Wednesday, December 28, 2016

“New Year’s Baby” Porchetta – Here’s to Being Happy, But Not Satisfied in 2017!

Since I’m not really working, I’ll keep this “baby porchetta” post short and sweet, and simply let you refer to the video for all the important stuff. Like how amazing this tasted; and how impossibly moist and tender it was.

Notwithstanding some overlapped bacon (which I’ll do in a single layer, in maybe a hotter oven next time), I loved how this came out! I’m not sure if it will bring you prosperity in the New Year, but this is so good, who cares?

I want to wish you all a very healthy, and bountiful, 2017! Happy New Year, and, as always, enjoy!


Ingredients for 2 large or 4 smaller portions:
1 boneless pork tenderloin roast, about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds
about 8 strips bacon or enough to wrap
For the spice rub:
1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
3 cloves sliced garlic
1 tablespoon finely sliced sage leaves
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
zest from one lemon
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil

- Roast at 450 F. about 25 minutes, or until 134 F. internal temp, which should get you a finished, rested temp of 140-145 F.

56 comments:

The Dago by the Lake said...

Just as I thought it... you turned it. Happy new year!

The Dago by the Lake said...

Just as I thought it... you turned it. Happy new year!

Unknown said...

Chef John, I was wondering if I might be able to get your recipe for the white bean ragu before the New Year as well please as I would love to make this for my family. Thank you and all of my Best Wishes!

Unknown said...

Perhaps you could replace the bacon with pancetta in a future iteration, also dry it out in the fridge without the cling wrap and give it a light rubbing of oil before cooking to get it crispier

Unknown said...

Perhaps you could replace the bacon with thin slices of pancetta, also dry it out in the fridge without cling wrap and lightly rub it with oil before cooking to get a crispier texture.

Anonymous said...

Have you done anything with sous-vide? This seems like a perfect candidate for that - sous-vide the wrapped tenderloin to 140F, and then pan-sear it on high to crisp the bacon.

EKM said...

LOL Turning it sideways.

Can you tell us why you chose to use a foiled line pan on this occasion? Easy of clean up, or something more?

Thanks for another amazing year of teaching us to cook!

Mar-One said...

Happy new year chef John! Thank you for all the great recipes!

Unknown said...

Where did you get the piggy calendar? I love it!

sgrvrnk said...

Gorgeous, I love pork tenderloin. Every time I buy it I ask myself why I don't buy it more often.

But how, pray, do we let the meat rest for ten minutes and then reheat it without drying it out, should it get cold while resting?

El Jefe said...

I'm thinking maybe 425 for 30-35 minutes to crisp up the bacon. That and I'm going to butterfly it, schmear the goodness all around the inside, roll it and wrap it (bacon, natch). And no, I'm not going to tie it.

(Also thinking hot/warm charcoal grill setup would have some legs...)

Fill you in on the results...

El Jefe said...

I'm thinking maybe 425 for 30-35 minutes to crisp up the bacon. That and I'm going to butterfly it, schmear the goodness all around the inside, roll it and wrap it (bacon, natch). And no, I'm not going to tie it.

(Also thinking hot/warm charcoal grill setup would have some legs...)

Fill you in on the results...

Redcaddy said...

This is on my menu for New Year's Day. Gotta have black eyed peas and greens with it. Looks great. Thanks, CJ

Unknown said...

Chef, do recommend brining the pork or is that unnecessary with the herb mixture and bacon added to the meat?

Unknown said...

This looks really delicious, but is there another sidedish that would be good for this recipe. I am not a big fan of the White Bean Ragout.
Happy New Years John

Unknown said...

This looks really delicious, but is there another sidedish that would be good for this recipe. I am not a big fan of the White Bean Ragout.
Happy New Years John

Unknown said...

This looks really delicious, but is there another sidedish that would be good for this recipe. I am not a big fan of the White Bean Ragout.
Happy New Years John

a said...

Great recipes <3 Thanks so much, John. My kids will love it

Jeff the Chef said...

Looks fantastic!

Unknown said...

Absolute genius... And the recipe looks super hot too.
Thank you for all the inspiration you provide throughout the year.

Boxer1 said...

Hey from Vancouver, BC. Found your videos a few months ago and I'm so glad I did. Did your compound butter under the skin roast turkey at Christmas - very moist and we were very happy. Doing your deviled lobster tails for NY's dinner appetizer. Just viewed your baby porchetta video - guess what's next up in my kitchen?

P.S.: I enjoy your humour - I have laughed out loud a couple of times!!

Best regards,
Janice in Vancouver

Unknown said...

Happy new year back at ya Chef John. Thank you for another year of bringing culinary encouragement into my home. Oh, and email me if you're in Denver and need a drink!

Unknown said...

Going to try this out, though I think I may bake the bacon down a touch before wrapping it (I'll be using thick cut) and letting it chill in the fridge...

Anonymous said...

This was gorgeous! Will definitely make this soon!

leuko_tigraki said...

I tried this recipe today and while the texture of the meat was perfect I must say that the black pepper is really tooooooo much. I'd say to add only 1 teaspoon or less! Pepper, garlic and chilly flakes combined together are lava hot.

FM said...

Are those oven times corrected, or what you used for first run?

Cheers and thanks!

FM said...

Are the oven times listed corrected, or what you used for the original attempt?

Cheers and thanks!

mom of chef said...

Love this and have to make. I am your devotee but can't send a Food Wish as I am sometimes computer challenged. My Food Wish is: Can you figure out how to make Malfatti, a Napa Italian local fame food made with spinach, Riccotta cheese and wrapped up in thin pasta and covered with Italian Sauce.NPR/Morning Reports has story about and a link (without recipe) can be found with a little search. I wish you a very happy and prosperous New Year!!

Bethany said...

Happy New Year!

Frank said...

Made this last night. It was VERY good!

arwiv said...

I made it two nights ago. I dont have a torch so I stopped the baking at about 125 internal degrees and then broiled it on high for about 3-4 minutes per side to crisp up the bacon. It was very tasty.

Karen said...

Happy New Year, Chef John!

Angela said...

Any suggestions for ow to crisp the bacon if you don't have a blow torch?

supremechimp said...

I made this with a whole pork loin. It was bigger than this so I had to give it two slices to open it up for the rub, but no big deal. It was so good! Something needs to be said for the sage and rosemary, pork is always delicious of course but those two were really the most important part of this dish I think. The fragrance is out of control, and then you wrap it in bacon!? Brilliant. I served mine with only one side of roasted potatoes and it was amazing. This is a great dish if you want to do a little bit of preparation beforehand, then chill once your company arrives and let it cook in the oven. 10/10, I will definitely make it again, probably sooner rather than later. I'm thinking of ways to get some mustard into this dish, too ... and it's making me drool.

Paprika114 said...

Made this for New Years day with sauerkraut and baby potatoes. Pork turned out beautifully, perfectly done. However the spice was extremely hot and we believe ruined the taste of the pork. Next time I try this recipe I'll leave out the chili flakes and cut the pepper in half!

Joanne Rake said...

Where in the world did you get what looks to be a cast iron pig calendar?

Unknown said...

My father in law is a hunter and we have a lot of deer meat in which I am trying to find new ways to cook it. I was wondering if may have some ideas for a recipe or just some good combination of herbs to cook it with. Thank you and obviously I like your cooking,I also appreciate your humor.

Steve Kennedy said...

@Neomi Rodriguez;
Every time I have used a lamb recipe for venison, it has been very good. Just make sure to trim any fat from the venison, use bacon if you need fat. deer fat is horrid.
Hope that helps.

Jo. said...

I had a similar experience to Paprika114, I like spice but it was too much for this dish in my opinion. I'd like to try it again with less of the peppers and maybe wrapped in prosciutto. I'm looking forward to using this technique again soon.

redcaddy97 said...

Another hit! I made two tenderloins, so basically doubled the rub. I used basil rather than sage and left out the fennel (personal preferences of the ones I was feeding). I used 1.5 tsp red pepper flakes rather than 2 and stayed with the 2 tsp of black pepper rather than doubling it. I was lemon zest challenged as I was cooking in a family member's kitchen and they didn't have a zester. Just used a really sharp knife to skim off the zest, then put it, along with the other rub ingredients, into a spice grinder since I had no mortar and pestle. (Yours is beee-utiful, BTW) I specifically chose NON-thick sliced bacon since the browning appeared to be an issue. It turned out beautifully, albeit a bit garlicy. No prob since all of the feed-ees are garlic fans. Served on New Year's day with black eyed peas (with a penny in the pot) and collards, both seasoned up with red pepper and bacon, of course. Got our share of good luck, coins, "folding money" and forward mobility! Will be added to my list of faves! Thanks, CJ!

Anonymous said...

I must confess: MUCH better than real Porchetta! #PorkyLove!!!

Anonymous said...

Test: Brined 1 tenderloin
Control: Made 1 tenderloin the CJ way.

Consensus: PLEASE, for the love of all things culinary, DO NOT
brine. Brine + Bacon = WAY too salty!

I could not drink enough water

Unknown said...

Hello Chef John
I've been doing this dish for a few years now...I will usually make two..one stuffed with grainy mustard,smoked prosciutto,provolone, asparagus tips and sundried tomatoes..the other with bacon marmalade,apples, garlic and onions.
I like the simplicity of your herb mixture and yours is considerably more tender as I can't cut mine with a fork...Bravo !

Macmanjpc said...

Going to try this on a charcoal kettle BBQ. Sear off the the bacon direct and then indirect on a shallow pan until I hits the target temp. That should solve the crispy bacon issue :)

Bill Brissman said...

For those who have ovens with the convection feature, this is a great application, browns the bacon/outer layer while baking.

Unknown said...

All I can say is that its mouth watering.

Unknown said...

All I can say is that its mouth watering.

beemo said...

Before I made this I had never eaten "pork tenderloin." But I bought some and carried on, and the result is like eating chunks of heaven.

Thanks again for your excellent practice of including desired inner temperatures etc. Without that information I'm sure I would have produced a disaster.

Food wish: Some kind of Chef John version of pork scratchings! How can this plain but perfect fare be turned into something with snob appeal? (slicing them into strips and braiding them before roasting has already been done -- see thescottreaproject)

Unknown said...

There is a simple solution to crisp the bacon... I use it all the time and it works great... I place my bacon on paper plates with paper towels and place in the microwave to pre cook about half way... Then you don't need the high heat to cook with to get crisp bacon... I make stuffed jalapenos with a bacon wrap in my smoker at 225 for 1 1/2 hour and my bacon is always nice and crisp... :O)

Unknown said...

This is similar to Moink Rolls using a sushi roller, ground beef and wrapped with bacon. Their way of cooking is to use a BBQ grill with indirect heat. But the same thing happens with the bacon, because it's inside the ground beef. I like Gary's idea of pre cooking the bacon half way.

Tracy said...

I'm still in awe over the pig perpetual calendar!!

Unknown said...

I did this last night supplanting the bacon with Parma prosciutto. It was fab!!

AZ said...

would you recommend to pan sear the outside first, before putting in to the oven to roast?

HOney said...

Thank you for sharing this. Happy New Year 2018 wishes for all. May this New Year bring you joy and laughter. To be happy is the greatest wish in life.

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Nicole C said...

Didn’t add sage and fennel seeds cuz I don’t have any. Came out absolutely stunning!