Crispy Pork Loin. Photo by Joshua Weissman
If you don't already know Joshua Weissman of Houston, he is the young author of The Slim Palate (also the name of his blog). It's also a Paleo cookbook, but that's beside the point (as far as I'm concerned). And yes, it's a lovely book with intriguing recipes and photographs that floored Donna, especially given that Josh was 17 when he took most of them, and is only 18 now. When I got an email request to blurb the book, I thought little more than "Ugh, OK, send me a PDF, I'll try to have a look." And I did, and it was good, and I did a little more poking around on his site. My turn to be floored. Watch this excellent video to meet Josh and hear his uncommon story—he's an inspiration. This is more than a cookbook—it's an extraordinary example of the power of food to transform our lives. Josh not only generously offered this post and recipe, he'd like to give away a signed copy of his book. Just leave a comment with your favorite cooking technique or method (grill, sauté, braise, etc.) and you're entered. Take it away, Joshua!—M.R.
by Joshua Weissman
I am incredibly honored and excited to have the privilege to post on this website. When I was venturing through my journey in rediscovering food, Mr. Ruhlman was and still is one of the biggest influences on my views and choices on how I choose to look at food. He also made me quite the pork fanatic, so I figured I should share one of my favorite swine recipes.
This recipe is adapted from one of my very favorite recipes in my cookbook. When I ended up receiving a pork loin from a local farm, which offered it to me with the skin on, I was ecstatic because I rarely get skin-on cuts like that. As soon as I laid my eyes on it I had a plan to make alluring crispy skin. In adapting the pork loin recipe from the book, I simplified some of the ingredients, added in some others, and reworked the oven temperature and timing to work for a thicker fat cap and skin-on loin. This way you’re left with an intoxicatingly crunchy skin with a slightly different flavor from the original but still wonderful recipe in the book. It’s almost surprising when you take that first bite of this roast as that explosive crunch rings in your ears when you bite into the crispy skin, which of course is followed by the rich and slightly sweet juices of the pork. Not to mention it’s difficult to ignore the wonderful flavor of the pork fat running through the loin that helps flavor the skin.
I think that those who truly love food probably also appreciate the beauty behind crispy skin. It’s like a reward for your hard work and persistence in preparation. In my experience, the key to crispy pork skin (or any animal skin, for that matter) is to keep it as dry as physically possible before you cook it. The more moisture that you leave in the skin, the more likely it’s going to turn out chewy and rather unappetizing. Many people go to great lengths to get pork skin dry, like blow-drying it for hours, but I’ve found that a diligent dabbing with a paper towel on the skin until it's as dry as you can get it works fairly well. If you really want to be a perfectionist, I’ve also had great success by dabbing it dry and then leaving it in the fridge uncovered to air-dry overnight. That’s not required, but I usually do choose to let it air dry because I’m somewhat of a perfectionist like that. Plus I actually enjoy the process behind cooking, so while I enjoy quick cooking meals I also enjoy meals that are a journey in themselves. But like I said, if you’re not that person then you can skip the air-drying in the fridge.
I actually wish more people would take a day off and just make something in the kitchen that takes a bit of patience and labor to make. Eating is not only a daily thing that we have to do in order to survive but it’s also an incredible pleasure, so I think it’s important to make a fun adventure out of it every once in a while. Listen to the clicking sound of the burner preparing to erupt in flames or enjoy the various and changing aroma of the food as it progresses through different stages of cooking. Slow down and just enjoy the moment and the process of a creation that might just become another hobby for yourself while nourishing your body at the same time.
Herbed Crispy Roasted Pork Loin
Recipe adapted from The Slim Palate Paleo Cookbook
- 5 shallots, unpeeled, cut in halves
- 2½–4 pound boneless skin-on pork loin
- 1 lemon
- 10–15 sage leaves
- 5 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced marjoram
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or high-heat oil of choice
- Kitchen string for tying the roast
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/218°C and place a wire rack inside a roasting tray. Scatter the shallots around the bottom of the roasting tray.
- Pat the pork loin completely dry and do your best to keep the skin as dry as possible. Score the skin of the pork loin in straight lines about halfway down the fat cap but not all the way to the meat. Repeat this at ½-inch intervals all the way across the skin of the pork loin. Flip the pork loin over so the skin is facing down. Starting about 1 inch above the fat cap, cut into the meat of the pork loin lengthwise and open it up like a book until it lies flat, being careful not to cut all the way through the meat.
- Zest the entire lemon over both sides. Lay all of the sage leaves over one side of the pork loin, then lay the parsley, marjoram, and garlic on the opposite side. Season with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle ½ tablespoon of the oil over it. Carefully close the pork loin and tie the roast fairly tightly at 1-inch intervals. Pat the skin once more to ensure that it’s as dry as possible, then drizzle the remaining 1½ tablespoons oil over the skin. Season the whole roast generously with salt and pepper and mop up any of the seasoning with the sides and bottom of the roast. Season the skin side once more very generously with salt, working the salt into the slits made earlier. (You really want to season the skin quite generously here.)
- Place the roast on the wire rack in the roasting tray, skin side up, and put it in the oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 395°F/200°C until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 140°F/60°C when a thermometer is placed in the deepest part of the meat, 30 to 35 minutes. Increase the temperature to 500°F/260°C and continue roasting until the skin is slightly puffy and crispy, 4 to 6 minutes more.
- Let the pork loin rest for 15 to 20 minutes, slice, and serve.
Note 4/7/14: Congrats to Nancy McDermott, of Jackson, NJ, winner of the Slim Palate Cookbook.
Other links you may like:
- My past post on chicken-fried pork belly Caesar salad.
- Learn about the basics of Paleo from Michelle Tam of Nom Nom Paleo.
- If you want to delve deeper into the Paleo diet, check out the Paleo Magazine.
© 2014 Michael Ruhlman. Photo © 2014 Donna Turner Ruhlman. All rights reserved.
Braising is my favorite method of cooking as it requires the least amount of work on my part in turning something into deliciousness.
Braising. Good for almost any cut of meat (or veggy, for that matter), little work, and always great results.
Grilling. There's something about the way food is cooked over open flame that makes everything taste amazing!
Grilling I guess, is my favorite cooking method, since it is healthy and there are so many cooking methods you can incorporate on a good grill.
Low & Slow in a wood fired smoke pit...! Great pics and great recipe. Look forward to trying it. I'll be checking out your book!
I love to grill and sauté. This recipe looks great!
Gotta love the braise for tender succulent meats.
I find myself pan frying most of my food. Meat and veggies pan fried in some bacon fat is just where it's at.
Braising is my favorite technique.
Wonderful ideas Joshua especially for drying the pork first and your pictures are very good as well. My favorite way to cook is to stand back and let my husband do it, who takes great pride and time at it. My favorite way to cook is making broths from leftover roast chickens or turkeys, usually thighs, I save them up along with whatever was left in the pan during the roast, skim off the fats for panfrying something again and then make a terrific veggie soup or chili or something with that broth. Ala Nourishing Traditions..
Grill it with fire, baby! The book sounds great. I've been eating paleo-style for over two years now. Love it! Anyone in the Cleveland area interested in paleo, join us here! https://www.facebook.com/groups/ClevelandPaleo/
Roasting. Pan frying. Stir frying. Deep frying. It's all good because the all the smells fill my house all afternoon on a good day.
Roasting!!! Makes everything good.
I'm usually the cook and dishwasher for my wife and 3 kids (the oldest is almost 4), so I like to grill. Everything tastes great, and clean up is easy.
Braising--not only makes wonderfully flavored and tender meats, but makes your home smell good.
I find myself doing a lot of roasting lately, be it with meats, poultry, or vegetables.
Wow, what an inspiration. Love to see such talented young folks! My favorite cooking method... I guess I'd have to say grilling, but more for the atmosphere of being in my backyard among 100-foot pine trees than the actual cooking process 🙂
Roasting...
Sauteing
I find a marinade gives me the most bang for my buck. I then will take it to the grill for that wonderful char note.
I'm digging deep frying right now. Had access to an industrial kitchen last week and had a blast. Best surprise: deep fried Pate (homemade Pate Grandmere from Charcuterie, mind you)!
I had always been more of a griller, but recently I've turned toward braising to add more complexity to my dishes.
Searing, then oven finishing.
All around favorite is grilling-so versatile!
My saute pan is the most used pan in my kitchen, next comes the La Creuset casserole/braiser.
All variations and adaptations of grilling
Pan roasting is a favorite - start something on the stove in a hot pan and finish it off in the oven.
love to saute and then to finish off in the oven
Looks and sounds wonderful. I plan to give the recipe a try asap!
Pan frying. Love that Maillard reaction!
Great recipe and pics!
I love the results of multi-day techniques, like making homemade Ukrainian garlic sausage. Marinating or curing the pork, grinding and stuffing the sausage, smoking for a couple of hours to finish. It's great sliced and served at room temp, but I always freeze a few links before Christmas so I have some to oven roast a couple of months down the road - makes for a pretty good late winter meal.
Ok... a bit OT here, but care to share a recipe for the Garlic Sausage? I've been chasing a childhood memory of this for so long, but without perfect success yet 🙁
Any kind of open fire cooking. Wood and smoke!
Nicely done Joshua! It was great to see that pork loin in the video. I love all the dry heat cooking methods but my favourite would have to be pan frying.
I like to Sous vide pork. I can get some of the most tender and juicy pork cooked that way.
My favorite method depends on what I'm cooking at the moment. But I have to say grilling is my all time go to!
Favorite: Roasting. Low and slow, mostly. With a reverse sear.
I love to grill. I love the sounds that come with grilling. The sizzle of the fat cooking and getting that crunch is the best!
Sauteing, without a doubt! This recipe looks great. I will definitely try it.
Pick one..soo hard to do. It depends on the day, my mood or the protein I have but I'd have to say braise. There's nothing like the juice you get from it!
Roasting, especially vegetables. This pork looks gorgeous!
I like frying because I love crispy textures.
Roasting! Looks like a great book and interesting story on Joshua. Can't wait to see photos, if it impresses Donna that's saying something...
Depends on the meat, but generally for big cuts of pork I like low and slow in the oven at 250 for 8 hours, or to make a pernil cooked on the grill--but low and slow again, and cooked with smoke.
Grilling over lump charcoal. Propane has its uses, but grilling isn't one of them.
Smoking low and slow on the Big Green Egg
Braising!
Roasting meats is my ultimate favorite. Just kosher salt and cracked pepper.
Braising, Long low and slow
Braising. In my opinion it is the most transformative.
I am not proud to admit it, but one of my preferred preparation methods is "cook the living s#*t out of it until the living s#*t is cooked out of it."
Hey, what can I say? I'm a utility grade individual.
Joshua's pork looks much better than the roast I did over the weekend. Perhaps I should reconsider my (ahem) methods.
Id say braising as well. But I am starting to really like my sous vide. brined short ribs last week for pastrami, smoked them yesterday and then into the sous vide last night. Tuesday's dinner should be great.
What a great post! I have always wanted to know how to get a crispy skin like this so I will definitely try this! My favorite cooking method is braising.
Confit! Although i dont get to do it much,is there really anything better than confit?
I love braising because it's so simple and so tasty!
I love to braise. Transform a cheap cut of meat into something amazing, warms your home and fills it with the scent of veggies & meat for hours
Grilling is my favorite. Love the smell of grilled meats. Researching Paleo now, as I am in the beginning stages of dropping weight and want to use Paleo to finish and maintain.
Braising -- it spells comfort food for me. Love the complexity of flavor it brings out and the way it transforms tougher cuts of meat into succulent goodness!
Now that winter is almost over grilling over hard wood, not charcoal, gives a wonderful flavor, crust and visual appeal.
I go with low and slow, whether it be a braise, a low grill,, or sou vide.
I'm a braiser. Grilling in the summer. Eating all the time.
Marinate and grill it, baby! Gimme dat cookbook...
I love the Big Green Egg BBQ because I can get the heat really hot for searing or really low for slow cooking. I love teaching our 9 year old son to cook. He has recently mastered fried eggs, and as of last night, flipping his food in the air w/ a spatula. The best part is his enthusiasm and desire to share his joy and stories.
salt crusting, breaking the shell is so rewarding
My chicken gets roasted (or grill roasted), but my pork gets braised...or smoked. I look forward to reading more from you.
Roasting meats and steaming veggies. Sauteing and covering with a lovely sauce. Then simmering gently until done . . .
You're the man Joshua!! You're book will soon have a home on my shelf. Well Done!!
They are also the entry through which very many people enter their
homes at the end of long days. Tilt up doors use fir, spruce and other soft wood;
roll up uses oak, redwood or plywood. He loves his house and can't stop talking about the great people, the bustling library, and wonderful food that visitors can find in the
area.
I love to confit, is that called confitting?
Grilling is my favorite, roasting is second.
Roasting is definitely my new favorite method of cooking. Tonight I tried Nom Nom Paleo's warm roasted brussels sprouts slaw. Delicious!
Brining and then roasting...so good!
Roasting - both meat and vegetables!
I'm fondest of a roasting. Roasting is the greatest! You can get such a broad variety of textures, and it's such an easy and foolproof technique.
Love to grill, but have recently become a big convert of the braise, and a lot of wonderful slow cooked Spanish food. Wonderful story. I'll be checking out the blog.
We commonly saute most food in our house... though steaming has become more prevalent now that we make soo much cauliflower rice/mash since moving over to the paleo/low carb lifestyle.
Had no idea my method of cooking was called "Braising," but that's my favorite way to prepare meats. I love my cast iron skillet and it gets used every day!
Natural source of heat or cold, sun dried in the actual sun.
We call our back porch the Canadian refrigerator Fall thru Spring.
The ultimate slow cooking is the sun during hot months, you can dry tomatoes, jerkey, salmon, herbs.
To me, that gives it a very special preservation.
I love my Smart Pot for slow cooking meat after pan searing. I just set it and forget it!
Braising is my favorite!
All I want to say is: Whow! I am blown away by the talent and intelligence of this "kid"! How inspirational.
Joshua, you are amazingly accomplished. Congratulations on your book. My favorite cooking method is braising. It's really versatile and the results are certain to be luscious.
I am just finishing up a winter of braised meats. I love this technique.
The book looks amazing! Can't wait to see it ....I love roasting for the flavor..the smells and the sounds!
Roasting!!
Grilling!
Cooking on our wood fire grill. Great taste.
Clearing out the hot coals in the evening from the wood stove, you have instant heat.
Thanks for all the great recipes.
I'm learning about sous vide but what I really love is a good braise.
braising!
Oh! We love grilling at our house! Thanks for the recipe and introducing me to Joshua Weissman. Fab!
Braising! Especially for pork belly, there is nothing more delicious than a slow-braised Chinese pork belly with sugar and soy sauce.
Pork looked great.favorite cooking method all of them love to cook and eat! Does anyone know the average lifespan of people who eat the paleo diet?
I am a big fan of pan searing... except for cleaning up the stove afterwards.
For easy cleanup I love the sous-vide!
yeah love food cooked. let me win something
Roasting or slow cooking for me.
Pan frying, hands down. It's a mess, but the crispy bits for sauces are the best.
I love to grill & braise. Such amazing flavor from both methods! =)
Smoking! It takes good food to another level...esp. a whole smoked chicken!
..roasting & sauteing!...wow,i just found a new inspiration in you,Joshua 🙂 ...i've been wanting to try the paleo approach but haven't had the right 'push' to do it...will definitely try this beutiful recipe 🙂
Roasting. Chicken. Whole.
I love grilling! I can't wait for warm weather so we can grill outdoors again!
Braise because I love the way you can take a cheap, humble cut of meat and make it into something fantastic.
I love grilling. Easy cleanup!
Amazing photographs and recipe! Congratulations!!
Sauteing gives me great satisfaction!
Grilling--you can use high heat or low, and the occasional primal feeling!
It's hard to pick one - so much depends on the ingredients and the time of the year!\. Right now it would probably be roasting; you can get such nice browning, add veggies to the bottom of the pan if you're roasting meat or poultry, and there's the fond and juices to top it off!
Braising hands down. I love the ability to build flavors in a single pot simply by slowly easing them out of the ingredients added. The smell that flows through the house while doing so is certainly an added perk!
I like the ultimate paleo non-preparation - sashimi!
Oh, I love all ways of cooking. Grilling in the summer, braising in the winter, slow stewing any time.
I love roasting meat and in England (where I'm from originally) roast pork made just like this with crackling (the crispy skin) is the norm. It's hard to talk the butchers in Missouri into leaving the skin on - but I have found one who will do it for me!
Roasting....I love the aromas as they develop and permeate the house!
Brining and braising says a lot to me.
Braising. Love how it turns cheap cuts into the most flavorful tender bites.
All of the above.
Grilling - I love cooking outdoors!
I'm going with smoking. I love the flavors that different kinds of wood add to the meat.
I forgot to mention my cast iron skillet, a small one, just for me.
It holds the heat if I cook my dinner, keeps it warm, I eat right out of it. Slow cook in it, confit, I keep it well seasoned so it's easy to clean.
I sauté, fry an egg, char a steak, crush anything with the flat surface - nuts, chips, garlic etc..., plus, it adds iron to the diet.
That, and my chefs knife are my favorite kitchen tools.
My favorite cooking technique/method, if I truly must choose, would have to be sauteing. Partially because of the method itself, but also because people seem to think the food is fancier when you use the word saute.
Beautifully photographed, indeed, Joshua - nice to "meet" you, and that looks like a delicious recipe. It's not often you see marjoram used nowadays.
Anyway, my favourite way to cook is slow-roasting. And taking the day off to enjoy doing it properly, of course. There's just something about the way the flavours develop sooo slooowly in the oven that is deeply satisfying, long before one sits down to eat!