pat's Recipe

Grilled Sausage and Herb-Stuffed Pork Loin

Category: Pork Grilled

1/4 cup olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 hot or sweet fresh Italian sausages,
casings removed
1/2 cup panko or coarse bread crumbs
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 4-lb center cut boneless pork loin roast
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion; cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Crumble the sausage into the skillet and cook until brown, breaking meat up with a fork as it cooks. Stir in the panko and basil; cook for 1 minute more. Let cool, then finely chop the sausage mixture.

Cut a vertical slit down the center of the pork roast, creating a 3-inch deep pocket and leaving about 1/2 inch uncut at each end. Stuff the sausage mixture into the pocket. Wrap kitchen twine tightly around the roast to enclose the stuffing. Place the roast in a roasting pan and season generously with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 3 Tbsp oil, the rosemary, and garlic; coat the roast with herb mixture. Cover roast with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Let the roast come to room temp while you prepare the grill for medium direct heat or preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Grill or roast the pork for 25-30 minutes or until an instand-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the roast registers 145 degrees F, turning the roast every 10 minutes. Transfer roast to a cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes before carving.

makes 8-10 servings