Home recipe kuchnia polska

Roasted Pork Loin with Prunes

Name: Roasted Pork Loin with Prunes
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 65 min
Total time: 280 min
Cuisine: kuchnia polska
Ingredients: 800 g boneless pork loin (from the center or from the neck side, with a thin layer of fat); 120 g pitted dried prunes; 2 cloves garlic (pressed through a garlic press); 1 tbsp dried marjoram; 1 tsp salt (flat); ½ tsp ground black pepper; 3 tbsp rapeseed oil (1 tablespoon for rubbing, 2 for searing); 120 ml water or broth; 60 g pitted dried prunes (not necessarily, for baking around the meat and blending with the sauce); 1 tbsp plum jam (not necessarily); 1 tsp all-purpose flour; 1 tsp potato starch; 1 tsp mustard or grated horseradish

A festive roast made from pork loin with a tunnel filled with dried prunes, rubbed with garlic and marjoram, marinated and baked in its own sauce. Includes how to create a tunnel in the meat, how to check with a thermometer if the pork is ready, and what cut of meat to buy abroad.

Servings: 4 servings
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 4 h 40 min
Difficulty: Medium

Dwa plastry pieczonego schabu ze śliwką w środku, z puree ziemniaczanym z koperkiem, surówką z marchewki i sałatką z kapusty

The story behind the recipe

Pork loin with prunes has been known since the 19th century. Klemens Junosza, in "Trzy prowincjałki," published in the weekly "Kolce" in 1874, mocked the province where "instead of manna, they eat dumplings, and instead of quails, pork loin with prunes!" Polish Wikipedia lists pork loin with dried prunes among the dishes of Greater Poland cuisine.

In old cookbooks, prunes were served with pork rather in a sauce than inside the meat. Ćwierczakiewiczowa in "365 Obiadów za 5 złotych" from 1871 roasted pork loin on a spit and served it "with cabbage or beets," stuffing it with cabbage and sour apples, not prunes. She also warned that "too small a piece tastes bad because it dries out." "Kucharka litewska" by Wincenty Zawadzki from 1913 provides pork with a sauce made from dried prunes and roasted pork loin with a jam sauce. It is unclear when prunes started being placed inside the pork loin; we have not found a source that dates this. "Kanon kuchni polskiej" from 2019 states that prunes are "eagerly added" to bigos and "stuffed into pork loin," reminding that smoked Suska Sechlońska is a Protected Geographical Indication, and that already Czerniecki in "Compendium ferculorum" from 1682 counted fresh and dried prunes among the essential products in the kitchen.

This roast is for Sunday and holidays. Kwestia Smaku calls it festive pork loin, Moje Gotowanie a "traditional recipe for festive roast," and Ania Gotuje writes: "I always bake pork loin for the holidays and Easter... I prefer to slice such homemade meat than reach for store-bought ham." Pork loin with prunes is not listed on the Traditional Products List and does not have EU name protection.

Ingredients

Pork Loin

800 g boneless pork loin (from the center or from the neck side, with a thin layer of fat)
Abroad: USA and Canada: boneless pork loin roast (not pork tenderloin); UK: pork loin joint without skin; Germany and Austria: Schweinelachs
120 g pitted dried prunes
Abroad: USA: prunes or dried plums; UK: pitted prunes; Germany: Trockenpflaumen or Backpflaumen; Austria: Dörrzwetschken
2 cloves garlic (pressed through a garlic press)
1 tbsp (15 ml) dried marjoram
1 tsp (about 6 g) salt (flat)
½ tsp (2.5 ml) ground black pepper
3 tbsp (45 ml) rapeseed oil (1 tablespoon for rubbing, 2 for searing)

For Baking

120 ml water or broth
60 g pitted dried prunes (not necessarily, for baking around the meat and blending with the sauce)
1 tbsp (about 22 g) plum jam (not necessarily)

Sauce (optional)

1 tsp (about 2.5 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (about 3 g) potato starch
1 tsp (5 ml) mustard or grated horseradish

Method, step by step

Choose a uniform piece of pork loin from the center or from the neck side, which is juicier. Do not trim the fat layer, as it protects the meat from drying out. Pat the pork loin dry with paper towels.
Create a tunnel: insert a long, thin knife along the pork loin, through the very center, and if necessary, widen the opening from both ends. If the tunnel doesn’t work, cut the meat from the side to half its thickness.
Season the tunnel from the inside with a pinch of salt, pepper, and marjoram. Push in the prunes, pressing them in so that as many as possible fit. If the meat was cut from the side, secure it with toothpicks.
Tie the pork loin with kitchen twine in several places to keep its round shape.
Mix the garlic with the remaining marjoram, salt, and pepper, and 1 tablespoon of oil. Rub this mixture all over the pork loin, tightly wrap it in foil, and place it in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or if you have time, overnight or even up to 2 days. Before roasting, take the meat out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and briefly sear the pork loin on all sides over high heat, for 30 seconds to a minute per side, turning it in sequence.
Transfer the pork loin to a baking dish fat side up. Pour in water or broth, add the jam, and distribute additional prunes in the liquid around the meat. Cover and bake for about 35–40 minutes, then remove the lid, turn the meat, and bake for another 15–20 minutes, basting it with the sauce. Sources roast a 1 kg piece for about 60 minutes, and a smaller piece will be ready a bit faster.
Check the temperature with a thermometer in the thickest part, in the meat, not in the prune: according to the USDA, the pork is ready at a minimum of 63°C (145°F). Do not extend the roasting time unnecessarily, as the meat will dry out.
Remove the pork loin, loosely cover it with foil, and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Remove the twine and slice the meat across the tunnel so that each slice has a prune.
Sauce: blend the roasting juices with the prunes that baked around the meat. You can also pour about 200 ml of the juice into a saucepan, add a teaspoon of mustard or horseradish, sift in the flour and starch, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Arrange the slices of pork loin in part of the sauce, and serve the rest separately.

Tips

Dry meat. Meat dries out when roasted too long. Kwestia Smaku warns: "Do not exceed the given roasting time, as the meat will start to dry out." Do not trim the fat layer, and if the pork loin is very lean, place thin slices of lard or bacon on it. Roast the uncovered pork loin, basting it with sauce every 15 minutes.

Too small a piece. A small piece dries out quickly, as Ćwierczakiewiczowa already noted. Do not roast less than 800 g (1¾ lb), and it is best to roast 1 kg (2¼ lb) and eat the rest cold.

The tunnel tears or won’t open. Cut the pork loin from the side to half its thickness, push in the prunes, and secure the incision with toothpicks or metal skewers. You can also cut the meat lengthwise to create a pocket. For an impressive cross-section, you can make two tunnels.

The roast loses its shape. Tie it with kitchen twine in several places to keep its round shape.

When the pork is ready. Measure the temperature with a thermometer in the thickest part, in the meat, not in the prune. The USDA recommends at least 63°C (145°F) for pork roasts and at least 3 minutes of resting. The British Food Standards Agency states a standard of 70°C (158°F) for 2 minutes or 65°C (149°F) for 10 minutes, or 75°C (167°F) for 30 seconds, and notes that pork and rolled roasts must be cooked through: when cut in the thickest part, the juice should be clear, with no pink meat.

In a roasting bag. Sear the meat, place it in the bag without water, leave some slack, and make a few holes, then roast at 180°C (350°F) for about 50 minutes. Moje Gotowanie cuts the bag 20 minutes before the end to brown the top. If the pork is to be served cold, Ania Gotuje leaves it in the bag until completely cool.

What to serve with. Serve warm with sauce, potatoes, and salad or with Silesian dumplings. Ćwierczakiewiczowa served roasted pork loin with cabbage or beets. Cold, thinly sliced, it is, according to Kwestia Smaku, "perhaps even better": it is homemade cold cut instead of store-bought ham, good for bread and sandwiches the next day. Ania Gotuje also makes pork loin in jelly from it.

Other fillings. Instead of prunes, you can use dried apricots or figs, also soaked in vodka or brandy, or peaches. Horseradish or mustard goes well with the sauce, and sweet paprika will give a more golden crust.

Storage. Kwestia Smaku states that roasted pork loin will last in the fridge for up to a week and can be frozen. The USDA is more cautious: leftovers should be kept in the fridge for 3–4 days, in the freezer for 3–4 months, and should be placed in the fridge no later than 2 hours after preparation. According to the USDA, reheated leftovers should reach 74°C (165°F). Reheat slices covered in sauce to prevent them from drying out.

Abroad. Pork loin is not tenderloin. In the USA and Canada, buy boneless pork loin roast (not pork tenderloin, as that is a small tenderloin). In the UK, it is pork loin joint; if the piece has skin, trim it off, as this dish does not have a crispy skin. In Germany and Austria, look for Schweinelachs, which is the boneless muscle cut from the pork loin; the German Wikipedia notes that it dries out easily, so marinate it and monitor the temperature closely. Dried prunes are prunes or dried plums in the USA (since 2001, the FDA allows growers to call them dried plums), pitted prunes in the UK, Trockenpflaumen or Backpflaumen in Germany, and Dörrzwetschken in Austria. Buy pitted prunes. Ania Gotuje uses regular prunes, such as California prunes, so you don’t need to look for smoked ones.

Photos

Plaster schabu nadziewanego morelami z gotowanymi ziemniakami na talerzu

Pokrojona pieczeń wieprzowa po staropolsku na metalowym półmisku z natką pietruszki i brzoskwiniami

Pieczeń wieprzowa z sosem, ziemniakami z koperkiem i żółtą fasolką szparagową na talerzu

Easter Meat dishes Polish cuisine Substitutes abroad

I made it

Did you make this dish? Tell us how it turned out and what you changed. You can add a photo and a rating.