Making the Perfect Stuffed Pork Loin

When it comes to Stuffed Pork Loin, there are some things to consider before you start. Pork loin is one of the leanest cuts of pork and because it is so lean it tends to come out dry. There are some ways to overcome that, and we are going to look at one of those ways.

First when making a pork loin you need to consider what cooking method you intend to use because this will determine how you are going to prepare it to be cooked. Today, we are going to slow roast it at 250⁰F (121⁰C), and the preparation is going to be using a technique known as barding. Barding is wrapping fat around a cut of meat to help prevent it from drying out during the cooking process. Today, we are going to use hickory smoked bacon, make a basket weave pattern with it and wrap it around the stuffed pork loin. This is going to help keep the loin from drying out as well as adding an additional layer of flavor.

Preparing the Loin:

First, we are going to butterfly the pork loin lengthwise so that we can fill the inside with our sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Once we have it butterflied, we will coat the inside with our sauce, layer on the mozzarella, and then roll the loin. Once we have that ready, we will then wrap our basket woven bacon over the loin.

Pork Loin Recipe:

1. 5-to-2-pound pork loin
2. 12 oz of thick sliced hickory smoked bacon
3. 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
4. ¼ cup chipotle pineapple sauce

Chipotle Pineapple Sauce:

1. 16 ounce can crushed pineapple
2. 7 ounce can chipotle in adobo
3. 1 cup brown sugar
4. 1 cup ginger ale
5. 1 tsp ground ginger
6. 1 tsp ground black pepper
7. 1 tsp kosher salt

In a blender combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth.

Potato Salad Recipe:

1. 2 pounds of boiled potatoes, diced large
2. ½ medium onion diced small
3. 3 tablespoons of chopped dill or sweet pickles, or relish
4. Salt and pepper to taste
5. 2 chopped boiled eggs
6. Sliced black olives
7. 1 cup mayonnaise
8. ¼ cup spicy brown mustard

In a bowl, combine all your ingredients, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Baked Beans:

1. 4 cups of cooked small white beans
2. ½ cup ketchup
3. 4 slices of slightly cooked, chopped hickory smoked bacon
4. ½ medium onion diced small
5. 1 bell pepper diced small
6. ¼ teaspoon hickory smoke flavor
7. 1 tablespoon black pepper
8. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
9. ½ cup each dark and light brown sugar

Mix your ingredients together, place in a pan and cover with foil, bake at 375⁰F (191⁰C) for 30 to 45 minutes.

Once you have your loin butterflied, have basted the inside with your sauce, added the layer of mozzarella, rolled the loin, and then covered it with your basket weave of bacon, place the pork loin on a roasting rack with a pan, and coat the outside with your sauce. Then place the loin in either the oven set at 250⁰F (121⁰C) or into a smoker set at 250⁰F (121⁰C) without smoke. We want to slow roast this pork loin so the bacon will render and get crispy, keeping the pork loin moist during the 3.5-4-hour cooking process. It is important to keep in mind the cooking temperature. Normally a pork loin is cooked to 155⁰F (68⁰C), but since we stuffed the loin, it is necessary to cook it to 165⁰F (74⁰C) to ensure the loin is properly cooked and completely done.

During the cooking process it will be important to allow it to cook for at least two hours before you begin to take temperature readings. You can use a leave in meat thermometer with probes if you have one, I recommend the ChefsTemp Quad Pro. If not, then use your ChefsTemp Finaltouch X10 Instant Read Meat Thermometer after two hours of cooking time and begin taking readings in several places to ensure the center has reach the targeted pull temperature of 165⁰F (74⁰C).

When it comes to pork, temperature is important. Pork requires specific cooking temperatures. Chops and pork roasts need to reach 155⁰F (68⁰C), this is to kill any possible bacteria or parasites associated with pork, specifically trichinosis, which is a parasitic worm which resides in the muscles of pork. Even though trichinosis isn’t as prevalent as it once was due to hogs being fed wholesome grains, hogs fed what was once referred to as “slop”, left over or spoiled dairy products, vegetables on the edge of being rotten, etc.…, can easily develop trichinosis parasite worms and these can be transferred to humans who eat undercooked pork products. Ground pork, pork breakfast sausage, stuffed pork sausages like bratwurst, stuffed pork chops, and stuff pork loins must be cooked to 165⁰F (74⁰C) to kill the bacteria and parasites associated with pork.

Because of the higher temperatures associated with cooking pork, it becomes necessary to provide moisture barriers in the cooking process to keep the pork from drying out. Some of the cooking methods used with pork are braising, roasting and basting, cooking with sauces, and coating and frying, bacon and breakfast sausage are two exceptions, they can be cooked by frying or baking, they are relatively thin cuts and cook to safe temperatures easily.

Once our pork loin has reached 165⁰F (74⁰C), we need to let it rest so any of the juices that are at the surface will return to the center and provide additional moisture to the loin roast. Do not get in a hurry to slice it, allowing it to rest is going to make it moist and tender, as well as allowing the cheese to cool and become more solid.

In Summary:

Pork loin is one of the most delicious cuts of pork you can enjoy if you handle it correctly and prepare it with the right cooking process. Time and temperature are crucial to enjoying a wonderful dining experience. Make sure it reaches 165⁰F (74⁰C), let it rest for twenty minutes before slicing it and you will thoroughly enjoy your next pork loin dish.

You can stick a meat temperature chart magnet on the refrigerator or grill, to check the pork target temperature at any time.