Monday, February 27, 2012

Dinner Prep and Conquering the Dry Pork Roast . . .


In gratitude for a stree-free afternoon of sewing, I treated my family to a roast pork dinner. The fact that the pork was on sale contributed greatly to my kindness! I hesitate to use boneless pork as it tends to get dry being the 'other white meat' and all. I did some research and discovered a few things about almost insuring a juicy outcome for the protein portion of the meal.

1. Marinate the meat for four to six hours. I did this by putting the roast in a sealable bag with enough soy sauce and white wine to give it something to laze around in for the day. I kept it refrigerated.

2. When I was ready to cook, I drained the meat from the liquid and discarded the marinade. I made sure to throughly pat dry the meat.

3. Salt and pepper the meat and brown it in a preheated pan with oil and a bit of butter.

4. Place in a baking pan lined with lots of garlic and chopped onion.

5. Set aside while you add 1/2 cup of finely chopped onion and eight cloves of smashed and chopped garlic to the oil and brown bits left in the frying pan. Saute until the vegetables are tender. As 1/4 cup flour to the onion/garlic mix and continue stirring and cooking until the flour is incorporated. Add 1/2 cup white wine and stir until it thickens. Pour this over the pork roast and place in a preheated 350 degree over. In about 30 minutes, I added 1/2 cup of water to the pan. My roast was about three pounds so your cooking time will depend on that. The inner temperature should be 150 when it is done. A meat thermometer is a handy items!

6. Let the roast set (covered with foil) while you prepare the gravy. If you kept the bottom of the pan with about 1/2 inch of liquid during cooking, you should have a golden broth with browning onion and garlic. My favorite way of making a fast gravy is to puree it all in a blender until smooth. I pour it back into a pot and add some water if it is too thick. I season to taste and bring it to a simmer.
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