Recipes
Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin with Apricot Mustard and Vermouth Sauce
Fruit and pork pair together beautifully, and the apricot mustard filling in this pork loin roast is another example of how great the combination can be. And this roasted pork loin is also a prime case study for the rule that everything is better with bacon. We roll the loin with apricot mustard and fresh thyme, wrap it in a bacon weave, and then roast it on the grill for a delicious and stunning main dish.
Serves 8
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Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
For the roast
- 1 boneless pork loin roast, about 3 1/2 pounds, and 9 inches long
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup apricot preserves (we recommend Bon Maman Intense Apricot Fruit Spread)
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard (we recommend Sir Kensington’s)
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds bacon
- Butcher’s string
For the Vermouth Sauce
- 1 cup dry vermouth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Directions
Open the pork loin roast into a flat sheet by slicing lengthwise in a zig-zag motion to fold out one layer at a time. Lay it flat, and season the top liberally with kosher salt. Stir together the apricot preserves, Dijon mustard and thyme leaves in a small bowl. Spread in a thin layer on top of the pork.
On a clean work surface or baking sheet, create a bacon weave.
Roll up the flattened pork loin with the apricot mustard in the center, and transfer it onto the bacon weave. Wrap the bacon weave around the pork loin, then tie in 4 to 6 places with lengths of butcher’s string to hold it all together. Some of the filling will likely squeeze out. If it does, spread it on top of the roast.
Prepare the grill for indirect roasting. Target temperature for the first half-hour is 400°F, lowering to 350°F for the remainder of your cooking time. Place the roast in the indirect zone, close the grill, and cook until the internal temperature reads 150 to 155°F, about 90 minutes total. Rotate the roast 180 degrees about 45 minutes through for even cooking.
Tips for using the Kalamazoo Hybrid Fire Grill
We prepared this roast using a wood fire on the K750 Hybrid. First, remove one of the three grill grates from the grill. Slide the remaining two grill grates to the center, leaving the left and right ends of the grilling area open. Place two split pieces of firewood in the drawer, one through each of the two openings. Fire up the grill with the left and right Dragon Burners on HIGH, and the ignition burner (across the front of the grill) on LOW. The center Dragon Burner will remain OFF. Preheat the grill with the lid open until the wood begins to catch and smoke. Turn the left and right Dragon Burners to LOW, and close the hood to preheat the grill for 10 minutes. Place the roast, aligned front-to-back along the seam between the two grill grates, centered between the two fires. Close the lid, adjust the top damper to halfway open, and monitor the temperature closely. If the wood fire is burning too hot, open the lid occasionally to let the heat escape, and turn off one or both Dragon Burners as needed. Keep the ignition burner ON in case you need to reignite.
Once cooked, remove the roast from the grill, cover loosely with foil, and let it rest. The final internal temperature should coast up to 160°F, which is the temperature we recommend for any rolled roast.
While the roast is resting, prepare the vermouth sauce. Reduce the vermouth to 1/2 cup in a wide pan over medium heat. This takes about 10 minutes. Stir in cream and mustard, then remove from the heat.
Slice the roast for serving, and drizzle with a little of the sauce. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.
Watch as Kalamazoo Grillmaster Russ Faulk roasts this pork loin to perfection on our first episode of our Food+Fire series.