Just gorgeous, Goodweed! No wonder friends and neighbors try to make sure you're the one cooking. Tell me, what was the occasion for this feast?
It was summer and I'd never made one before. Had to give it a try and invited my kids and family over. No special occasion. Just had to see if I could make one. It came out great and so became a part of one of my cookbooks.
And GB, I stuffed it with a pre-cooked white rice and mandarin orange stuffing. I think it would have been great with peans or cashews put into the stuffing, but hadn't thought of it at the time. To make the roast, I purchased a pork tenderloin with 17 ribs attached. I cut the extra muscles and bones from the long tenderloin muscle leaving me with just the tenderloin and upright ribs. I frenched the rins and put the whole thing into a zip-lock freezer bag with a mandaring orange, ginger, soy sauce marinade and let sit overnight in the fridge. I pulled it the next day and tied it into the proper shape. To make sure the ends fit together smoothly, I trimed them flat.
Before tying the roast, I started a divided bed of charcoal in the Webber Kettle. The charcoal was hot by the time I had completed the roast preperation. I put a drip pan between the charcoal beds and topped the hot coals with soaked apple-wood chips. I placed foil hats on the bone ends to protect them from scorching and put the roast over the drip pan. I placed a meat thermometer into the thickest meat portion and covered the girll. I set all vents to the half open position. I cooked the meat for about 10 minutes per pound and then began checking the thermometer every 10 minutes until it reached 140' F. I then put the stuffing on top of the meat platform created by the circle of loin. I covered and cooked for ten minutes more until the temperature read 155' F. I removed the roast to the platter. I opened all vents and let the fire get hot again. I then roasted the bell peppers until done and placed them around the roast.
While the roast was cooking, I made the pineapple upside down cake, and the cole slaw. My daughter brought the fruit salad and we used ranch dip with it.
The cole slaw is my own recipe, but is very similar in flavor to KFC cole slaw. If you have a food processor, the job is very easy. If not, it is tedious. I don't have a food processor anymore. But the slaw is worth the effort. Here's how it's made.
Shred 1 head of greed or purple cabbage over the coarse holes of your grater. Finely chop one yellow onion (about 1/2 cup) and add to the cabbage. Add 1/2 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing with 2 tbs. sugar. Grate 2 medium sized carrots into the slaw. Mix everything completely. This last part is key. Add 1 cup ice water to the slaw and stir. Chill in the refrigerator. Add more sugar if required and according to taste.
This slaw is very juicy and refreshing. It will help quench your thirst it is so juicy. Also, the water helps combine and ballance the other flavors. Try it. You'll be surprized.
As for the marinade, you could also use a good dry rub instead, or a teryaki marinade. This roast would also be great with pineapple rings, papaya, and other tropical fruit placed on top instead of the rice mixture I used. In fact, I think it would be outstanding. A good sage-flavored bread dressing would work phenominaly well with this roast as well, served up with some sweet spuds and fresh green beans. The toppings are limited only by your imagination. And this roast looks much more complex than it really is. Just remember that the pork loin is a very lean piece of meat and so is tempermental about temperature. Keep the final temp below 170 and your going to have a great meal.
Seeeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
