a chill is in the air

I feel slightly guilty writing a post from the southern California desert when much of the country is battling frigid temps, debilitating ice and feet of snow. If it makes you feel any better, we did have 5.1 magnitude earthquake a couple miles from our house with days of aftershocks well into the fours. Crazy times for sure!

But you want to know what’s really crazy- I’ve never been much of a roaster. I love to sauté and grill but low and slow in my oven has never really been my thing. For one of my resolutions, I decided to change that, along with daily laps in the pool and Spanish lessons.

I spent a lot of time reading about roasting. Let me tell you there are as many opinions on it as there are for grilling. One quiet morning while at the meat counter I polled the butchers. They all concurred a few minutes on a higher heat then lower to 325 until the meat reaches the correct internal temp. And because no one was still in that section of the grocery I asked them about brining. They all agreed not to any kind of wet brine and the best was a simple dry brine in the fridge overnight. I took their sage advice and referenced it to what I was reading from my cookbook library and online.

My roast chicken was divine. But what really impressed was the dry-brine roasted pork loin. It was the juiciest, most flavorful and tender cut I had ever served.

Start with a two-pound pork loin, have your butcher wrap it with kitchen twine, or you can do it at home. It helps it keep its uniform shape.

For the dry-brine rub combine 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.

The night before, pat the pork loin completely dry with paper towels.

Rub all over with one tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. Let sit a few minutes to soak in then apply the rub.

Coat the pork loin completely with the spice mixture, pressing it into the meat.

Place on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate uncovered overnight (or at least 8 hours).

When ready to roast, remove the pork from refrigerator 30 to 45 minutes before cooking to bring to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Place pork loin (still on rack and pan) in the preheated oven. Roast at 425°F for 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 325°F and continue roasting for 20-45 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 140°F. Make sure you have a good meat thermometer because if the initial temp of the pork loin is cooler it can take up to an hour to roast to 140 degrees.

Remove the pork roast from oven and tent loosely with foil. Let rest 10-15 minutes (temperature will rise to 145°F).

Slice into 1/2-inch-thick slices. I served it up with some of my holiday favorites I had in the freezer. Sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry chutney.

And just to keep the chill going - any leftover pork can be sliced and frozen to be used in Cubano sandwiches or pork fried rice. If you decide to try the dry brine roasting resolution, you might find it earth shaking as well!