzle over roast.
6. Bake in oven preheated at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 1 hour or until pork is still slightly pink inside (basting every 15 minutes).
Sauce preparation
1. Melt butter in a pan and cook shallot for about 3 minutes. Add veal stock, port and maple syrup. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 3 minutes.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the remaining butter. Stir in flour. Add butter mixture to sauce and whisk for 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened.
3. Just before serving, slice roast and top with maple sauce.
Pork roast with coriander pesto
• Preparation: 30 minutes
• Chilling time: 2 hours
• Cooking time: 80 minutes
• Serving size: 8 servings
Ingredients
• 1 boneless pork loin roast (about 4 lbs/2 kg)
• 2 cups of chopped coriander
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup orange marmalade
• 3 tbsp orange juice
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 chili pepper, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
Preparation
1. In a food processor or blender, combine all of the following ingredients: cilantro, green onions, pine nuts, oil, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, chili pepper, salt and pepper, and blend until smooth.
2. With the tip of a small knife, make a dozen cuts in the pork roast. Place roast on oiled rack of roasting pan and brush with pesto. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
3. Bake in oven preheated at 375°F (190°C) for 1 hour.
4. In a small saucepan, heat marmalade over low heat. Brush the roast with the melted marmalade. Continue cooking in the oven for about 20 minutes or until roast is still slightly pink inside.
5. Place pork roast on a cutting board and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
