Grilled Pork Loin with Apple-Cherry Filling on a Charcoal Grill
By America's Test KitchenPublished on October 18, 2011
Time
2¾ hours, plus 1 hour soaking
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Filling
1 cup apple cider ½ cup cider vinegar ¾ cup packed light brown sugar (5 ¼ ounces)1 large shallot, halved lengthwise and sliced thin crosswise (about ¼ cup)1 ½ cups dried apples (packed), 4 ounces½ cup dried sweet cherries (packed), 2 ½ ounces1 teaspoon caraway seeds ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leavesPork Chops
2 wood chunks (3-inches each)2 ½ pound boneless pork loin roast, center-cut (see note above)Vegetable oil for cooking grateBefore You Begin
This recipe is best prepared with a loin that is 7 to 8 inches long and has diameter of 4 to 5 inches. To make cutting the pork easier, freeze the loin for 30 minutes. The pork loin can be stuffed and tied a day ahead of time, but don’t season the exterior until you are ready to cook it.
Instructions
- Bring all ingredients, except for thyme, to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until apples are very soft, about 20 minutes. Push mixture through fine-mesh strainer to extract as much liquid as possible. Return liquid to saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes; reserve glaze. Meanwhile, pulse apple mixture in food processor until uniformly coarsely chopped, about fifteen 1-second pulses. Transfer apple mixture to bowl and stir in thyme; refrigerate while preparing pork.
- Soak wood chunks in water for 1 hour. Meanwhile, following illustrations 1 through 3 above, cut meat to even 1/2-inch thickness. Season inside liberally with salt and spread apple filling in even layer, leaving 1/2-inch border (illustration 4). Roll tightly and tie with twine at 1-inch intervals (illustrations 5 and 6). Season exterior liberally with salt and pepper.
- Light large chimney starter filled with 5 quarts of charcoal (about 85 briquettes) and allow to burn until coals are fully ignited and covered with thin layer of ash, about 20 minutes. Build modified two-level fire by arranging coals to cover one half of grill. Drain wood chunks and place on coals. Open bottom vent fully. Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, and heat grate until hot, about 5 minutes; scrape grate clean with grill brush. Lightly dip wad of paper towels in oil; holding wad with tongs, wipe cooking grate.
- Place roast, fat-side up, on grate over cool side of grill. Cover grill and position vent, halfway open, over roast to draw smoke through grill. Grill-roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast registers 130 to 135 degrees, 55 to 70 minutes, flipping once halfway through cooking time. Brush roast with half of reserved glaze; flip and brush with remaining glaze. (You may need to reheat glaze briefly to make spreadable.) Continue to cook until glaze is glossy and sticky, about 5 minutes longer.
- Transfer roast to cutting board, loosely tent with foil, and let rest for 15 minutes. (Internal temperature should rise to about 145 degrees.) Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices, removing twine as you cut. Serve immediately.
for the filling
for the pork
Time
2¾ hours, plus 1 hour soakingYield
Serves 6Ingredients
Filling
1 cup apple cider
½ cup cider vinegar
¾ cup packed light brown sugar (5 ¼ ounces)
1 large shallot, halved lengthwise and sliced thin crosswise (about ¼ cup)
1 ½ cups dried apples (packed), 4 ounces
½ cup dried sweet cherries (packed), 2 ½ ounces
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
Pork Chops
2 wood chunks (3-inches each)
2 ½ pound boneless pork loin roast, center-cut (see note above)
Vegetable oil for cooking grate
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Filling
1 cup apple cider
½ cup cider vinegar
¾ cup packed light brown sugar (5 ¼ ounces)
1 large shallot, halved lengthwise and sliced thin crosswise (about ¼ cup)
1 ½ cups dried apples (packed), 4 ounces
½ cup dried sweet cherries (packed), 2 ½ ounces
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
Pork Chops
2 wood chunks (3-inches each)
2 ½ pound boneless pork loin roast, center-cut (see note above)
Vegetable oil for cooking grate
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Filling
1 cup apple cider
½ cup cider vinegar
¾ cup packed light brown sugar (5 ¼ ounces)
1 large shallot, halved lengthwise and sliced thin crosswise (about ¼ cup)
1 ½ cups dried apples (packed), 4 ounces
½ cup dried sweet cherries (packed), 2 ½ ounces
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
Pork Chops
2 wood chunks (3-inches each)
2 ½ pound boneless pork loin roast, center-cut (see note above)
Vegetable oil for cooking grate
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For a moist grilled pork loin recipe without traditional brines or sauces, we used a moist stuffing to combat dryness from the inside out. Using a short, wide roast, we opened it into a flat sheet with only four straight, short cuts. Poaching fruit for the filling in a blend of cider, cider vinegar, and spices gave us the dense, chewy filling we were looking for, with a bonus—the poaching liquid could be reduced to a glaze, giving the roast a mahogany finish.
Before You Begin
This recipe is best prepared with a loin that is 7 to 8 inches long and has diameter of 4 to 5 inches. To make cutting the pork easier, freeze the loin for 30 minutes. The pork loin can be stuffed and tied a day ahead of time, but don’t season the exterior until you are ready to cook it.
Instructions
- Bring all ingredients, except for thyme, to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until apples are very soft, about 20 minutes. Push mixture through fine-mesh strainer to extract as much liquid as possible. Return liquid to saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes; reserve glaze. Meanwhile, pulse apple mixture in food processor until uniformly coarsely chopped, about fifteen 1-second pulses. Transfer apple mixture to bowl and stir in thyme; refrigerate while preparing pork.
- Soak wood chunks in water for 1 hour. Meanwhile, following illustrations 1 through 3 above, cut meat to even 1/2-inch thickness. Season inside liberally with salt and spread apple filling in even layer, leaving 1/2-inch border (illustration 4). Roll tightly and tie with twine at 1-inch intervals (illustrations 5 and 6). Season exterior liberally with salt and pepper.
- Light large chimney starter filled with 5 quarts of charcoal (about 85 briquettes) and allow to burn until coals are fully ignited and covered with thin layer of ash, about 20 minutes. Build modified two-level fire by arranging coals to cover one half of grill. Drain wood chunks and place on coals. Open bottom vent fully. Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, and heat grate until hot, about 5 minutes; scrape grate clean with grill brush. Lightly dip wad of paper towels in oil; holding wad with tongs, wipe cooking grate.
- Place roast, fat-side up, on grate over cool side of grill. Cover grill and position vent, halfway open, over roast to draw smoke through grill. Grill-roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast registers 130 to 135 degrees, 55 to 70 minutes, flipping once halfway through cooking time. Brush roast with half of reserved glaze; flip and brush with remaining glaze. (You may need to reheat glaze briefly to make spreadable.) Continue to cook until glaze is glossy and sticky, about 5 minutes longer.
- Transfer roast to cutting board, loosely tent with foil, and let rest for 15 minutes. (Internal temperature should rise to about 145 degrees.) Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices, removing twine as you cut. Serve immediately.
for the filling
for the pork
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