Fig and Goat Cheese Stuffed Pork Loin from 2005 Eggfest

Mike Oelrich

Hi all,[p] Really enjoyed Eggfest again this year. Had a lot of requests for the recipe, such as it is, for the stuffed pork loin I cooked in Waldorf. I'll provide as much detail as I can, though I have to admit that I sort of threw it together at the last minute so exact quantities of ingredients are not possible.[p]List of main ingredients:[p]Pork loin roast
Dried figs
Dries cherries
apple juice
cachaça (or rum)
one sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
fresh sage
one small "tube" of soft goat cheese (about 5 ounces)
apricot pepper jelly (I make my own)
low-salt bacon (the brine and goat cheese already lend a saltiness -- I didn't want to overdo it)[p]Butterfly the pork loin roast. Aim to get it 3/4 inch thick or less. (The 3.5 pound "roast" I bought turend out to be two separate pieces (!?!) so I just butterflied each piece and did two small ones. After I butterflied the two pieces, they were still a bit thick so I put plastic wrap around them a pounded them with a cast iron skillet.)[p]Once the roast is sufficiently flat, brine it in the following for at least an hour and up to six hours (any longer and the meat may get salty):[p]3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup kosher salt
cinammon (maybe 1.5 tsp?)
a few pinches of allspice
three or four crushed bay leaves
about 8 cups of water (I used about three or four cups of hot water to dissolve the salt and sugar, then added ice to make up the rest and quickly cool the brine)[p]For the fig stuffing:[p]Put dried figs (maybe half a pound or so?) and dried cherries (maybe a quarter to half pound) in a saucepan and add apple juice and cachaça to almost cover the fruit (rum would also work). Boil for 20-30 minutes or until the figs are reconstituted. Let them cool in the liquid. Sauté the chopped sweet onion and garlic in olive oil. Remove from heat. Chop the figs and cherries into smaller bits and mix with the sautéed onion. Add chopped fresh sage to taste (I like a lot!), maybe half a cup. I added a bit of cracked peppercorn as well.[p]Assembly:[p]Remove pork from the brine and dry it really well with paper towels. Lay out four or five strings (will depend on the size of your roast). Lay bacon strips across the strings so they very slightly overlap. Use enough so that the bacon will cover the roast once you roll it up. Place the pork on top of the bacon. Spread the goat cheese in a line down the center of the roast. Pour/spread a small amount of the jelly on next. Place the stuffing mix on top. Using the strings, pull/roll it all together and tie it up. Trim the excess bacon, if any, and put the pieces on top of the roast, if you like.[p]Cook at 400ºF until the internal temperature is about 140-145ºF. Let rest for five or ten minutes. Slice and serve![p]Note: If there was one thing I could do differently, it would be to find a way to keep the stuffing (especially the cheese) from coming out the ends of the roast during the cook. Next time I will attempt to either tie the ends tighter or perhaps wrap the excess bacon around and under the end string so that it seals off the ends better.[p]Hopefully this is enough information to get you close. Enjoy![p]Mike

Crab leg

MikeO,
At 400*, How long did this take? Sounds good. I usually do these at 325*, so I am curious about the time it took at 400*. Thanks.
Seth

Mike Oelrich

MikeO,[p] I should probably add that I did it indirect over a plate setter and grid with a drip pan underneath . . .[p]Mike

Saucy Sue

MikeO, Thank you so much for the recipe. It was great, and thank you for the jar of homemade aprocot pepper jelly. I am anxious to give it a try. I packed in my suitcase and worried that it might explode in route in the plain, but it and my new BBQ Guru made it home just fine.

Delaware Dude

MikeO,[p]Thanks for posting that recipe - it was awesome. And when I try it, I won't have to tie it up with string. I can use those silicone wrappers that I got from Shotgun Fred.

yoyo_in_atlanta

MikeO,[p]Wow. This sounds divine. So sorry I missed it!