Each year for Christmas dinner, I like to pull out all the stops and cook a meal that will be remembered as delicious, indulgent, and most importantly a huge celebration of the Holiday. In past years, prime rib often took the center stage for Christmas dinner, providing a satisfying and reliable performance, while happily leaving both Mr. B and I in a beef induced haze until New Year’s Day. This Christmas my family joined us at the table, and I wanted to move beyond the reliable into something new but equally as special.
Earlier in 2008, I stumbled across pork chops from the incredible 100% Kurobuta Berkshire pork of Heritage Pork International. It was the best pork I have ever tasted. Sweet, moist, and sophisticated, to me the flavor truly captured the essence of pork.
Intrigued, I looked up the company and learned that Heritage Pork International is based in Iowa. The company works directly with farmers to ensure that each hog sent to their facility has an identification number and pedigree, guaranteeing a pure Berkshire hog. They process just over 200 hogs per week, and fortunately for home cooks like me, will ship the freshly butchered pork direct. However, it gets even better- the prices are half of what you would pay through a well known company such as Dean and Deluca for the same cut.
Then Gourmet printed a recipe for Pork Roast with Winter Fruits and Port Sauce, inspiration hit and Christmas dinner was set. I ordered an eight bone loin rack roast and literally did a little jig when the box arrived. Inside was the most beautiful pork roast I have ever seen. A thick blanket of snowy white fat wrapped around the tender pink center, which was neatly divided by eight thick rib bones. Some pig!
The pork has landed.
It almost looks like red meat doesn’t it?
I followed the recipe exactly, filling the roast on Christmas Eve with a stuffing made from apples, apricots, prunes, shallots, and other ingredients cooked gently in port. The only step skipped was wrapping the roast in bacon, as the thick outer layer of fat on the roast left no need for bacon to keep the meat moist. The final result? Fantastic. The roast was beautiful, delicious, and will be the source of happy Christmas dinner memories throughout the year.
Preparing the stuffing
Creating a center pocket in the roast for stuffing
Hot out of the oven and resting for a bit
Quick shot before delivering to an eager table
Berkshire Pork Roast with Winter Fruits and Port Sauce
Gourmet Magazine, 2008 (serves 
Ingredients:
For stuffing:
1/4 pound California dried apricots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 pound pitted prunes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2/3 cup ruby Port
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
3/4 stick unsalted butter
1 tart apple such as Granny Smith, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
For roast:
1 (6-pound) bone-in pork loin roast (8-10 ribs), at room temperature 1 hour
9 or 10 bacon slices (omit these if using Heritage Berkshire Pork)
For port sauce:
1/2 cup ruby Port
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups water, divided
2 teaspoons arrowroot
Directions:
Make stuffing:
Simmer apricots, prunes, and Port in a small heavy saucepan, covered, 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.
Cook onion and shallot in butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add apple and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until apple is just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in apricot mixture and cool.
Stuff and roast pork:
Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in middle.
Make a pocket in center of roast by making a horizontal 1 1/2-inch-wide cut into 1 end of roast with a long thin knife, repeating from opposite end so pocket runs all the way through. Then make a vertical cut through center (forming a cross) to widen pocket. Push about 1 cup stuffing into pocket using a long-handled wooden spoon (you may need to stuff from both sides if roast is long). Reserve remaining stuffing for sauce.
Season roast with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and put in a large flameproof roasting pan. Wrap with bacon, between rib bones, tucking ends under roast. Roast pork 20 minutes, then reduce oven to 325°F and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted 2 inches into center of roast (do not touch bone or stuffing) registers 155°F, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours total.
Transfer roast to a cutting board, reserving pan, and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 15 to 20 minutes. (Temperature of meat will rise to about 160°F; meat will be slightly pink.)
Make sauce:
Skim fat from pan drippings and reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons fat. Straddle pan across 2 burners and add Port to drippings, then deglaze pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Strain pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids.
Cook shallot in reserved fat in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in pan juices, 1 1/4 cups water, and reserved fruit stuffing and bring to a simmer. Whisk together arrowroot and remaining 1/4 cup water until smooth, then whisk into sauce with any juices from cutting board.
Simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Carve roast into chops by cutting between ribs, then serve with sauce.
Cooks’ notes:
- Stuffing can be made 2 days ahead and chilled.
- Uncooked roast improves in flavor if stuffed, seasoned, and wrapped with bacon 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before roasting.
