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Recipe Detail Page
Chili-Rubbed Pork Loin Roast with Fresh Salsa
Summer 2019
Ancho chilli powder gives you deep spice without heat, making a crowd-pleasing rub for pork roast. You need a barbecue with two or more burners to cook on indirect heat (if not, you can roast this in the oven on a rack in a shallow roasting pan instead). If your barbecue doesn’t have an accurate thermometer built-in, put your oven thermometer (you do have one, don’t you?) on the grill beside the roast to check the temperature. Just lift the lid slightly to peek so you don’t let all of the heat out. A probe meat thermometer that you can insert into the meat and set the read-out screen beside the grill is a sure-fire way to keep tabs on how the roast is cooking, or if you’re high tech and fancy, buy that Bluetooth or infrared one you know you’ve been wanting.
Serves 4 with leftovers for 2 recipes
2 tbsp (30 mL) packed brown sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) ancho chilli powder
1 tbsp (15 mL) sweet paprika
2 tsp (10 mL) salt
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin
1 tsp (5 mL) freshly ground pepper
3 lbs (1.36 kg) boneless single pork loin roast, tied
FRESH SALSA
4 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
½ sweet yellow pepper, diced
¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped red onion
½ jalapeño pepper, minced
2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh lime juice
Salt
1 Combine brown sugar, ancho powder, paprika, salt, cumin and pepper in a small bowl. Place pork roast in a shallow dish and pat dry with a paper towel. Press spice mixture all over pork roast. Cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 1 day.
2 Preheat barbecue grill to medium-high.
3 Turn one side of barbecue off and turn another burner (s) to medium or the temperature required to maintain 325°F (160°C).
4 Place roast, fat-side up, over unlit side of the barbecue. Cover with lid and grill for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of pork reads 145°F (63°C) for medium, or to the desired doneness. Transfer pork to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
5 For the salsa, while the pork cooks, combine tomatoes, yellow pepper, onion, jalapeño, lime juice and salt to taste in a medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
6 Reserve one-third of the pork roast and half of the salsa for the Summer Chili Pork Rice Bowl (recipe below) and one-third of the pork for the Chili Pork & Egg Burgers (recipe below) or Quick Ideas (below).
7 Slice hot pork across the grain and serve with fresh salsa.
8 Let reserved pork roast cool, then wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Store salsa in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
More Quick Ideas
Cut leftover pork into thin strips, sauté strips of peppers, spoon it into tortillas with salsa and call it a fajita night. Dress-up storebought ramen soup with thin slices of leftover pork and fresh veggies.
Serves 4 with leftovers for 2 recipes
Summer Chili Pork Rice Bowl
Hot summer nights call for minimal cooking and lots of fresh produce. You can even make the rice ahead and serve it cold. Build these bowls, add a cold beverage, then move on out into the evening sun and savour your meal-prepping prowess.
¾ cup (175 mL) long-grain brown rice (or a brown and wild rice blend)
1 tbsp (15 mL) packed brown sugar
2 tbsp (30 mL) natural rice vinegar
2 tbsp (30 mL) soy sauce
1 to 2 tsp (5 to 10 mL) Sriracha
⅓ recipe Chili-Rubbed Pork Loin Roast
1 ½ cups (375 mL) cooked corn kernels
1 zucchini, shredded or spiralized
2 peaches, sliced
Reserved Fresh Salsa
1 Cook rice according to package directions, without adding salt.
2 Meanwhile, combine brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and Sriracha, to taste, in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Drizzle over cooked rice and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fold gently with a spatula. (Rice can be chilled in an airtight container for up to 2 days to serve cold.)
3 Thinly slice pork roast across the grain, then stack small piles of slices, and cut into thin strips.
4 Divide rice between individual large serving bowls (moisten as necessary with water if it’s cold). Arrange pork roast, corn, zucchini, peaches and salsa attractively on top.
Serves 4
Chili Pork & Egg Burgers
This is not a traditional ground-meat-patty-ona-bun kind of burger, but it is meat and it’s on a bun and it has all of the good burger garnish, plus there’s a fried egg, so let’s just be rebels and call it a burger. You’ll definitely call it delish. Add a side salad and call it dinner.
⅓ recipe Chili-Rubbed Pork Loin Roast
¼ cup (60 mL) mayonnaise, divided
4 onion buns or brioche hamburger buns, split
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
4 eggs
Ancho chilli powder
Salt
1 cup (250 mL) baby greens or 4 soft lettuce leaves
4 to 8 slices of tomato
2 dill pickles, sliced, or ¼ cup (60 mL) pickled hot pepper rings (or both)
1 Thinly slice pork roast across the grain and set aside.
2 Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the cut sides of the buns.
3 Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add buns with the mayonnaise-side down, in batches as necessary, and fry, pressing lightly, for about 1 to 2 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a cutting board and cover with a clean tea towel to keep warm.
4 Return skillet to medium heat, add pork slices, overlapping as necessary. Heat pork, turning once, for 1 for 2 minutes until warmed and lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
5 Add butter to the skillet and melt, swirling to coat. Crack each egg into the pan and sprinkle with ancho powder and salt to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low and fry just until browned around the edges and yolk starts to set, or to the desired doneness, flipping for over-easy or overhard if you like. Remove from heat.
6 Spread remaining mayonnaise on grilled buns. Build burgers, piling with greens, tomato slices, pork, pickles and fried egg.
Serves 4
