Anyone out there a Brady Bunch fan? This week for Sunday dinner I thought I would make an kicked up version of a classic pairing….Pork Chops and Applesauce. There’s something nostalgic about this combination (all Brady Bunch kidding aside)….I have memories of my Grandma Peggy making applesauce using golden and red delicious apples from the orchard bordering our property in Wenatchee, and letting it cool in the frigid air atop the woodpile on the front porch. It’s comforting and makes my heart happy.
This version uses a pork loin, butterflied…..so if your aren’t comfortable butterflying out a roast, your local service butcher (think Fred Meyer/Yoke’s/Rosauer’s/Sonnenberg’s) will more than likely be happy to do it for you at your request. However, it isn’t something be shy away from if you’re up to trying a new skill! There’s a ton of videos on the inter webs as far as tutorials go, but the simplest way I have found is to make one cut lengthwise, then another cut at the base of each side to finish filleting it open. If there are some thicker bits that look not so hot, or make it hard to roll, just cover with plastic wrap or parchment paper and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to gently smack them flatter.
Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
2lbs-ish pork loin, butterflied and pounded as evenly as possible.
2 c. cubed bread stuffing—dealer’s choice on this one, folks
1 c. chicken stock
1 medium shallot, diced
2 celery stalks, cleaned and diced
1 medium Honeycrisp or golden delicious apple, cored and diced
4 strips bacon, cooked and diced
1 c. toasted chopped pecans
1 TBSP each:
fresh thyme
fresh sage
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
butcher’s twine
EVOO
For the Glaze:
1 TBSP fig preserves
2 TBSP Dijon Mustard
1/3 c. organic real maple syrup
THE Step—Mix these all together in a microwave safe bowl….nuke for 30 seconds and stir well.
Instructions:
Step 1—In a large skillet, sauté shallot, celery, and apple over medium heat until shallot begins to turn transparent. Add bacon, pecans, stuffing mix, herbs, and stock, stirring to mix well and allow the stuffing to hydrate. TASTE YO FOOD FOR SEASONING!!! Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Step 2—Lay butterflied pork loin out flat, and arrange the stuffing mix in one flat layer. YOU WANT THIS COMPACT, as to help with rolling the roulade.
Step 3—Begin rolling nice and tightly, until you reach the end. Using the butcher’s twine, truss your roulade so that it can be cooked without falling apart.
Wrapped, Rolled, and Ready for the Traeger!
Step 4—I first smoked this baby on the Traeger for 2 hours at 225, then finished it at 300 for about another hour. (OVEN—325 for 2 hours or until your internal temp reaches 155)
Step 5—Once pork loin temps correctly, glaze generously with the fig, maple, dijon glaze, and allow it to rest on the Traeger until the cool down cycle is complete, or 15 minutes.
Step 6—Slice with a nice sharp knife and serve with your favorite sides!
For our meal, I served roasted sweet potatoes that were glazed with fig/dijon/maple and garlic roasted green beans.