Grilled Stuffed Pork Loin (Cook’s Summer Grilling and Raichlen)

The filling of this yummy pork loin is made with apples, cranberries, and spices.

Ingredients:

Filling

1 cup of Apple Cider

1/2 cup Cider Vinegar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped onions

2 cups of Apples sliced thin(no skin)

1/2 cup packed dried cranberries

1 TBS of grated fresh ginger

1 TBS of yellow mustard seeds, or you can use dry mustard (Coleman’s)

1/2 TSP of ground Allspice

1/8 to 1/4 tsp of Cayenne (optional)

Pork

1 boneless pork loin roast

Butcher string

Grill

Wood chunks or chips for the grill (I used hickory chunks and then tossed some hickory wood and apple wood chips on the coals later)

For the filling:

Peel and core about four apples (2 cups) and slice them thin. Add all other filling ingredients with the apples in a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat then reduce to low and cook until the apples are soft. (about 20 minutes)

Pour off the liquid and then try to squeeze out the rest of the residual liquid from the apple mixture. I used a small plate in the bottom of the sauce pan to mash down the mixture and squeeze off extra liquid. Simmer the liquid down to about 1/3 cup over medium high heat. This will be used as a glaze on the roast at the end of cooking.

In a blender or food processor (or by hand) coarsely chop the filling mixture uniformly.

Cut the meat so that it’s about 1/2 inch thick. This involves a roll cut. Holding the knife parallel to the cutting board and starting at the bottom of the roast make a lengthwise cut, cutting almost to the other side. Unfold the top of the roast ( kind of like unrolling a roll of paper towels on it’s side). Continue to cut and unroll. You should end up with a large rectangle of meat that is about 1/2 inch thick. You can use a rolling-pin or a meat pounder to flatten out any bumps or thick spots.

Start your coals. Wood chunks can go on top of the pile or in the top of the chimney starter.

While the charcoal is burning. lightly salt the meat and then spread the filling uniformly over the meat. Leave 1/2 inch all the way around the edge for rolling purposes.

Roll the pork loin back up like a jelly roll. Use butcher string to tie it together and hold it in place. Start with tying up each end so you don’t lose the filling.

The roast is cooked using indirect heat. Heat the coals to medium high and rake to one side or make a pile on each side of the grill. Use a drip pain under the roast. Clean and oil the grate. Place the roast over the drip pan fat side up and close the lid. Remember to add wood chips on top of your charcoal. As the meat is grilling you can add more chips later.

Cook the roast for about an hour or more. Internal temperature should be 160 degrees. You’ll want to turn it over about 1/2 way through. About five minutes before the meat is done, coat with the glaze on both sides (you may need to warm the glaze again to make it spreadable).

I cooked it until it got to a bit over 150 degrees and then transferred it to a pan and tented it with aluminum foil. The internal temperature went to 160 degrees while tented in the pan (about 15 minutes).