Braised Pork Loin Flanders Style Recipes

BEER BRAISED PORK LOIN

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat vegetable oil a heavy pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear pork in hot oil until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove roast from pot.
• Drain all but about 3 tablespoons grease from pot. Cook and stir onion and carrots until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Stir beer, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and cloves into the onion mixture.
• Return pork roast to the pot and cover.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pork is tender and no longer pink in the center, about 2 hours.
• Transfer roast to a platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Remove bay leaf from vegetables.
• Pour the beer and vegetable mixture from the Dutch oven into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the vegetables moving before leaving it on to puree until smooth.
• Bring pureed sauce to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over pork roast to serve.

PORK LOIN BRAISED IN MILK

Steps:

• Combine the rosemary, sage, garlic, and salt and pepper in a small bowl and rub it all over the pork. Place the pork on a large plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a few hours.
• Place a medium heavy pan that will hold the roast somewhat snugly over medium heat and add the butter and oil. When the butter begins to foam, add the pork and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly golden on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. (Keep your eyes on the butter so it doesn't burn and reduce the heat a bit if needed.)
• Add 1 cup of the milk and stir to loosen the browned bits attached to the bottom of the pan. As soon as the milk comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pan, and simmer until almost all the milk has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add 1 more cup milk and continue cooking, basting and turning the meat a few times, until most of the milk has evaporated. Cook the pork in this manner, adding the milk 1/2 to 1 cup at a time, until it reads 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 hours. (The pork can be cooked up to this point 1 hour or so ahead. In that case, cook only until it reaches 155 degrees F, because it will keep on cooking as it sits in the hot pan juices.)
• Remove the lid and raise the heat to high. If no more milk is left in the pan, add 1/2 cup or so more. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to release the browned bits and turning the pork once or twice, until most of the milk has evaporated and the meat has a rich, golden brown color. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes while you finish the sauce.
• Spoon off some of the fat from the pan. Add 1/3 cup water and stir quickly, over medium heat, scraping the bottom of the pan until only the brown glazed clusters of milk particles remain.
• Cut the meat into 1/2-inch thick slices and serve topped with a bit of the pan juices.

JUICY BEER-BRAISED PORK LOIN WITH CARROTS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large Dutch oven or oven-safe roasting pan, coat the bottom with vegetable oil and bring the temperature up to high. Brown the pork loin roast in the hot oil on all sides. Remove the pork roast from the pan. Drain all but 3 tablespoons of fat from pan.
• In the pan, sauté onions and carrots in the pan drippings until softened. Stir in beer, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and whole cloves.
• Return the pork to the pan or Dutch oven and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 F for 2 hours or until the pork is tender. Check with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the roast. It should be at least 145 F.
• Place the pork loin on a serving platter and keep it warm.
• Pour the cooking liquid from pan into a large bowl; skim off fat and remove the bay leaf.
• Place the liquid with the vegetables into a blender; cover and process at low speed until smooth. Or press through sieve or process in a food processor in batches.
• Pour the processed beer sauce into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring often.
• Slice the pork roast. Spoon the sauce over the sliced pork to serve. Cover and refrigerate any leftover pork roast. You can also refrigerate leftover sauce and reheat it in the microwave to serve. You may have seen older guidelines about the safe temperature for cooking pork roast. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) updated safety recommendations for pork in 2011 to lower the target temperature to 145 F. At this temperature, the pork loin might be a little pink in the middle, but it is safe. As a bonus, it won't be overcooked and dried out.

BRAISED PORK LOIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Cook and stir bacon in large ovenproof Dutch oven on medium-high heat 5 min. (Bacon will not be done.) Add roast to pan; season with pepper. Cook 3 to 4 min. or until evenly browned on all sides, turning occasionally. Remove roast from pan, reserving bacon and drippings in pan; set roast aside. Add vegetables and rosemary to ingredients in pan; cook 5 min., stirring frequently. Add milk; stir. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Return roast to pan; cover.
• Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 min. or until roast is done (145ºF), turning roast after 30 min. Remove pan from oven. Transfer roast to cutting board; cover loosely with foil. Let stand 10 min.
• Remove and discard rosemary stems from vegetable mixture in pan. Spoon half the vegetables into blender; blend until smooth. Return to pan; mix well. Bring to boil on medium heat, stirring frequently. Add pasta sauce; mix well. Cook 8 to 10 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
• Slice roast. Serve with vegetable mixture.

ITALIAN BRAISED PORK LOIN

Steps:

• Season the pork generously with salt and pepper.
• In a large, heavy pot, warm the oil over medium heat.
• Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until crisp, 2-3 minutes.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Raise the heat to med-high.
• Add the pork to the fat in the pot and cook, turning occasionally, until evenly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the pork to a plate.
• Pour off the fat from the pot and return to med-high heat.
• Add 3 cups of the milk and stir to scrape up any browned bits on the pan bottom.
• Bring to a boil.
• Add the garlic, reserved bacon, and the pork to the pot.
• Partially cover and cook over very low heat until the pork is tender and the milk has reduced and thickened, about 2 hours.
• During the final 30 minutes of cooking, check the milk level and, if necessary, warm some of the remaining milk and add to the pork.
• Transfer the pork to a cutting board and cut crosswise into slices about ½ inch thick,.
• Arrange the slices on a platter, top with the sauce and serve.

PORCHETTA (BRAISED PORK LOIN)

Steps:

• Butterfly the roast by cutting a slit about 1/2" off of the cutting board until there is just a 1/2" uncut along the length. Lay loin open and cut again until the whole loin lays flat and is basically a 1/2" flat "sheet". Don't worry if the thickness varies, you can pound it flat to make it an even thickness. Sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder on flattened loin.
• In a large pan, melt 2 TBS butter. Add 1 TBS of the minced garlic, the sliced mushrooms, spinach and saute until spinach is wilted.
• Spread spinach mixture evenly over flattened pork loin. Lay thinly sliced roasted peppers, thin strips of fontina cheese lengthwise on top of spinach. Spread Parmesan/romano evenly on top. Now you are ready to roll up the loin.
• Tie a loop in the end of the butcher's twine. With the long side of the loin facing you, tuck veggies and cheese and roll up the loin "jelly roll" style. Starting at one end, tie a loop and pull tightly around loin. Create another loop and pull tight. Each loop should be 1-1.5" apart. Continue until the loin is completely tied.
• In a large pan (use a griddle if it is too large) and add 1 TBS of olive oil and 1 TBS of canola oil to pan. Sear the pork loin evenly and remove to a platter. Add celery, carrots, remaining garlic, onions, and saute until soft.
• Add tomato sauce, white wine, chicken broth and bay leaves to pan and bring to a hard simmer. Return the pork loin to the pan making sure it is al least 1/2 covered in liquid. Cover pan and simmer for 2 hours or until thermometer reads at least 160 degrees inside loin. Smaller loins will take less simmering time. If the loin is too large for your pan, I have lined a large baking pan with foil put loin and sauce in (remember to have it covered at least 1/2 way). Then wrap tightly with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 90 minutes (or until thermometer reads 160 degrees).
• Remove from pan and let rest ten minutes, Slice in 1" or larger slices and top with sauce from pan. If sauce is still thin after braising, raise the heat and reduce while loin is resting. If you would like to make a cream based sauce for the pork, continue to reduce the liquid by half. Add enough heavy cream to give it the consistency you want. I then add some shredded parmesan, a little red pepper, some oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. (Not as healthy , but worth the calories!).
• If you eat it all, save remaining sauce and serve later over pasta!

BRAISED PORK LOIN WITH PRUNES

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 5-quart pot over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onions, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer onions to a bowl and reserve pot.
• Simmer prunes and Armagnac in a 1- to 2-quart saucepan 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Make a hole for stuffing: Insert a long thin sharp knife into middle of one end toward center of loin, then repeat at opposite end to make an incision that runs lengthwise through roast. Enlarge incision with your fingers, working from both ends, to create a 3/4-inch-wide opening.
• Pack about 20 prunes into pork, pushing from both ends toward center (reserve remaining Armagnac and prunes). Pat pork dry and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Wrap parsley, thyme, sage, bay leaf, peppercorns, and cloves in cheesecloth and tie into a bundle with kitchen string.
• Brush pork with mustard, then evenly coat with brown sugar. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in reserved pot over high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown meat on all sides (not ends), reducing heat if necessary to keep from burning, about 6 minutes total.
• Transfer pork with tongs to a plate, then add white wine and reserved Armagnac (but not prunes) to pot. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
• Add broth, onions, and cheesecloth bundle to pot with Armagnac mixture, then add pork with any juices accumulated on plate and turn pork fat side up. Bring to a boil over high heat, covered, then transfer to oven and braise 30 minutes.
• Add remaining prunes and braise until thermometer inserted diagonally 2 inches into meat (avoid stuffing) registers 150°F, about 15 minutes.
• Transfer pork to a cutting board and cut off and discard string, then cover with heavy-duty foil (temperature of pork will rise as it stands).
• While pork stands, skim fat from surface of sauce (if necessary) and remove and discard cheesecloth bundle, then stir in vinegar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.