Cold winter temperatures are no reason to close up your outdoor wood pizza oven. There is a huge variety of breads, roasts, and delicious roasted vegetables to make in your oven all winter-long. Plus the warmth of the fire is a great reason to spend some time outdoors even on the chilliest winter day. Try out this roast pork loin for a perfect Sunday dinner, holiday meal, or just anytime you’re feeling like an extra comforting, cosy meal.
Roast Pork Loin with Roast Vegetables
Ingredients
- 2kg pork loin roasting joint, on the bone
- ½ Carrots, cut in large chunks
- ½ kg Parsnips, cut in large chunks
- 2 large apples (such as Golden Delicious or Granny Smith), cut in large chunks
- 2 large onions, cut in large chunks
- 1kg baby potatoes (whole)
- Olive Oil
- 5 crushed garlic cloves
- 3-4 sprigs rosemary
- Sea salt
- Fresh-ground black pepper
Method:
1. Pre-heat your wood fire pizza oven for about 2 hours until the canopy is evenly heated to about 200°C. Place chopped parsnips, apples, carrots, and onions into a tray. Pour water into the tray until the vegetables and apples are about half covered. Throughout the cooking process, keep an eye on this tray and add more water if it evaporates and becomes too dry. If you’d like to make a gravy from the pan drippings later, ensure that there is enough liquid in the bottom of the pan at the end of the cooking process for this purpose.
Also Read This: Why the Double-Sided Kobok 970 Tunnel by Maison Fireplaces is So Special
2. Season the pork loin with black pepper and sea salt. Place the pork onto a cooking rack above the vegetables and push both the tray and rack to the back of the oven.
3. Coat the baby potatoes in olive oil. Sprinkle sea salt and black pepper over top. Gently bruise the garlic cloves on the side of a wide knife and scatter amongst the potatoes. Add the sprigs of rosemary among the potatoes as well. Add the tray of potatoes to the oven next to the pork loin and vegetable tray. If desired, you can take the drippings from the vegetable pan and reduce them in a sauce pot to create a gravy.
4. Roast the pork for about 45 minutes, then pull it out of the oven to check the crackling. If it’s nice and golden brown and crispy, cover the roast with tinfoil to prevent the crackling from burning during the remainder of the cook time.
5. After covering your pork in foil, check the pork about every 30 minutes. It will take around 1.5 to 2 hours to finish cooking depending on the thickness of the pork loin. Check the potatoes as well to see if they are tender. The pork is ready when it has reached an internal temperature of 65°C—it’s best to test this using a digital thermometer probe.
6. When the pork is ready, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 15-30 minutes to allow the juices to settle back into the meat. You can leave the potatoes and vegetables towards the front of the oven during this time to keep them warm.
Read Also:
Start Planning for Winter Before the Chill Hits: How to Prepare Your Home