Every year when Thanksgiving approaches, my mind enters hyper mode as I fantasize about holiday food. I’m a traditionalist at Thanksgiving and I prefer some form of fowl with semi-traditional sides. I don’t mind a twist on the classic dishes, but I usually stick to the basics: stuffing or dressing, green beans, Brussels sprout, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
Christmas is a different ballgame. I gift my family with a gourmet dinner at Christmas and the meals I’ve made over the years run the gamut of menus. Lobster, beef wellington, pork crown roast, and turducken have all made appearances on our Christmas table. I do absolutely adore cooking at Christmas.
Because it’s such a big day, I make an effort to do a trial run if I’m making something new. I’ve had stuffed pork loin on my to do list for several months now and as I pondered this year’s Christmas meal, I developed this recipe as a contender.
I love stuffing things, especially meat. The trick to stuffing something like a pork loin roast is creating a uniform and flat surface. The images below demonstrate how to butterfly the roast.
A sharp knife is essential to butterflying a piece of meat. Start by cutting into one side of the roast at a 45 degree angle. Making small cuts, pull the meat away from the roast as you cut. Rotate the roast and continue the process. You’ll want the roast to ultimately be about 3/4 inch thick.
Spread the stuffing evenly over the flattened roast leaving a one inch border on two opposite sides. Begin rolling the roast as tightly as possible, tucking in any stuffing that sneaks out. Finish the roll with the seam on the bottom. Secure the roast by tying with six or seven strands of kitchen twine.
Start the cooking process in a very hot oven heated to 450 degrees for 15 minutes. The maple mustard glaze forms a delicious crust during this phase of cooking. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees for the remainder of cooking time. As I have mentioned before, I highly recommend using a meat thermometer to assure that your roast reaches the desired level of doneness. Cook to an internal temperature of 145 degrees and you’ll have a wonderfully moist and delicious holiday main course.
Ingredients
1 3 1/2 to 4 pound pork loin roast
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion
1 cup roughly chopped fennel bulb
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 links Italian chicken sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
3 cups cubed stale bread
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, separated
1 teaspoon black pepper, separated
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Butterfly pork roast (see photos above)
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, fennel, and garlic and saute for three to four minutes until onions are translucent. Add sausage to onion mixture and break up with a spatula. Continue cooking until sausage is browning.
4. Add parsley, thyme, cherries, bread, one teaspoon salt, one half teaspoon pepper, and chicken stock. Remove from heat and mix well.
5. Spread butterflied roast on a cutting board. Spoon stuffing over roast and spread evenly, leaving one inch border on two opposite ends. Starting at one end of the roast, roll away from you pressing firmly to create a tight roll. Continue rolling and end with the seam on the bottom. Secure by tying six or seven strands of kitchen twine around the roast.
6. Mix maple syrup, mustard, one half teaspoon salt, and one half teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Brush the mixture all over the roast. Place roast in a roasting pan and place in oven.
7. Cook roast at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
8. Slice roast and serve immediately.
https://southernboydishes.com/2013/11/19/stuffed-pork-loin-roast-with-sausage-cherries-and-fennel/
Bill Harris
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Hi there!
I am so excited that I came upon your website today while I was searching for something to possible cook for Christmas Eve Dinner. I considered having the local grocery store prepare it for me and then just bake… BUT… with your instructions I really think I can handle this!. I am not a terrific cook but I think I can handle this. I was wondering what you suggest serving with it? Any other tips? THANKS A BUNCH!!
I expect to have 10 adults and two younger kids. Should I make two, four pound roasts?
I’m so glad you found Southern Boy Dishes, Regina! Thanks for dropping by. I would suggest a potato dish, maybe Potatoes au Gratin. You can find it on the blog by doing a search. Also, I might consider steamed asparagus or green beans as a side. For 10 people and 2 kids, I would double the recipe. I don’t think one roast would be enough. Leftovers are always great! Hope you enjoy and have a Merry Christmas!
I am making these recipe for a group of friends. I would like to know if I am not able to find a Italian chicken sausage, what can I substitute it with? And, I think my friends are not very fond of fennel. What would it be a good substitute for fennel? Thank you very much. You are an amazing cook and human being. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. I’m so lucky I found you.
Your Pork Loin is absolutely beautiful. I did a lot of searching, and yours is by far the best looking stuffed pork loin out there! What a lovely presentation each slice makes, and the combinations of flavors you have incorporated sound delicious. I am excited that I will be making this dish for our family Christmas dinner this year. I am wondering if you have ever served the pork loin with a sauce or gravy. Of course, I would drizzle the sauce on the plate around the pork, to not take away from the swirl of colors in each slice. I will also be making mashed potatoes to accompany the pork, so I was considering making a sage-base sauce or light gravy to finish off the dish. The sauce I am looking at also has mustard and maple syrup which replicates the flavors in the sauce that you coat the pork with. What are your thoughts on this? Thank you!
Searched the internet for three hours and this is the first recipe of Stuffed Pork Loin that made my mouth water. My husband is allergic to cherries and doesn’t like cranberries. So will try just eliminating them. Hope it turns out. Any comment Bill? Thanks for sharing this recipe. WOW!
Thanks for dropping by, Vera! Apples or pears would make a great substitution for the cherries. I like a little sweetness in the dish, so I would recommend adding some fruit.
Fantastic recipe I am trying this tomorrow been looking for one and this one is very doable!
My partner and I are about to start preparing this! Serving this as the centerpiece to our Christmas dinner. I hope it turns out as beautiful as yours.
Thanks for checking out Southern Boy Dishes, Ricky! Let me know how it turns out. I made it for my family for Christmas as well.
I live in Costa Rica and the fresh cherries are very very expensive here and you cant even get dried ones. Can craisins be used. I can get those. Or let me know what other fruit I can use. How would raisins taste in the recipe? Also cannot get grain mustard here? Maybe Dijon? Please let me know what I can use as alternatives? Thank you so much. This looks delicious.
Hi Vikki, thanks for dropping by SBD. Yes, dried cranberries would be a perfect substitution for the cherries. I’ve done it both ways and they’re both delicious. To answer your second question, I think you could substitute Dijon mustard for the whole grain mustard and it would work just fine. Again, thanks for the visit and I hope you and your family have happy holidays!
Found you on Taste Spotting, and wanted to let you know we made this last night, and it was perfect! We were doing a test run for Christmas dinner, and will definitely be using this recipe. Thank you so much! Happy Holidays
Hi Leah. Thank you so much for letting me know. I always appreciate feedback for my recipes! I’m so glad it worked out for you and I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas! BTW, I’m considering this for our Christmas dinner as well! 🙂 Thanks again for dropping by Southern Boy Dishes!
Has anyone every called you a perfectionist? Well, the perfection of this stuffed pork solidifies that yes – you are a perfectionist! This is a beautiful meal. I bet you blow your guests away with presentation and taste. Love that stuffing! thanks for the inspiration Bill!!!
Hold the Fort – I’m sticking o a stamp on myself and jumping in a postbox – I should be there for dinner some time around 2078… do you think it will keep that long? The pork looks like heaven, Bill. H.E.A.V.E.N. 😉
Gorgeous job with this! I make pork roast all the time, but rarely stuff it. I should – I’ve been missing out. This is wonderful – thanks.
That is some gorgeous roast. I can’t wait for holidays to pull out some these great stuffing ideas.
pinning.
This is an absolutely beautiful pork roast. I have made a few stuffed pork loins and appreciate your how to photos. I am enjoying your blog. New visitor here.
What a gorgeous stuffed pork and your step-by-step directions are fantastic. You’ve demystified the entire process Bill. Thanks!
Sam
Gorgeous! Whenever I stuff a pork loin, it always falls apart upon slicing. I’ll have to use your tips next time.
I am differently going to try this we love pork
Best pork roast I’ve seen in ages. Love everything about it. Pinned and will be sharing on my facebook page. Yum!!