April 7, 2014

I am not a writer or photographer (definitely not) 

Tonight: Pork Roast, potatoes and onions roasted with pork roast

I don't like most pork products except for a good ham or bacon but many in my family like it. So this night I made a pork roast. 

Both my grandmothers made a really nice pork roast where they would use a larding needle to place fat inside the roast so that it would baste the inside of the roast to keep it moist.  

 larding needle 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ainQwpK1CDY (video - larding lean meats) 

I don't have larding needle and my pork roast was very lean on the outside. I saw a picture once of a pork roast with bacon and sage wrapped that looked very pretty and I thought I would try it.  I found a recipe that stated I should cook the roast until 160 internal degrees. 

I wrapped the roast after s/p with bacon and sage leaves; using a meat thermometer, by all clad,  that I have come to love (the thermometer probe is placed in the middle of the roast to take the internal temperature). 

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/all-clad-digital-oven-probe-thermometer/

photo from William Sonoma 

I placed potatoes and onions of the same size under the roast - to lift up the roast and and to cook the potatoes with lots of flavor. 

At 155 degrees I took the pork roast out of the oven - loosely covered it with foil - where the temperature went to 163 while it rested for 15 minutes. I wasn't happy that the temperature went that high. 

What I learned: 

1. even though the temperature was supposed to be 160 degrees when finished cooking (for medium) the pork was a little dry. I ended up making gravy for the roast which defeating what I wanted to do.  I should have taken the pork out earlier to rest.  I could have asked for a slice of fat to tie to the outside of the pork. 

2. I would have put more potatoes and onions in the bottom of the roast pan because the were so tasty.  

3. I couldn't taste the sage as the picture would suggest... I think rubbing dry herbs on the roast would give more flavor 

Cooking is never exact and my mistakes help me learn - always a good thing even when the dish could have been better.  I think many times cooks think that each time they make a dish it will come out exactly the same.  Weather, the cooks attention, ingredient quality etc. always adds to how the dish will turn out and it's okay! Failures give me another chance to create and try again.  

 potatoes from the bottom of the pan