Apple-stuffed Pork Loin with Cider Sauce
Serves 6-8
12” dutch oven
For the stuffing:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil 1 ½ Cups Chopped red Delicious apple
1 cup chopped yellow onion 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped dried apples or
½ cup finely chopped dried apricots ¼ cup raisins
¼ teaspoon dried thyme salt and pepper to taste
½ cup apple cider
1 boneless pork loin, 2 ½ lbs
¼ tsp dried thyme salt and pepper to taste
1 cup apple cider, plus more as needed 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Directions:
To make the stuffing, in a 12” dutch oven warm the olive oil. Add and apple and onion and saute until golden, about 5 minutes. (Use about 16 coals on bottom). Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the dried apples or apricots, raisins and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Add the apple cider and boil, (may need to add more briquets) stirring occasionally, until the cider is absorbed by the stuffing, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Cut the pork loin down the length, but do not cut all the way through, leaving a 2 inch area on each end uncut. Sprinkle with Salt and pepper and spoon the stuffing evenly onto the meat. Close up the loin and, using kitchen string cut into 18” pieces, tie at even intervals so it assumes its original shape. Push in any stuffing that escapes from the ends. Sprinkle the surface with the thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Place the loin in the dutch oven and add ½ cup if the cider to the pan.
Cook the loin for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Baste with the pan juices and add the remaining ½ cup cider to the pan. Continue to cook, basting at least twice with the pan juices at regular intervals, until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees, about 45 minutes more.
Transfer the loin to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil. Scrape the pan bottom to dislodge any remaining bits, then pour the pan juices into a measuring pitcher and add additional cider as needed to measure 1 ½ cups total. Pour ¼ cup pan juices into dutch oven and the cornstarch and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Then add the remaining pan juices, Bring to a boil over medium heat, about 12 – 14 briquettes and cook, stirring, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Pour the sauce into a small container.
Cut the loin into slices and arrange on a warmed platter. Serve the hot cider sauce on the side.
It is really good to serve with parsleyed carrots.
Parsleyed Carrots
10” dutch oven
350 degrees
1 – 2 lb bag baby carrots, or 8 large carrots, peeled, cut and quartered
½ cup water
½ cup butter
2 Tablespoons parsley flakes
Put all in a 10” dutch oven, and cook with 8-10 coals on bottom and 14-16 coals on top, for about 1 ½ hours until carrots are tender.
Applesauce Cake
Cake:
3 cups sugar
1 ½ Cups butter, softened
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 ½ tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves (Grandma’s Country)
1 ½ Tbs. cocoa powder
¼ cup cold water
3 tsp. baking soda
3 cups applesauce
6 cups all purpose flour (Deseret Mills)
1 ½ cups raisins
1 ½ cup coarse chopped nuts
Directions:
In a large bowl cream together sugar, butter, and salt. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cocoa powder; cream well. Stir soda into cold water then add to applesauce. Mix applesauce then flour into wet ingredients. Stir in raisins and nuts.
Grease and flour the bottom and sides of a 12” dutch oven. Pour batter into dutch oven and spread evenly to sides. Bake using 8-10 briquettes on bottom and 14 -16 briquettes on tope for 60-90 minutes or until knife or toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. For best results rotate oven and lid 90 degrees in opposite directions every 15 minutes while baking. Allow cake to cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert cake onto a cooling rack and finish cooling. Cut cake in half horizontally. Separate halves.
Frosting:
8 oz. brick cream cheese; softened
½ cup butter; room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Cream together all ingredients until lumps are all gone and frosting is smooth.
Assemble Cake:
Set 1 cake layer on a plate cut side up. Spread frosting across the top of cake half. Top with second cake layer, cut side down. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting.
Serves 12-15
Sweet Rosemary (Lavender) Rolls
Dough:
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 Tablespoons Rosemary or Lavender, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
2 tsp. salt
2 ¼ cups warm water, (120 degrees)
½ cup honey
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 – 4 cups white bread flour
cornmeal
Glaze:
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons warm water
In a mixing bowl add whole wheat flour, rosemary, yeast and salt. Stir to mix. Add warm water, honey, and olive oil; mix well. Stir in white bread flour 1 cup at a time until a soft dough is formed.
Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes, adding flour as necessary, until dough is smooth and elastic. Set dough in a lightly oiled bowl then turn dough over so the top has a light coating of oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a hot towel and set in a warm place free from drafts to raise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Lightly grease a 12-inch dutch oven, then dust bottom of dutch oven with cornmeal.
Place raised dough on a lightly floured board and punch down. Cut dough into 13 pieces. Form pieces into balls and place them in prepared dutch oven, 8 around the outside edge, 4 in an inner circle, and 1 in the center. Place lid on dutch oven and let raise for 30 minutes.
In a small cup or bowl combine honey with water and stir until honey is dissolved. Brush rolls lightly with glaze then bake using 10-12 briquettes bottom and 18-20 briquettes on top for 20-25 minutes until rolls are golden brown. To ensure even browning make sure to rotate the oven and lid in opposite directions every 5-10 minutes.
I hope you will try these recipes and really enjoy them. These come from a great page, called Byron's dutch oven recipes. I have not been brave enough to try coming up with my own recipes yet.
Jennifer and Stephen were on a team together and they took 5th place. They did Barbeque Ribs, Featherlight Rolls, and Stephen's favorite cherry chocolate cake. I am going to post their recipes here. I hope you will try them and enjoy them.
Feather Light Rolls
12” Dutch oven
1 Tablespoon SAF instant yeast
¼ cup instant milk powder
1 ¼ cups warm water
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
3 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. Salt
1-2 pkgs. Ranch Dressing mix
1/3 - 1/2 stick butter, melted
In a large bowl add 2 ½ cups flour, yeast, ranch dressing and sugar and mix. Then add warm water (115 degrees), eggs, and vegetable oil. Mix these together for a full minute. Slowly add the salt and the remaining flour until dough is soft. (You may need a bit more or less flour). Knead the dough for 5 minutes. Put the dough in a greased bowl, and roll the dough around so it is all coated with oil. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a hot towel (run the towel under hot water), and let rise until double in size, about 30 minutes.
Melt butter in a dutch oven. After the dough has risen, drop the dough ball on an oiled, clean flat area. Oil or butter your hands and shape the dough into a round ball. Squeeze out a 1 ½ “ – 2” piece of dough and form into a ball. Put each roll into the bottom of the dutch oven and roll around in the butter to cover all sides. Set the roll seam side down leaving a nice rounded side on top. Arrange the rolls so they touch each other. Cover the dutch oven with the lid, and let the rolls rise until double.
Put dutch oven on coals (8-10) and then about 16-18 on top. Allow to bake. It can take anywhere from 25 – 40 minutes for the rolls to cook.
These rolls are great served with honey butter.
Honey Butter
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup Miller’s honey
Put your butter in a bowl. Whip the butter until it is light and fluffy. Then slowly add the honey and whip together, until all is mixed.
Enjoy!!
Barbequed Ribs
1 family pack ribs (bone in or boneless)
Sea salt (to taste)
Lemon Pepper (to taste)
Put the ribs in a 12” or 14” dutch oven. Cook with 16-18 coals on top and 9-10 coals on bottom for 60 – 90 minutes. After 45 minutes, baste with barbeque sauce.
Favorite barbeque sauce
1 ½ cups ketchup 1 tsp. Salt
1 cup white vinegar 1 tsp. Garlic powder
½ cup balsamic vinegar 1 tsp. Onion powder
¾ cup molasses ¼ cup salsa
¾ cup honey
In a 10” dutch oven, combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth. Cook using 14 – 16 briquettes on bottom until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce briquettes on bottom to 10 and let simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.
Yield: About 4 cups
For some reason I can't get the dessert for this one to post. I do hope you will enjoy the other recipes that I posted though.
Dutch oven cooking is a lot of fun. I have found that the cooks who go to these cook-offs, are really friendly, and they seem to enjoy helping others learn. I noticed at this competition that some of us forgot things, but other teams were willing to lend what they could to others. All are really willing to share knowledge as well as ingredients.
Enjoy your adventures with dutch oven cooking.
