Bay Leaf Crusted Pork Roast Recipes

LOIN OF PORK WITH BAY LEAVES

Steps:

• In a small bowl mix the olive oil, garlic, salt, peppercorns, and crumbled bay leaves and rub the mixture all over the meat. Put the pork on a large dish or in a large plastic bag and cover the dish or tie up the bag and leave in the refrigerator if you've got steeping time; otherwise - if you're about to start cooking it - just leave it out.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a roasting pan with the onion. Strew over the onion 10 whole bay leaves. Place the pork, including its marinade, on top and the bones all around, if they fit and if you've got them. Roast in the oven for about 1 3/4 hours or to an internal temperature of 150 to 155 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, basting regularly.
• Remove the pork, scraping burnt bits off, to a plate or carving board and let it sit. On the stove at moderate heat, pour the wine and 1/2 cup boiling water over the bones, bay, garlic, and onion. Let it bubble up and reduce by about a third, and then remove the bones gingerly and strain the liquid contents into a saucepan. Heat, correct the seasoning, and add liquid as you like to make a good, thin, not-quite gravy.
• Carve the loin, put the slices on a big warmed plate, sprinkle with salt, and pour over a little of the juice-gravy, then tent with foil and leave in the turned-off oven while you eat the starter. It is a bit prinky, I know, but it will look fabulous if, when you take it out, you arrange, Napoleonically, some more bay leaves around the edges of the dish with the bay-scented pork.

MUSTARD-AND-HERB-CRUSTED PORK ROAST

Steps:

• Brine the pork: Combine 4 cups water, the salt, sugar, garlic, bay leaves, juniper berries, peppercorns and cloves in a large pot or wide Dutch oven (large enough to hold the pork). Heat over medium heat, stirring, until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add 8 cups ice cubes; stir occasionally until the brine is cooled.
• Make small deep cuts, about 2 inches apart, all over the pork and between the ribs using the tip of a paring knife. Add the pork to the pot and submerge in the brine; add more cold water if needed to completely submerge. Refrigerate overnight.
• Set a rack in a roasting pan and put the pan on the lowest oven rack; preheat to 325 degrees F. Remove the pork from the brine, pat dry and set aside to bring to room temperature. Remove 3 cups brine (along with the spices) to a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove the hot roasting pan from the oven and carefully stand up the pork on the rack with the chine bone down. Add the hot brine to the bottom of the pan. Roast until the fat is mostly rendered, about 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the crust: Pulse the panko, butter, scallion, parsley, thyme and juniper berries in a food processor until the herbs are coarsely chopped and the mixture is combined.
• Remove the pork from the oven and reposition so it is meat-side up; brush the top and sides with the mustard, then sprinkle with the panko mixture, patting to adhere. Return to the oven and roast 50 more minutes.
• Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and continue roasting until the crust is crisp and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 140 degrees F, about 20 more minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a cutting board and let rest 20 minutes before carving.

BAY-LEAF-CRUSTED PORK ROAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a chef's knife, finely chop garlic and bay leaves together. Gather into a pile; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons coarse salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. Using the flat side of the knife blade, mash mixture into a paste. Set aside.
• On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss onions with 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Push onions to the edges of baking sheet.
• Place pork in center of sheet, fatty side up; rub top with remaining tablespoon oil, and press on garlic mixture, coating evenly.
• Roast, dabbing occasionally with pan juices, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of meat (avoiding bones) registers 140 degrees (temperature will rise 10 to 15 degrees as roast rests), 65 to 75 minutes. (If browning too quickly, tent loosely with aluminum foil.) Transfer roast and onions to serving platter; let rest, loosely covered with foil, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend parsley and mustard until smooth; season with salt and pepper.
• Cut roast into chops, and serve with mustard sauce.

HERB-CRUSTED PORK ROAST

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the ground mustard, herb seasoning, salt and pepper; rub over roast. In a large skillet, brown roast in 2 tablespoons oil. Place roast fat side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Brush top with Dijon mustard. Combine the bread crumbs, cheese, basil, thyme, rosemary, garlic and remaining oil; press onto roast. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours or until a thermometer reads 145°. Place on a warm serving platter. Let meat stand for 15 minutes before slicing. , Stir wine into roasting pan, scraping to loosen browned bits. Pour into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook until reduced by half. Serve with roast.

DAD'S BASIC MOIST PORK ROAST

Steps:

• Combine oil, pepper, and salt in a bowl; rub oil mixture over pork and refrigerate while oven preheats.
• Preheat an oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
• Place a roasting rack in a large roasting pan; arrange pork on the roasting rack.
• Roast in preheated oven until pork with browned, about 30 minutes. Remove pork from oven and reduce oven heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Allow pork to rest uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read between 115 degrees F (46 degrees C) and 140 degrees F (60 degrees C).
• Return to oven and continue to cook until pork is slightly pink in the center, 15 to 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).
• Let the roast stand uncovered at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

FRUIT-PECAN PORK ROAST

Steps:

• Place roast on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes. , Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onions in 1 tablespoon of butter for 1 minute. Add orange juice and bay leaf; cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened, about 4 minutes. Add the cranberry sauce, broth, pecans and vinegar; cook and stir until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat; stir in the salt, pepper, sugar and remaining butter until butter is melted. Discard bay leaf. , Remove 1/4 cup sauce and stir in preserves; spoon over roast. Set remaining sauce aside. Bake 20-25 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 145°. Let meat stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with reserved sauce.

FENNEL-CRUSTED ROAST PORK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Brush onions with 2 teaspoons vinegar in a lightly oiled shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan. Roast in middle of oven, turning over halfway through roasting and keeping wedges intact, until browned and tender, about 15 minutes. Cover to keep warm.
• Reduce temperature to 400°F.
• Coarsely grind fennel seeds, salt, and pepper to taste with a mortar and pestle or in an electric coffee/spice grinder, then spread on a plate. Roll pork in fennel mixture, coating all sides evenly.
• Roast in a flameproof small shallow roasting pan in middle of oven until a thermometer inserted 2 inches into center of pork registers 155°F, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate and let stand, covered, 15 minutes.
• Add broth to roasting pan and deglaze by boiling over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Transfer broth to a small saucepan and simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Add remaining teaspoon vinegar and simmer 1 minute. Stir together cornstarch and water and stir into broth. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and stir in butter.
• Serve pork with onions and sauce.