Serves: 5
The most important matter in cooking pork well is not to overcook. Many old cookbooks recommend cooking roasts to an internal temperature of 180°F. It was important that pork be very well done at a time when the meat was marbled with fat and carried the danger of trichinosis. But today's pork is extremely lean, and bacteria are eradicated at 140°F, so lean pork cuts such as the loin and tenderloin will be rosy pink, juicy, and safe to eat at 150°F. Pork shoulder, butt, and leg, which are fattier and have more connective tissue, can be cooked longer to reach a temperature of 165°F, as can suckling pig. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat away from the bone can be used to test the internal temperature of large cuts of meat. Let roasts rest about 10 minutes after cooking them and the temperature will rise another 5 degrees or so.
I have adapted many traditional recipes to accommodate the type of lean pork and the cuts now available in the United States. Pork loin today is usually sold boneless, with the tenderloin removed and sold separately. For a bone-in pork loin, you will most likely have to place a special order with the butcher. The tenderloin is excellent for roasting, grilling, and broiling. For braising, I suggest pork butt, which is fattier and has more connective tissue, so it is better able to withstand long, slow cooking.
Brining or soaking the meat in a salt-water solution is another method used by some cooks today to ensure moist pork, but it is time-consuming, and I prefer not to add all that salt.
From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This _* Pork Tenderloins and Roasts recipe is from the Cook'n in Italy Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.
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