Pork Loin stuffed with Apples & Radishes

I have spoken many times of the quality, and availability, of good pork in the great state of Iowa. This was a Hormel pork loin that I stuffed myself.  I had seen the technique many times on TV, but was always a bit nervous to try it myself.  I have to say there were a few hiccups at the beginning, but then I got the hang of it. And I'll show you how you can do it yourself.

First peel & dice apples and radishes and saute them in butter, some brown sugar, and a little cinnamon.  Try to keep the pieces small so it's easier to eat.  You should also keep them as uniform in size as possible so they cook at the same time.  Set aside to cool completely.

Next, slice the tenderloin down the middle with a sharp knife. Then lay it on top of wax paper and place another sheet of wax paper on top.  Now smash it flat.  I don't have a meat mallet or a big rubber hammer, so I just used the bottom of a sturdy saute pan.  And just whack away until you have flattened it out to 1/2 inch in thickness.

Liberally season the meat with salt & pepper.  Then fill it with your apples and radishes and then bring both sides up around to the top and completely envelope the fillings.  You should truss the loin together with twine.  Or if you don't have any, you can use dental floss like I did.  I thought I was being a culinary MacGyver with that one!

Start by tying a full loop at one and, then wrap the twine underneath and pass it through your original loop.  Repeat this same movement every inch until you get to the other end of the loin.  Be sure to cinch it tight so the filling doesn't spill out when  you cook it later.  Then tie another loop at the far end.  Season the outside of the loin.  I used a combination of garlic salt, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  In a Dutch oven heat up vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Sear all four sides of the tenderloin in the pan for about 2-3 minutes per side.  Then add apple cider to the pan and transfer it to the oven.  Bake until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees.  You can pull it out periodically and baste it with the juices in the pan to maintain moisture.

Set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes with a foil tent over top.  

Apples & pork are a natural combination.  They just go really well together.  I added the radishes for a little bit of vegetables and some more Earthy flavors.  You could top this with a sauce made from any pan drippings you have, or even serve with a BBQ sauce.

The picture at the beginning was what I served to The Mrs because I did a better job keeping the slices together.  Here's what happened when I was a little less careful:

Later this week I'm going to explain how to make those tasty little sides!