SERVES 4 TO 6
We prefer natural to enhanced pork (pork that has been injected with a salt solution to increase moisture and flavor) for this recipe. For extra flavor and moisture, serve the sliced roast with the mustard-shallot sauce.
2 |
teaspoons dried thyme |
2 |
teaspoons table salt |
1 |
teaspoon ground black pepper |
¼ |
teaspoon ground cloves or allspice |
2 |
large garlic cloves, peeled and cut into slivers |
1 |
(2¼-pound) boneless center loin pork roast, fat trimmed to about ⅛ inch thick and roast tied at 1½-inch intervals (see note) |
1 |
recipe Mustard–Shallot Sauce with Thyme (optional; recipe follows) |
1. Mix together the thyme, salt, pepper, and cloves. Coat the garlic slivers in the spice mixture. Poke slits in the roast with the point of a paring knife; insert the garlic slivers. Rub the remaining spice mixture onto the meat. Tie the roast with kitchen twine into a tight cylinder. Wrap the roast in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
2. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Take the meat directly from the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, and place it on a wire rack set in a shallow roasting pan. Roast for exactly 30 minutes.
3. Remove the meat from the oven; immediately reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Insert an instant-read thermometer at one end of the roast, going into the thickest part at the center (the temperature will range from 80 to 110 degrees); let the roast rest at room temperature, uncovered, for exactly 30 minutes. (At this point the roast’s internal temperature will range from 115 to 140 degrees.) After this 30-minute rest, remove the thermometer, return the meat to the oven, and roast until the thickest part of the roast reaches an internal temperature of 140 to 145 degrees, 15 to 30 minutes longer, depending on the roast’s internal temperature at the end of the resting period. Since the roast may cook unevenly, take temperature readings from a couple of locations, each time plunging the thermometer into the center of the meat and waiting 15 seconds.
4. Let the roast stand at room temperature, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes to finish cooking. (The temperature should register 150 degrees.) Remove the twine, slice the meat thin, and serve with the sauce (if using).