Pork Loin Roast with Barley, Butternut Squash, and Swiss Chard
By Christie MorrisonPublished on August 19, 2016
Time
1¾ hours
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Arrowhead Mills and Quaker pearl barley yield the most consistent results in this recipe. If you use a different brand, you may need to extend the cooking time in step 5, adding water as necessary. Use a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. Look for a 3-pound pork loin roast that is 7 to 8 inches long and 4 to 5 inches wide.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Trim pork, leaving 1/4-inch-thick layer of fat on top. Pat pork dry with paper towels, then tie with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Season pork with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon thyme. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown pork on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes, reducing heat if pot begins to scorch. Transfer pork to plate.
- Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion, barley, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to now-empty pot. Cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and remaining 1 tablespoon thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and bring to simmer.
- Off heat, return browned pork and any accumulated juices to pot. Place large sheet of aluminum foil over pot and press to seal, then cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to oven and cook until center of pork registers 135 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes.
- Remove pot from oven. Transfer pork to carving board, tent with foil, and let rest while barley and vegetables finish cooking.
- Meanwhile, transfer pot to stovetop and simmer over medium-low heat, covered, until barley is just cooked through but still somewhat firm in center, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in squash and chard stems and cook, covered, until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in chard leaves, increase heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, until leaves are tender and mixture is thickened to risotto-like consistency, 2 to 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Discard twine and slice pork. Serve with barley and vegetables.
Time
1¾ hoursYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
UPDATE: We are currently retesting this recipe in the Test Kitchen to fix some of the problems our readers have noticed. The French en cocotte method results in a tender, juicy, perfectly cooked pork loin in this one-pot recipe. We season the pork with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme before browning it to build flavor. We then nestle it in the Dutch oven with a mixture of pearled barley, chicken broth, and white wine. The low-heat, trapped-moisture method jump-starts the barley and keeps the pork from overcooking. Once the pork is cooked, we remove it and transfer the pot to the stovetop to continue cooking the barley. As the barley simmers, we add cubed butternut squash and Swiss chard stems to the pot to soften and cook through. In the final minutes, we stir in the quick-cooking chard leaves and some Parmesan cheese for a bit of richness. The barley’s starches give the mixture a creamy, risotto-like texture that complements the juicy, lean pork.
Before You Begin
Arrowhead Mills and Quaker pearl barley yield the most consistent results in this recipe. If you use a different brand, you may need to extend the cooking time in step 5, adding water as necessary. Use a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. Look for a 3-pound pork loin roast that is 7 to 8 inches long and 4 to 5 inches wide.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Trim pork, leaving 1/4-inch-thick layer of fat on top. Pat pork dry with paper towels, then tie with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Season pork with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon thyme. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown pork on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes, reducing heat if pot begins to scorch. Transfer pork to plate.
- Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion, barley, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to now-empty pot. Cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and remaining 1 tablespoon thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and bring to simmer.
- Off heat, return browned pork and any accumulated juices to pot. Place large sheet of aluminum foil over pot and press to seal, then cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to oven and cook until center of pork registers 135 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes.
- Remove pot from oven. Transfer pork to carving board, tent with foil, and let rest while barley and vegetables finish cooking.
- Meanwhile, transfer pot to stovetop and simmer over medium-low heat, covered, until barley is just cooked through but still somewhat firm in center, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in squash and chard stems and cook, covered, until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in chard leaves, increase heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, until leaves are tender and mixture is thickened to risotto-like consistency, 2 to 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Discard twine and slice pork. Serve with barley and vegetables.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
0 Comments