Milk-Braised Pork Loin Roast
7
- Prep Time30 mins
- Total Time3 hrs
- Makes6 to 8 servings
Recipe by Tara O’Brady. Produced by Sun Ngo. Photography by Christie Vuong. Prop Styling by Nicole Billark. Food styling by Michelle Rabin. Press-on nails courtesy of KISS.
While the traditional version of this dish calls for pork loin, it can also be prepared with pork shoulder.
Ingredients
1.5 kg boneless fat-capped pork loin roast, trimmed and tied
1 1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large head garlic, cut in half crosswise, loose paper removed
2 tbsp butter
3 to 5 cups 3.25% milk
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 to 3 sprigs fresh sage
1 dried bay leaf
2 small dried chilies or 1⁄4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 large strips lemon zest
2 large strips orange zest
Instructions
The day before cooking, sprinkle pork roast with salt and pepper in a baking dish. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight. Bring to room temperature before cooking.
Position rack in centre of oven, then preheat to 275F.
Heat a Dutch oven or lidded oven-safe casserole dish over medium-high. Add oil, then garlic halves, cut-side down. Cook until browned, about 45 sec. Remove to a plate.
Melt butter in Dutch oven, then add pork. Sear, without touching, until bottom is deeply browned, 2 to 3 min. Repeat searing until all sides are browned, about 8 min. Pour in milk until it reaches between one-third and halfway up sides of roast. Add garlic halves, thyme, sage, bay leaf, dried chilies, lemon and orange zest. Cover and bring to a simmer, then transfer to oven.
Braise, flipping roast halfway, until meat is exceedingly tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 2 hrs. Remove from oven. Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate meat in braising liquid for up to 2 days.
To serve, bring pork and liquid to room temperature. Reheat in a 250F oven until warmed through, about 35 min. Transfer roast to a cutting board, then loosely tent in foil for 15 min. Meanwhile, discard herbs and citrus zest from braising liquid. Press the soft garlic cloves into sauce, then blend to a smooth consistency, if desired.
Remove twine and carve roast, transferring slices to a warm serving platter. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning, then spoon over roast.
Kitchen tips
- Dry-brining the pork ahead of time gives the meat full opportunity to absorb the salt and its own juices. If you’re short on time, instead of refrigerating the pork overnight, you can leave it to dry-brine at room temperature for 1 hr.
- Fat-capped pork loin roasts are usually sold at butcher shops and meat counters already tied up with butcher’s twine. Tying the roast holds the meat together while it cooks and helps it retain its shape as it rests.
- If substituting pork loin roast with pork shoulder, increase braising time to 3 hrs.
- Some recipes include baking soda to keep the braising liquid from splitting; without it, the milk collects into ricotta-like curds, which many adore even if the look is not as aesthetically favoured. There’s also the option to whiz the sauce in a blender once reheated to return it to a silky emulsion.