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Show Qthe CHOPPING? BLOCK by Philomena Corradeno You should be seeing less fat in fresh pork cuts in your markets. That's because meat processors and retailers have been trimming more closely. In the 1980s, the standard trim of external fat was one-quarter inch. Today, most cuts have an average of one-eighth inch. Also, because producers have made major changes in the breeding and feeding of pigs, the internal fat has been greatly reduced giving us lower total fat and calories. If you trim off all removable fat before cooking and eat only the lean, the fat consumed is further reduced by about 35 percent This means pork can and should be included in a healthy diet. It's an excellent source of thiamin and niacin and supplies about 10 percent of the O daily requirement of iron. Loin is the leanest cut and a popular Saturday or Sunday dinner. IV v- MUSTARD-GLAZED PORK ROAST 3 to 3A2-pound pork center rib or loin roast 3 tablespoons Dijon -style mustard 2 cloves garlic, minced IV4 teaspoons pepper 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 1 teaspoon lemon juice Combine mustard, garlic, pepper, lemon peel and lemon juice; spread evenly over pork. Place roast, fat side up, on rack in open roasting pan. Insert roast meat thermometer so the bulb is centered in the thickest part. Make certain bulb does not rest in fat or on bone. Do not add water. Do not cover. Roast in 335F. (slow) oven until thermometer registers 170F. for well done. Allow 26 to 30 minutes per pound well done, V2 to 2 hours. SAUSAGE-CENTERED PORK LOIN ROAST 4-pound center loin roast (about 8 ribs) 9 to 10-inch piece 44 fully cooked'1 smoked, pork link sausage Pepper, if desired Place sausage link flat and straight on baking sheet (tape down if necessary) and freeze until firm (four hours or overnight). Insert a long, sharp-pointed knife (with narrow blade) in center of end of pork roast; push the knife into and through to other end of roast, turning the knife clockwise so that it cuts through the middle of the loin and comes out in the center of the muscle on opposite end. Remove knife with the small core of meat. Enlarge hole with the handle of a large wooden spoon. (If knife isn't long enough to extend through roast, leave spoon handle in roast and insert knife in other end to touch spoon handle. Remove knife and insert spoon handle in other end and push through roast.) Insert sausage in center hole in roast and push through gently. Place roast, fat side up, on rack in open roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer so bulb is centered in the thickest part, but not resting in fat. Do not add water. Do not cover. Roast in 325F. (slow) oven to 170 for well done 2 to 2V2 hours. Allow roast to stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Season with pepper. Carve and serve. Makes eight servings. Note; Have butcher loosen chine (back) bone. When roasting is done, the back bone can be removed easily by running the carving knife along the edge of the roast before the meat is placed on the platter to be carved. 1991 by King Features Synd. |