Introduction: OVEN ROASTED PORK WITH APPLES, PEARS, PINEAPPLE, AND ONIONS

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About: I am a 82-year-old self-proclaimed Chef who has spent most of his life in the hotel/resort tourism industry. I have traveled up and down the east coast of the United States from New York to Key West, and from …

1st marinated for several hours in a mixture of hard apple cider, spices, and herbs ; then topped with light brown sugar and roasted in the oven with slices of apples pear, red onion and chunks of fresh pineapple slices of roast pork are then served with a sauce made from the pan drippings flavored with Grandma's molasses!

Step 1: INGREDIENTS: (for 10 to 12 Servings)

  1. 1 (3 to 3-1/2 pound) Boneless Pork Butt
  2. 1 Granny Smith Green Apple
  3. 1 Red Anjou Pear
  4. 1 thick slice fresh pineapple (you can probably substituted drained canned pineapple)
  5. 1/2 large red onion
  6. 1 bottle (12 ounces) Angry Orchard Hard Cider (or any good hard cider)
  7. 1 TBS fresh Rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  8. 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  9. 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  10. 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  11. 1/3 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
  12. 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Salt Sense with Iodine (or kosher or sea salt)
  13. 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  14. 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
  15. 3 TBS light brown sugar
  16. 2 TBS all ;purpose flour
  17. 3 TBS Grandma's Molasses

Step 2: PREPARATION:

Prepare the marinade and marinate the pork:

  • Rinse the pork roast under running water, then pat dry. Remove any excess fat (but leave a nice layer of fat on the top).
  • Puncture the pork butt several times on each side with a big kitchen fork, then place the pork in a large ziplock bag.
  • Add the hard apple cider to a blender.
  • Combine the herbs (rosemary, thyme, marjoram, ground cloves and nutmeg, and S&P). and add them to the blender.
  • Briefly mix the ingredients together (keep the blender speed low since the cider will foam) (If you have a spice grinder you can simply grind the herbs and spices and add them to the apple cider).
  • Pour the marinade over the pork and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours (I marinated this pork butt for 5 hours)!

While the pork is marinating you can, at your leisure, prepare the fruits and vegetables. However, bare in mind that once cut, the apple and pear slices will begin to turn brown so you might want to wait until you are actually almost ready to remove the pork from the marinade and roast it.

Prepare the fruit and onion:

  1. Core the green apple (or cut it into 8 slices and remove the seeds - (no need to peel it unless you want to).
  2. Cut the pear into 8 slices, removing the core and seeds as you do so; also no need to peel.
  3. If using fresh ;pineapple, remove the center core and any outer skin, then cut into big chunks.
  4. Slice the red onion into 6 slices (more or less)

Step 3: INSTRUCTIONS:

When you are ready to roast the pork, remove the pork butt from the marinade (reserve the marinade; you will need it to baste the pork roast, and to make the sauce). Dry the pork butt with paper towels and set it aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place a non-stick frying pan large enough to hold the roast on a burner and heat the pan over medium heat.

  1. When the pan is hot, add the 2 TBS of EVOO and quickly place the pork butt into the hot oil (it will splatter)! Rotate the pork, browning each side, including the ends, for a minute or two per side, or until nicely browned.
  2. Place the browned pork butt, fat side up, on a rack and place the rack in a baking pan (you really want to keep the bottom of the pork loin about 2-inches above the bottom of the pan since you are going to add the marinade and you do not want the pork to sit in the marinade while roasting).
  3. Place the slices of fruit and onion on the rack, around the pork butt, and ;pour the marinade over it all.
  4. Sprinkle the 3 TBS of brown sugar over the top of the roast and place the pan in preheated oven.
  5. Roast for about 2 hours, or until the internal temperature of the roast reaches approximately 155 degrees F (this will produce slices of pork that are just slightly pink in the center). After the pork has roasted for about 30 minutes, baste it with the pan juices and continue to baste every 30 minutes or so.
  6. When the pork is done, remove the pan from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes while you make the sauce (see next step).

Step 4: PREPARE THE SAUCE:

  1. While the pork is resting, place a medium-sized sauce pan on the stove and add the 2 TBS of flour.
  2. Very carefully pour the pan drippings from the roasting pan into the flour and whisk to blend. Stir in the 3 TBS of molasses and bring the mixture to a boil.
  3. Lower the heat and simmer for a minute or 2 (just until the sauce begins to thicken); then remove the pan from the heat.

Step 5: TIME TO EAT . . .

I had some raw vegetables left over from St. Patrick's Day; 2 small red potatoes, 1 carrot and 2 small parsnips. So - while the pork was roasting I sliced them up; placed them in a small oven-proof dish, and added a few cloves of garlic, some olive oil and a little S&P. then I placed them in the oven next to the roast about 45 minutes before the roast was done.

Who could ask for more? Slices of roast ;pork with apples, pears, pineapple served with a *really great sauce and a side of roasted vegetables

*This sauce would be a great compliment to baked ham or roast chicken, duck, or turkey (maybe even lamb)!

Bon Appetit

Step 6: NUTRITION:

I have estimated the nutritional value of this recipe to the best of my ability using the MyFitnessPal Recipe Analyzer. Since I started out with a 3 lb pork butt (48 ounces of meat) and suggest that it creates 10 servings (of roughly 4.8 ounces each) I honestly feel that one person actually consumes more than 462 calories per plate!