Irish Pork Roast with Apples

For pork lovers, this one is heaven on a platter. The reason I say this is that it not only uses a pork tenderloin, it also uses bacon. (BACON!!!!) It’s not as hard as it looks, and it’s great for a normal weekday meal, or as the centerpiece of a feast. Now, let’s have some fun!

Serves 6-8 adults

Ingredients:

Fresh pork tenderloin – 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 lbs.
1 lb. think cut bacon (plain or honey-cured, but definitely not pepper)
3/4 cup Irish whiskey
1/2 cup chicken stock (or broth if you must, but stock is best)
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon spicy brown mustard
2 green apples (Granny Smiths work very well), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 shallots, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: chopped rosemary as a garnish

Instructions:

Remove pork from packaging, rinse and pat dry.

Wrap pork with bacon slices. Secure the bacon with toothpicks. This is very important, as you will be handling the pork a few times during preparation.

Heat large skillet or pan over medium-high heat, then place pork into pan. Cook about ten minutes or so, turning so that all sides are nicely browned. (The skillet/pan should be large enough that you don’t nave to bend the pork into a curve.)

Remove pork from skillet and drain all but about 1 Tablespoon of the grease.

Add all of the remaining ingredients except the rosemary. Bring to a good boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and return pork to skillet. Tent with foil and continue to cook for another half hour, or until center reaches 145 degrees. Turn pork about every ten minutes for even cooking.

Remove pork to carving board and tent with foil to keep warm. Do NOT slice immediately. Let it rest for at least 5 minutes so that the juices reabsorb into the meat.

Increase heat to medium and continue to cook sauce until it has thickened to a nice consistency.

Remove toothpicks from pork and carve into 1/2 inch slices.

Serve to plate and add apples and sauce to one side. Drizzle a little sauce over the meat and, if desired, sprinkle a bit of chopped rosemary for garnish.

Note: For those concerned about alcohol, fear not. The alcohol will cook off long before your roast is ready to eat. It’s there for flavor, not for inebriation.

While this recipe may seem difficult at first glance, it’s actually pretty easy. Just remember to keep an eye on the pork as it cooks and turn it occasionally so that it cooks evenly. Have fun, and let me know how it went for you in the comments below. Until next time,

Play with your food!

Lane

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