Monday, October 5, 2009

Spinach and Basil Stuffed Boneless Pork Rib Roast

All measurements are approximate, I didn't measure anything I'm afraid.

3 lb boneless pork rib roast
3 tbls bread crumbs
2 tbls chopped parsley
2 tbls chopped basil
1/2 cup chopped spinach
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup roughly chopped onion
dried rosemary
garlic powder
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Cut a pocket in the roast. Mix together the bread crumbs, basil, parsley and spinach. Season it with a little salt and pepper. Stuff the spinach mixture into the roast and then either tie it up or use a skewer to keep it closed. Rub the roast with rosemary, garlic powder, olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the roast in a shallow pan, preferably one that has a lid, and surround it with the onions. Put it in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until it starts to brown. Remove it and add the broth. Add a couple tsps of rosemary and some pepper to the broth, cover it tightly and return it to the oven. Cook for another hour or so, until done how you want it. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before carving. Separate the fat from the braising liquid and spoon it over the carved roast.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My girlfriend went to the store the other day to grab some ribs. They didn't have any. Her response: Wtf, where're the ribs? But, no ribs. So she grabbed a boneless rib roast instead. I'd never made one before, so a little research was required. I found out it's from the rib section of the loin, so it's a lot like a center cut roast but with more marbling. Score. Unfortunately I don't have any prep shots, it was kind of spur of the moment and at night. I hate taking pictures at night. I did get some finished pics though, thanks to the magic of leftovers.So, this was my first stuffed roast. It came out pretty well, if I do say so myself. I could have done a better job on the pocket, but if it had been bigger (or neater) I would have needed more stuffing than I had made. So it all worked out. Heh.What I did was just cut a three inch hole in the side of the roast, stick the knife in almost to the other end and kind of wiggle it around till there was a pocket. I've seen people on TV do it a million times. But like so many other things people do on TV, it's not quite so easy to do at home.

Not that this was a fail, it was quite good. The stuffing was flavorful, the pork was moist (yay marbling) and the braising liquid made a fine sauce. Since I didn't get any prep shots I'm not going to bother going over the whole method, I'll save that for another post when I do have some. Hm, I've been wanting to do an apple stuffed pork loin for a long time, but haven't ever gotten around to it. After using the rib roast, I will probably use that instead of the center cut from now on. It didn't dry out so easily. Heh. So, anyone have tips or tricks for stuffing a roast? How about favorite ingredients?

23 comments:

  1. Bob, first ...can you have an electric grill on your deck?

    If not, when i was in college, I spent three years with just a walk to the patch of grass, and an hibache when i got the jones on for grilling. had a lot of munchies in college (but it was the early 70's... lot of munchies everywhere before all the recreational stuff got too complicated... But I digress.

    And one tip on your pork loin (that is PERFECT looking BTW), You know that sharpening rod thing you use to sharpen your knifes. Once you stick your long thin knife through the loin, use that rod thing to expand the hole.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the idea of stuffing any kind of meat, especially pork. This look superb!

    ReplyDelete
  3. No prep shots needed..the finished product looks just perfect

    ReplyDelete
  4. i like to stuff mine with lots of garlic with some kind of sauce on the side. Looks good.

    ReplyDelete
  5. No ribs? Okay, that's totally weird. Anyway, for your first stuffed roast, that's a fantastic job! I've only made a stuffed pork roast once about 8 years ago. I think that I put a mix of bacon, fresh bread crumbs that I made in the oven, celery, and sage, then I roasted the whole thing with some chicken broth and apple juice.

    ReplyDelete
  6. looks awesome..I've made plenty of roasts, but I've never stuffed a roast.

    I would have to research how one makes the pocket...

    yum

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've never stuffed a roast. You did a great job!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This looks awesome, I can't believe it was your first effort! And I'm with you on the nighttime picture taking...I've had to fake a few shots the next day with leftovers. Anyhow, this looks incredible, and now that you know the method, you can do almost any stuffing imaginable.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Bet the apple filling with some sort of cheese (cheddar?) inside will be good too. Nice bite!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hard to believe it was your first time stuffing a roast, it looks just lovely. I like your choice of stuffing too, spinach/basil sounds terrific!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I think you did a great job on this roast. I typically stuff pork roasts with apricots and prunes - and use a long knife blade to create the hole. You can read about it on my blog post of http://ciaochowlinda.blogspot.com/2009/04/pork-loin-stuffed-with-prunes-and.html

    ReplyDelete
  12. oops. sorry I used the wrong ID/sign in on that last remark about the pork roast stuffed with apricots and prunes.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Beautiful job - it looks wonderful! Don't you love these spontaneous kitchen experiments?

    ReplyDelete
  14. No ribs?? That's because everyone else got there first! But I think this was a case of serendipity, because this is gorgeous. I think it looks perfect. And the sauce sounds perfect with it. BARVO!

    ReplyDelete
  15. The spinach stuffing looks delicious! Your pork rib roast looks very very yummy =)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Bravo..I think you are the only one who noticed that was Jack Skelington on my cookies!!!!
    Your my friend for life!!! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a treat with that delicious stuffing inside. I've never cooked one of these!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I REALLY need to start making more stuff like this. Any kind of stuffed meat is so impressive! I'm so excited I found your blog! I will be checking back often :)
    -Mini Baker

    ReplyDelete
  19. This looks great. Stuffing to a roast or meat makes it so over the top!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow, who even knew this was your first one? Great job and who cares about the during pics...it's the after that count I say!

    ReplyDelete
  21. It came out fantastic! Good work.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Apple stuffed would be awesome!! This looks great...awesome first round :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Mmmm.... LOVE meat stuffed with stuff! And pork is my FAVORITE!

    ReplyDelete

Ok, let's have a good clean chat. Keep it above the belt, no trolling, spamming or harassing other commenters. Don't make me moderate here people.

Thanks for all your comments. I try to answer any questions I'm asked, but if I miss yours feel free to email me.