Spinach and Swiss Cheese Stuffed Kessler Pork Loin
Created by BBQ Brian Misko of House of Q (www.houseofq.com)
Ingredients
- 1 Johnston's Kessler Pork Loin roll cut for filling
- 350 g swiss cheese
Spinach Stuffing
- 1 medium sweet onion diced
- ½ fennel bulb diced
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 pkg spinach fresh
Glaze
- 1 jar cherry preserves jelly
- 1 cup House of Q apple butter BBQ sauce
Apple Chutney (recipe from Lynn Crawford)
- ½ medium sweet onion diced
- 2-3 Tbsp butter
- 4 green apples diced
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup House of Q slow smoke gold BBQ sauce
- 1 Tbsp thyme fresh
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a skillet, melt the butter and soften the onions for the filling. Add the diced fennel and continue cooking until all soft. Add the spinach and once wilted, remove from the heat and hold to stuff the pork.
- Starting at the exposed bones, gently slice from one end toward the opposite end of the rack of ribs to start to open the roll. Continue with small thin cuts and rolling the loin portion out across a cutting board. If it helps, think of a roll of paper towel and you need to slice each sheet off the bulk roll... by thin slices and rolling the "bulk" of the meat.
- Once flattened, cover the meat with plastic wrap and using a meat mallet pound the meat completely even. The meat overall should be about 1/2 inch thick.
- Spread the cooled spinach filling all over the meat. Shred the cheese and spread it on top of the spinach filling. Starting opposite to the rack of rib bones, roll the meat and filling pressing in any spinach and cheese that falls out. Once rolled back onto the rack of ribs, use kitchen string to tie the roll together. You will need 6-9 pieces of string to tie the roast up properly and evenly.
- Prepare your grill or smoker for indirect, low heat smoking. Start your charcoal and add your choice of wood chips such as maple, cherry or even apricot wood. Place the roll on the smoker and close the lid. Smoke roast for about 90 minutes to 2 hours in total checking the meat temperature every 15 minutes starting at an hour in.
- Meanwhile in a small sauce pan add the cherry preserves and Apple Butter. Bring to a boil stirring and reduce the heat once the preserves have melted and mixed well into the Apple Butter BBQ Sauce.
- Once the meat has reached an internal temperature of 125-135 F, glaze with a brush and continue cooking. If the loin needs another layer of sauce, do so until the meat registers 140-145 F. Remove from the grill to rest.
- To make the chutney, melt the butter in a skillet and add the onions. Once softened, add the apples, sugar, vinegar, Slow Smoke Gold and thyme. Cook for a few minutes until the sugar has melted and the sauce started to thicken. Remove from the heat and let rest until ready to dress the pork loin.
- Turn the pork loin so the bones are showing. Use a large kitchen knife to cut in between the bones and through the stuffed roll. Once cut, look for the strings and remove them... it is easier to cut the loin with the string holding it all in place.
- To plate, place a piece of spinach stuffed pork loin on a plate and top with the caramelized apples and sauce.
