Cooking Lesson #723: Pork Loin Rib Roast

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? My Pork Loin Rib Roast is the perfect dinner for company or holidays when Prime Ribs of Beef are not so affordable, and you don’t have to slave in the kitchen to serve something special. Here’s everything you need to know to make it perfectly every time so it’s juicy and delicious.
 
A Pork Loin Rib Roast is a pork loin with the ribs still attached. Another way of thinking about it is similar to rack of lamb or prime rib. If you slice the roast into chops, you’d have 8 or 9 pork rib chops. Unlike a rack of lamb, one pork chop is plenty for one person, so that single pork rack will feed a crowd.
 
You probably won’t find a pork rib roast at the supermarket unless you make arrangements ahead of time. So, call your butcher and order one and ask them to French it for you. “Frenching” means trimming the extra meat between the ribs. It’s not imperative, but it makes for a nice presentation. You can do it yourself, but why bother when the butcher will happily do it for you?
 
Since a pork rib roast is basically a pork loin roast with ribs, I use the same cooking method as I would for roast pork loin. Since it’s a little more sophisticated, I give it a little extra flavor by seasoning it with a dried herb blend. Use whatever kind you like—Italian herb blend, Herbes de Provence (a French herb blend), or make your own. Because there is so much flavor in this cut of pork it doesn’t take much.
 
Ingredients 
Pork loin rib roast, 3 – 5 pounds
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Equipment 
You’ll need an oven-safe rack to set the roast on while it cooks. Don’t have one?  Three or four ribs of celery will work. The idea is to allow the hot air in the oven to circulate under the roast. You’ll also need a roasting pan, large enough to hold the roast and some aluminum foil.
 
Directions

1. Pre-heat an oven to 350°F.
2. Mix together the black pepper, garlic powder and salt.
3. Sprinkle it all over the pork loin roast and rub it all over until it’s well coated.
4. Put the roast on a rack in a roasting pan.
5. Drizzle the pork with balsamic vinegar.
6. Put the roast into the preheated oven.
7. Roast until the internal temperature is at 130°F-150°F. That will take about 18-28 minutes per pound at 350F.
8. You should start checking the temperature after 18 minutes per pound, and then every 10-15 minutes after that. Note that the final temperature by the end of this recipe will be at least 145F, which is the lowest safe temperature for pork. If you want it to be at that temperature, you will take it out at 130F at this stage. If, on the other hand, you don’t like your pork to have any pinkness visible, then you will want the final temperature at the end of the recipe to be 160F, so you will take it out at 150F now. The resting and final cooking will bring the temperature up. Remove the roast from the oven and cover roasting pan with foil and let rest for 30 minutes (remember, the meat will continue to cook while it’s resting).
9. Heat the oven up to 475°F.
10. Uncover the roast and remove the thermometer. If there are any drippings in the pan, pour those out to make gravy. Alternatively, you can move the roast out of the pan, swirl some stock or broth around in there to loosen up any drippings, and then pour that out to use for gravy.
11. Wipe out the pan well, or put the roast into a clean pan, and finish roasting for another 10 minutes. Test the pork to make sure that it is the temperature that you like, and that it is at least 145⁰ F.
12. Use those 10 minutes to make gravy, if desired. If don’t want the gravy, remove the roast from oven, carve and serve immediately.

ChefSecret:  Some people like their pork really well cooked because it used to be recommended that pork be cooked to 160⁰ F. People got used to pork like that and continue to prefer it very white and drier, versus slightly pink and moist. If that’s you and you need your pork more well done, then go with a final temperature of 160⁰ F. That will be 20-25 minutes per pound for a 3-5 pound roast, and 11-15 minutes per pound for an 8-10 pound roast. You’ll take the roast out when it is at 150⁰ F and then let it rest, and then do the final high heat in the recipe. The resulting temperature will be 160⁰ F.
 
If you prefer it juicy and very slightly pink at the center, then go with 145⁰ F. For a 3-5 lb. roast, this will be 18-23 minutes per pound , whereas for an 8-10 pound roast it will be 8-11 minutes per pound. You’ll take the roast out when it reaches 135⁰ F and then let it rest, and then do the final high heat cook. The final temperature will be 145⁰ F. These are the correct times and temperatures according to the National Pork Board.
 
Finally, crank up the oven really high (475⁰ F) and give the roast a last blast in there for 10 minutes. That extra heat really browns and crisps up the outside of the roast, for extra flavor and texture, while not penetrating into the roast to take away the juiciness created earlier. Then carve it immediately and serve. No need to rest it again because the inside of the roast already had its resting time. That results in a juicy pork loin (which is often hard to accomplish) while still having a nice crust.

Quip of the Day:  Q. Why is working at a Pork Sausage factory the worst job?  A. Because every day is Ground Hog Day. 
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

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