Passport & Plate - Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin
USA | Friday, March 14, 2014 | 5 photos
Ingredients:
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp honey
3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
3 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
4 cloves finely grated garlic (or enough to moisten all of the herbs)
1 pork tenderloin (2-4 lbs.)
Salt and black pepper to taste
10-12 slices thick-cut bacon
Olive oil, as needed
Recommended Instruments [and Substitutes]:
Oven
Plastic wrap [substitute: wax paper or foil]
Cutting board
Grater [substitute: knife and really good cutting skills]
Mixing bowls
Whisk [substitute: fork]
Cast iron skillet [substitute: frying pan for searing, and baking dish for roasting]
Open window [substitute: plastic bag-covered smoke detector]
BBQ tongs [substitute: frying spatula(s), forks, and courage to get close to sizzling bacon]
Pastry brush [substitute: spoon]
Sharp knives
Serving plates, knives, and forks
How to prepare this recipe
[Recipe adapted from Chef Fabio Viviani]
Preheat oven to 350 F. Let the warm light remind you the world may be a cold place, but solace can be sought in friends’ homes.
Place a sheet or two of plastic wrap, wax paper, or foil on a work surface.
Whisk together vinegar and honey and set aside. Taste to foreshadow how delicious this slab of meat wrapped in meat will be.
Mix garlic, oregano, and rosemary. Use your hands to coat herbs in beautifully pungent garlic paste juice.
Coat pork loin with the garlic-herb paste and season with salt and pepper. Rubbing the loin will make anyone in the room uncomfortable, so stay strong.
Place pork loin at the end of the plastic wrap, and overlap bacon slices along its length. You should have what resembles a meat-lovers’ flag.
Use plastic like a sushi mat to wrap bacon around pork loin, like your friends wrapping their loving arms around you. Discard plastic wrap.
Drizzle olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat until rippling with anticipation.
Place the pork roll seam-side down in the skillet. Sear until bacon is browned, about 4 minutes, sealing the wrap. Carefully turn the roll with any tong-like utensils you have, and sear each side for about 4 minutes. Things may get smoky; open a window, or cover your smoke detector.
Remove the skillet from heat and dispose of grease into a container, not your sink. The best cooks avoid clogged drains.
Coat the pork roll with the honey-balsamic glaze. Use a pastry brush or spoon to coat glaze back onto the pork roll. Inhale intoxicating aroma.
Roast pork roll in the oven for 15 minutes, reglazing every 5 minutes. Slice halfway into the pork at its thickest section, and roast for another 5 minutes if you see uncooked pink gelatinous areas. Remove pork roll from pan, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Using a sharp knife, cut the pork roll into 1-inch slices you’d like to share. If any.
Serve immediately with pan glaze, arugula salad, and polenta.
Taste success wrapped in love.
The story behind this recipe
My phone buzzed with a new text, lighting my bedroom: Wanna make bacon wrapped pork loin?
Staying in my pajamas, I met Pam and Rachael in Zofia’s kitchen. My friends stepped back from the disheveled, red-eyed, and droopy-lidded golem standing before them. They knew enough to not ask three things: “How’s the job search?”, “How’d the date go?”, and “Are you okay?”
Instead, I was told to grate garlic and mince herbs. Looking at the ingredients, I knew I would ruin this one job.
I saw food as a source of energy, fuel for a direction-less machine who took out frustration with unemployment and dating in the weight room.
As I grated garlic, Rachael broke the silence.
“You know, you're going to be okay.”
I didn’t look up from the grater. Pam continued.
“It sucks, being where you are now. But we know it’ll work out.”
Unresponsive, I clumsily chopped herbs.
“This is only temporary,” Zofia said, “Everything will come. Just give it time.”
We later sat on her stoop, wine in mason jars and pork plated on our laps. Taking the first bite, I paused at the tenderness of the meat, the crunch of the bacon, the kick of the garlic, and the sweetness of the balsamic glaze.
Nothing I cooked alone ever tasted this good.
“You guys,” I stuttered, “This is… Thank you.”
That first dish would launch the first of many cooking nights; in between emulsification, caramelization, and deglazing techniques, we talked about job application approaches. Countless heart-to-hearts about failed dating stories became ritual topics over roasted vegetables, Korean bbq, and sweet potato cheesecake.
Cooking and eating food helped me escape, transporting me to places I had never been; recipes were my maps, and friends were my tour guides on an epicurean journey to self-improvement.
Months later, opening my bacon wrapped pork loin lunch at work, I would be asked over and over, “That looks so gourmet, what does it taste like?”
I’d smile, knowing every bite tasted a lot like life getting better.
