Dad's Rotisserie Pork Roast

Dad's love of entertaining and cooking for crowds has always inspired me. My childhood memories from the cabin are full of large dinners with family friends, usually involving a large peice of meat cooked on the rotisserie. I'm lucky that some of dad's cooking creedos have stuck with me: brown everything (sugar, butter, meat), always use the full fat option (cream, butter, cuts of beef), some recipes take time and the one thing I'm still trying to learn: relax in the kitchen!

I realized last weekend as we were grilling up this roast why Dad always chose it for those summer weekends when cooking for crowds: you can prep everything the night before, then by the time you're a few beers deep, all you have to do to get dinner on the table is sit out on the deck in the sun, looking like a hero as your roast sizzles to perfect doneness. I don't often cook pork, but I remeber Dad's pork roast being as good as beef. I picked this one up from Costco, it could easily have served twenty people, and cost me a total of $30! It came out so juicy and flavourful. If you've never tried it before, it's so worth it, and it's not at all like ham.

I had to trust Dad for this recipe, something that doesn't come easily to me! When he brought out the cumin and curry powder I was weary - told him I didn't want an Indian pork rub, but he just laughed and told me to trust him. What resulted was the perfect rub to compliment the pork. Using the rotisserie was easier than I expected, and I feel as though it's a dying method that no one uses anymore. I'm definitely going to bring it back this summer! We were lucky enough to share this roast with dear family and friends after a pretty classic day at Brereton - a bit of work, walking the dogs, and a lot of shooting the shit at the Kippen's picnic table.  

Dad's Rotisserie Pork Roast

Serves 20+ if you buy the Costco one

1 boneless pork loin

12 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablesoon dried terragon

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablesoons liquid of choice (we used rum - no surprise)

Butchers twine, meat thermometer, BBQ rotisserie

The night before remove the roast from packaging and slice it in half. Make the rub by combining the crushed garlic, curry cumin, tarragon, brown sugar, salt, pepper and liquid. 

Spread half the rub on the side of the pork that doesn't have the fat, then sandwich the two halves  together to make it double the thickness, ensure that the thick side of each half is lined up with the thin side of the other and the fatty sides are on the outside of the roast. Use butchers twine to tie it up tight, making loops every few inches. Score the fat with a knife and then rub in the remaining spice mixture. 

If one end of the roast is uneven or rough (opposite where you cut it in half), trim that end with a sharp knife to make it even. Cover with saran and marinate overnight. 

About three hours before you want to eat, remove roast from fridge and let it come to room temperature for about an hour. Remove the grates from the BBQ, and turn on high. Stick the rotisserie through the middle of the meat, trying to ensure you have even weight on all sides. Jab the prongs in both ends and push together so that roast is secure before tightening. 

When BBQ is really hot, place rotisserie in motor and cook roast on high for about 10 minutes. Outside should be seared a bit, turn down BBQ to low, you want it to cook at about 325 degrees. As the fats melts you might start to have flare ups, if so, put a tinfoil pan filled with a bit of beer or water in the bottom of the BBQ to catch the fat. You won't need it for the entire time, remove after about an hour to ensure the meat still browns. Keep the lid closed as much as you can, watch the temperature, and after about an hour of cooking start checking the temperature. My dad says he could just go by the colour of juices (no longer pink) - but I find that difficult. We cooked until the thermometer read about 155 in the thickest part of the meat, which took about and hour and half. Pull it off the BBQ when done and tent it with foil for about 20 minutes. Letting it rest after it comes off, before cutting, is crucial.

Remove the prongs and rotisserie, cut off the strings, slice thinly with a sharp knife and enjoy with fantastic friends and family.

I had picked up some delicious mustard from the Hydro farmer's market that went great with the pork. The mustard is made by a very passionate local producer, her company is called SmakDab. Everyone loved the Honey Horseradish Mustard with the pork. Give it a try, her website is found here. 

Did I miss anything Dad??