As you can see, we’re using our Spode Christmas china. I keep those dishes stored in a closet and they’re all part of the Christmas decoration boxes (too many to number), so when I haul out the decorations, those dishes are unboxed and begin their 30 days of use per year. And in those 30 days they’re used a lot – every day. Even for breakfast. We’ll be long gone and those dishes will live on in the home of one of our children, so why not use them every day? Place settings for 8.
I finally got the dining room table decorated. But for the last few days we haven’t been able to eat in the dining room because I had decorations strewn everywhere. We eat in the dining room most nights, except in the summer when we eat outside on our patio. The other night I really felt like cooking. Not some throw-together thing (yes, I do that too), but a nice meal. I’d purchased a rack of pork ribs at Costco. Did you know they only carry the long roasts in December? So if you want some, now’s the time to get them. They’re amazingly inexpensive – about $17 for 8 ribs. I cut the ribs into 4 small mini-roasts. Two ribs per “roast.” Froze 3 of them, and ate one. I prepared the ribs as a roast, and only when it was done did we slice it into two pieces, so each of us had a rib. As I’m writing this post, we had a big storm yesterday. It was gosh-darned cold, for us. The thermometer registered 39° on our patio at dinnertime. Our mountains are covered with snow. We had the family room fireplace going for many hours yesterday. Even though we had on winter types of clothing, seemed like we couldn’t quite keep warm, even with the thermostat turned up. Anyway, back to pork.
First I brined it. I have a jar of seasoned brining salt (not specifically for poultry, but for anything). So I soaked the roast in the brine (in a Ziploc plastic bag) in the refrigerator for about 5 hours. Drained it, allowed it to sit out for about half an hour, then seasoned it up. I turned to one of my barbecue cookbooks, The Barbecue Bible by Steven Raichlen, and after looking at numerous different seasoning mixes and rubs, I settled on the Memphis Rub. A bit of sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, celery salt, cayenne among other things. No herbs, just spices. There you can see the combo in the picture at left.
After drying off the roast with paper towels, I packed that rub all over the roast. Every place I could put it. I didn’t quite use all the rub, but it will keep for a month or so. You know, of course, that once spices are combined, they tend to lose their flavor much more quickly than if stored individually. That’s why a month or so and you need to use it up. Anyway, then I browned the roast in olive oil. Because of the sugar in the rub, it blackens quickly, so be careful of the heat level. 
You can see the photo right – the redness is from the rub, not from the inherent red color of the meat.
A meat thermometer went into the roast and into a 400° oven it went. Took about 15 minutes, I think. Maybe 20, for it to reach 150°. Once removed from the oven it rested, tented with foil, while I finished up the dinner. Next time I want to take it out at about 145° I think. Any bad bugs in the meat are zapped at 138°, so you’re perfectly safe at 145°. If you like your pork medium, then the 150 is just right.
The aioli was part of the risotto cakes I made to go with the pork. If you want that recipe, click over to my post about those.
The meat was tender, juicy and very tasty. I liked the aioli with it, although I don’t suppose that’s very traditional. The Memphis Rub was just right in its degree of heat. Raichlen suggested a range of heat (cayenne) and I chose the lesser amount. I didn’t want to overwhelm the nice roast with too much chile pepper heat – it would have masked the flavor.
printer-friendly PDF
Baby Crown Pork Loin with Memphis Rub
Recipe By: My own recipe, but the rub is from The Barbecue Bible by Steven Raichlen
Serving Size: 2
MEMPHIS RUB:
2 tablespoons paprika
1/2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
PORK:
1 3/4 pounds pork loin chops — (all in one piece, like a small roast), brined for 4-6 hours
1 tablespoon olive oil
1. Brine the pork for about 4-6 hours in 1 1/2 quarts water with brining salt added. Pour out the brine and allow meat to sit out for one hour.
2. Meanwhile prepare the rub by combining the ingredients and mixing well, to remove any lumps.
3. Place the roast on paper towels and dry off well. Pat the rub mixture all over the meat.
4. Preheat oven to 400°.
5. In a large skillet heat the olive oil until it’s almost smoking hot, but not quite. Brown pork on all sides, including the end, holding it with tongs as needed. Watch carefully that it doesn’t burn as there is sugar in the rub. The rub will cook to a dark caramelized brown as you brown the meat.
6. Insert a meat thermometer in the meat and place the roast in the middle of the oven. If you want the meat to be a little pink in the middle, remove it when it has reached 145°, about 15-20 minutes. Allow it sit for about 10 minutes, loosely tented with foil, or up to 20 while you prepare the rest of your dinner. The meat will heat to about 160° as it sits. Slice the roast in half so each serving includes a bone. If you want no pink in the meat, roast until it reaches 150° and proceed as above.
Per Serving (assumes you use all the rub, so the sodium is high): 451 Calories; 22g Fat (43.4% calories from fat); 51g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 125mg Cholesterol; 1568mg Sodium.
Two years ago: Chocolate Steamed Pudding
Leave a Comment!