All it takes is some careful cutting with a long sharp knife to butterfly the roast. Then you spread filling on top, roll it up like a jelly roll, tie it, and roast it. This apple cranberry stuffed pork roast recipe is based on a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated (Sept 07). We absolutely love it! The filling is essentially a sweet sour chutney, made with brown sugar, vinegar, dried apples and cranberries. Though pretty much any chutney would work in this recipe. The roast is “double butterflied”, filling applied, meat rolled up and roasted. The acidity of the chutney-ish filling tenderizes the pork roast from the inside. The original recipe calls for grilling the roast with soaked wood chips but we prefer to make this roast in the oven. The recipe also uses dried apples, which can be a little hard to find. I think next time we may try making this with peeled, diced, fresh apples.
1 cup apple cider 1/2 cup cider vinegar 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1 large shallot, peeled, thinly sliced 1 1/2 cups dried apples (packed) 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the pork roast:
2 1/2 pounds boneless center-cut pork loin roast (short and wide - about 7 to 8 inches long and 4 to 5 inches wide) Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the liquid. Use a rubber spatula to press against the apple mixture in the sieve to extract as much liquid out as possible. Return liquid to saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside and reserve this liquid for use as a glaze. Pulse apple mixture in food processor, about fifteen 1-second pulses. Set aside. Make a long cut along the bottom of the roast, stopping 1/2 inch before the edge of the roast. You might find it easier to handle by starting at a corner of the roast. Open up the roast and continue to cut through the thicker half of the roast, again keeping 1/2 inch from the bottom. Repeat until the roast is an even 1/2-inch thickness all over when laid out. If necessary, pound the roast to an even thickness with a meat pounder. Starting with the short side of the roast, roll it up very tightly. Secure with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Season the outside of the roast generously with salt and pepper. Cook for 45 to 60 minutes, until the internal temperature of the roast is 130 to 135 degrees F. Brush with half of the glaze and cook for 5 minutes longer. Remove the roast from the oven or grill. Place it on a cutting board. Tent it with foil to rest and keep warm for 15 minutes before slicing.
