Pork Loin On the Rotisserie

One of the best ways to cook just about any large piece of meat. It keeps the house cool and leaves the cook to do other things. 

This isn't so much a recipe as it is a boost to get you to do the same.

I sprinkled the pork loin with the spices and then skewered it onto the rotis rod. Onto the grill it went and it cooked for not quite two hours. My roast was not fully thawed. It really shouldn't take you two hours to cook one the same size, about 2 pounds.

One gadget every kitchen should have is a quick temp thermometer. This is one you use and remove. It does not stay in the meat as it cooks. But you always want to make sure certain meats are fully cooked in order to avoid dangerous situations. The pork loin reached 175* and came off the grill. It was juicy and tender, and importantly throughly cooked. Not overcooking the meat is almost as leaving it undercooked. Overcooking meat dries it out and makes it tough and chewy. Unless you are making jerky, that's certainly not what you want. 

I used a spice blend by Penzeys. I've mentioned them before. If you haven't checked them out yet, do. Even if you do nothing but contact them to get a copy of their catalog, it'll be a good move. Their catalogs are full of cool recipes and tasty things you can try. 

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/shophome.html 

2lb pork loin...

 thread it onto the rotis rod.

Onto the grill.

Here, I'm spreading the spice blend on.

This is the spice blend I used today. Galena Street. This is what they say at the Penzey's Site: A mouth-watering seasoning, quite possibly our best blend. An authentic and traditional Southern-style seasoning, with hints of sage, nutmeg and cayenne. For pork ribs, sprinkle with vinegar, then rub on seasoning, 1-2 tsp. per pound. Add a little more halfway through cooking. For chicken, sprinkle on less. Hand-mixed from: flake salt, sugar, black pepper, paprika, ground Grenadian nutmeg, sage, cayenne and red pepper.

 

One hour of cooking. I had to peek. I knew it wouldn't be done yet. Smells GOOD! :D

OK, 90 minutes, almost done. Time to go prepare the side dishes.

A shot with no flash, just to show the rotis.

I bring it in and put on the serving dish. I want to cut it here, as to catch the juices. They are great over the broccoli!

All sliced, ready to go to the table. All crispy around the edges. I wish you could taste this!

Dinner is served.

A nice close-up.

FYI for my GA pals....  

http://www.penzeys.com/scstore/stores/atlanta.html

Beef and Barley Soup

Meaty beef marrow bones, or any combination that has bones and meat
I used 8 large marrow bones and a small cheap roast. Added bonus of marrow on crusty bread, too! :D

5 cups beef broth or water and bouillon
16 ounces chopped canned tomatoes, including juice
1 large onion, chopped
3/4 t. dried basil, crushed
2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
2/3 cup barley
1/4 cup snipped parsley

Roast bones and meat, till brown and cooked. Remove to large pot to start soup. Add water and simmer, covered 2 hours, chill. I do this on the day before I want to serve the soup. You could do all in one day, but removing the fat from broth is tougher.

Day two, I skim fat off the top of chilled broth, and remove bones. Add vegetables and simmer 2 hours. I remove meat from bones, add back to soup. One hour before serving, add barley.

I double or triple this recipe and we eat it for a couple days! Everyone loves it!

Serve hot with fresh bread. Enjoy!

When I brought the bones home from the market, they were frozen. No problem, they'll roast just as well!

Roasted bones, small beef roast and celery bottom go into soup pot.

Cans of broth and or water and bouillon over the bones to simmer.

Canned tomatoes. Since I'm making this all in one day, I'm just adding everything at once. If you will split cooking between two days, just simmer bones and then add veggies the second day.

Sliced onion.

Sliced carrots added to the pot.

By the way, if you are slicing up your carrots, either with a mandolin or knife, you can leave the tops on as a handle. It gives you something to grip as you slice.

Dried basil and pepper are the only spices. And if I feel it needs a little salt, I often times will use beef bouillon as salt, just to add taste, not just salt.

Stir it all up and turn heat to high.

Once it boils, turn the heat to simmer and put a lid on.

Bones come out after a couple hours, allow to cool so you can pull the meat off.

Small beef roast comes out to be chopped up, as well.

I add celery now, since I took out the roasted celery stalk I had in there while making the broth.

Remove and chop any meat left on your marrow bones. This can vary greatly, depending on the bones.

I prefer a meaty soup, so I always buy a small beef roast to chop up.

All in all, I end with 4 cups of chopped up beef. This is intended to be a meal, not a first course. If it's just a starter, I wouldn't even add extra meat.

Time to add the barley. I prefer regular barley as opposed to quick cooking. I like the texture better. It takes at least an hour to cook this. It can simmer for hours though, if you want.

In goes the barley.

Anyone in the neighborhood have a dog that'd like a few bones? :)

It's so chocked full, it's almost stew! Ready to eat?

Roasted Beef Marrow on Crusty French Bread

Here's one for you, Lori!



A little pinch of salt and pepper, that's all you need.



Roasted marrow bones for the Beef and Barley soup.



I never let good marrow go to waste. Don't need it for the soup.



Here's a nice piece, too. :)



Cut up your crusty loaf.



Spread it on. It can be thin, you don't need much. There isn't much, a little goes a long way.



Must not be too bad, even my kids eat it!



Now, the bones go into the soup pot.