Caramelized Onion Jam Pork Roast

So, I'd had a desire to make some onion jam recently and finally found a recipe I liked as well as the motivation to actually attempt it.  It came out delicious!  With roasted garlic and some apple cider how can you go wrong?  Once it was done, however, I needed to use it on something.  So we got a nice, big pork tenderloin roast and carved it out into a flat sheet, brined it overnight, smothered it with the jam, cranberries, raisins, pecans, and rolled it back up and baked it.  Awesome is the best way to describe it. The brine is good for both pork and chicken and the jam works well on bagels with cream cheese, most meats, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are next on my list to try.

To back it up musically, I've got some Cock Sparrer with one of my favorites from them "Take 'Em All".  Nothing like some gutter punks to compliment a nice fall meal! - justin

Brine

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Makes: Approx 2 quarts
Level: Easy

• 5 cups water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 2 tbsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1 tsp brown mustard seed
• 1 tsp whole allspice berries
• 1 tsp whole corriander seed
• 4 whole bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flake
• 1 whole cinnamon stick

Add all ingredients to a 3 qt saucepan and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce to simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool completely.  This can be frozen for later use if desired.

Caramelized Onion & Roasted Garlic Jam

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Makes: Slightly less than 2 quarts
Level: Easy

• 4 heads of garlic
• 4 cups onion, chopped
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 5 cups sugar
• 2 oz dried pectin

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Remove the papery outer skin from the garlic heads but do not peel or separate cloves.  Cut off the top inch of the garlic bulbs and brush with olive oil.   Wrap each bulb in heavy duty foil and bake for 35-40 minutes or until soft.  Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

In a dutch oven, saute onions in butter for 30-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Squeeze softened garlic into pan. Stir in the cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, salt, white pepper, ginger, cloves, and smoked paprika. Bring to a rolling boil. Gradually add sugar, stirring constantly. Return to a boil for 3 minutes. 

Add the pectin and bring to a rolling boil.  Boil for one minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and allow the liquid to cool for 5 minutes, scraping any foam off the top afterward.  Pour mixture into sterile quart canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch of head space.  Adjust the caps and process in boiling water for 10 minutes if long term storage is desired.  Otherwise the jam can be stored in the fridge for immediate use.


Onion Jam Pork Roast


Prep Time:12 hours
Cook Time: 2 to 2.5 hrs
Serves: 8 people
Level: Medium

• 5 lb pork tenderloin roast
• 1 qt pork or chicken brine
• 1 cup Caramelized Onion Jam
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper

Fillet the pork roast out into a flat sheet, like a flank steak.  Take a large knife and cut an inch thick piece along the length so the as you roll the roast away from the knife you create a sheet of meat.  Place in a gallon ziplock bag and all enough brine to cover the top of the meet.  Place in a spill proof container overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Remove the pork from the brine and rinse with cold water to remove the brine.  Pat dry with a paper towel.  Lay the pork out flat, over three pieces of butchers twine (cotton string) cut to 1 ft in length, and cover evenly with the jam, raisins, pecans, and cranberries.  It should look like this when you are done:

Roll the roast back up and tie off at even intervals with the butchers twine.  Place in a roasting pan, sprinkle the top with the salt and pepper and place in the oven for 30 minutes a lb, or until the center of the roast reaches an internal temp of 150 degrees.  Remove from heat and allow the roast to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serve with the jam as a condiment or topping and enjoy!