American Pork Cuts
by Cat, Nov 2013 (Image, right, from Wikimedia Commons)
See also: Brining Pork; Main Course Menu for other pork loin recipes
We ate a fair amount of pork when I was growing up, because my Mom was of Danish ancestry, a people who raised a lot of hogs in their low, flat countryside. As an adult, I don’t eat a lot of pork, maybe once a month, because I’m concerned about the parasites. I purchase my pork at my local grocer who buys 4-H pork raised by local farm kids; if I ate more pork, I would purchase a half-hog from a local farmer.
Roast Pork Loin with Coriander & Other Spices Recipe
This recipe is adapted from Fine Cooking.com (1). I love the sweet & savory flavor of coriander seeds. Did you know it is from the same plant as cilantro? Other seeds that are good in this recipe are cumin, mustard and sesame.
If you want to brine the loin, which I highly recommend, as it helps the meat to retain its moisture, you have to plan ahead because the loin should be brined for a minimum of 2 days.
Serves 4 – 6.
Ingredients & Equipment:
- One 2-lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed
- 4 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbs. coriander seeds, crushed (may also add 1 Tbsp each cumin, mustard, and/or sesame seeds, crushed)
- 2 tsp. black peppercorns, crushed
- 1 – 2 tsp. Unrefined sea salt (only if you don’t brine the pork)
- 1 Tbs. lard or coconut oil
- 1/4 cup red or white wine, for deglazing
- 1/4 cup homemade Chicken Stock or Vegetable Broth
- 2 Tbsp sour cream or 1 Tbsp butter (optional, for sauce)
- ovenproof cast iron 12″ skillet or heavy-bottomed skillet and roasting pan*
NOTE: because the loin is roasted at 450°F, I don’t recommend roasting in a glass or ceramic baking pan. Use either enameled steel or stainless steel roasting pan, if you are not using an ovenproof cast iron pan.
Method:
- Brine the pork loin for 6 – 12 hours. Remove from brine, rinse and pat dry all around. Return to the fridge to rest and dry a bit more, so the mustard and spices will adhere.
- Pre-heat the oven to 450°F.
- Spread Dijon mustard evenly over the pork and then sprinkle with the crushed coriander (and other seeds), peppercorns, pressing so the spices adhere. Sprinkle also with salt if you didn’t brine the pork.
- Heat the lard in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook on all sides, turning carefully with tongs, until nicely browned on all sides, about 3 minutes per side.
- Transfer skillet to the oven (or transfer browned loin to an ovenproof roasting pan) and roast 15 – 20 minutes, until the thick end of the loin registers 160°F internal temperature.
- Remove skillet/pan to a rack. Let rest for at least 5 minutes (internal temperature should increase about 5 degrees for well-done) before slicing thinly.
- The pan drippings are delicious, so deglaze on stove-top with a red or white wine, and serve with the pork slices. Alternately, you can add sour cream to the deglazing liquids for a nice creamy sauce.
Testing:
Corningware oval casserole
11/17/13: I’m using two 1-lb pork tenderloins; brined them in my 2 1/2 quart corningware oval casserole dish (pictured right, my only pan long and deep enough for the loins). I used 3 Tbsp Rapadura sugar and 6 Tbsp kosher salt for the 6 cups of brine required to cover the loins. Chilled the warm brine while I went out for lunch. Into the brine at 3:15 PM; Out of the brine at 7:30 PM (4 hours in brine). Rinsed and patted dry, then set in fridge overnight to dry the surface. Removed from fridge at 5:30 PM. Set oven to preheat to 450F. Rubbed tenderloins with 2 tsp Dijon mustard, then 2 Tbsp of ground spices (coriander with a bit of cumin and black peppercorns). Seared in cast iron skillet with lard, 7 minutes per side, then transferred to oven. Roasted 28 minutes to 160F, then let it rest for 5 minutes while I made sauce: deglazed pan with 1/4 cup white wine, then added 1/4 cup chicken broth and thickened with tapioca starch to make a sauce. There was enough fat that I didn’t add butter. Result: Excellent, especially with the sauce.
Serving Suggestions
- Braised Greens, and Baked Yams or Sweet Potatoes or steamed Brown Rice or Wild Rice
- Fine cooking recommends serving with Sweet and Spicy Roasted Vegetables (2).
References:
- Fine Cooking Roast Pork recipes: finecooking.com/recipes/coriander-crusted-pork-tenderloin.aspx and finecooking.com/recipes/spice-crusted-roast-pork-tenderloin.aspx
- Fine Cooking Roasted Veggies recipe: finecooking.com/recipes/sweet-spicy-roasted-vegetables.aspx
