Bacon Pear and Blue Cheese Stuffed Pork Loin
This Bacon Pear and Blue Cheese Stuffed Pork Loin is a simple, yet impressive and flavorful recipe! A butterflied pork loin is stuffed with fresh pear, bacon, raisins, pecans and blue cheese. Tied and stuffed with fresh rosemary and thyme before roasting. Serve with cranberry sauce!
Ingredients
- 5 pound boneless center cut pork loin
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- black pepper freshly ground
- 4 slices thick-cut applewood bacon cooked until crispy and chopped
- 1 tablespoon reserved bacon fat
- 1 large shallot finely diced
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup broth
- 1 large anjou pear cored and diced
- 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 4 short sprigs rosemary
- kitchen string
FOR SERVING:
Instructions
- Spray your roasting rack with olive oil spray and place it into your roasting pan. Then preheat your oven to 450℉ (or 230℃).
- Add 1 tablespoon (reserved from cooking the bacon) bacon fat into a small skillet with the shallot and a pinch of kosher salt. Heat over medium-low, stirring occasionally until soft and translucent. About 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile combine plain breadcrumbs with low-sodium chicken broth. Stir and give it a few minutes so that the breadcrumbs can absorb the broth.
- Then, to the bowl with the breadcrumbs add; the chopped cooked bacon, sautéed shallot, diced anjou pear, blue cheese, chopped pecans and raisins. Season with a generous pinch of kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper.
- Butterfly your pork loin and drizzle with with olive oil before seasoning with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon the stuffing onto the pork loin and spread it evenly.
- Roll and tie tightly with kitchen string. Tuck sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary along under the kitchen string along the seam. Season the top with kosher salt and black pepper and herbs that fell off when tucking them into the string.
- Place your stuffed pork loin onto the rack set into your roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes at 450° and then reduce the oven temperature to 325℉ (or 160℃) and continue cooking until the temperature of the thickest part of the meat reaches 145-150℉ (or 60-65℃). You’ll need roughly 20 minutes of cooking time per pound of meat.
- Before serving, transfer to a carving board and tent with foil. Allow it to rest 10 to 12 minutes before snipping the string (and discarding the herbs) the string and slicing.
- Serve with cranberry sauce and desired sides.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 222mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g