Garlic and rosemary flavor the butter that bastes this tender pork loin as it roasts, infusing the meat all the way through. Rosemary and pork taste fabulous together – but it’s the crispy prosciutto that really makes this dish. It roasts on top of the pork, holding all that garlicky-herby butter close. Then, at carving time, the prosciutto shatters into salty, bacon-like shards to scatter over the top, so light and crisp they splinter on your tongue.
This roast is a loin, not the tiny tenderloin commonly found shrink-wrapped (and water-logged) at the meat counter. Loin roasts are larger, generally ranging in size between 2 and 3 pounds; for this recipe, a tenderloin would cook too quickly, outpacing the crisping of the prosciutto and the lovely long basting of the roast by the herb butter, so don’t try to substitute.
You may have seen other recipes for pork roast wrapped in prosciutto, ones that will have you tying the prosciutto to the roast with string. If you’ve ever tried to do this you know what an exercise in frustration it is. Prosciutto is thin, delicate, tears easily, and won’t lie flat once you’ve cinched a piece of string around it. Once the roast has cooked, just try cutting those strings without disturbing the prosciutto crust – never mind carving it and keeping the prosciutto intact.
A pork roast will very likely already be tied with string when you bring it home from the butcher shop or meat counter. In this easy preparation, I leave those strings in place, and drape the prosciutto over the roast on top of the string. When the roast comes out of the oven it needs to rest, which gives me just enough time to carefully peel off the prosciutto, move it back to the baking sheet, and broil it until it’s browned and crackling-crisp. Off come the strings and the roast carves easily since I’m not worried about keeping the prosciutto in place. Once the pork is arranged on the plate or platter, I scatter the shards of prosciutto on top.
The pork cooks to an internal temperature of 140 degrees, measured with an instant-read thermometer shoved deep into the heart of the roast. Some meat cooking charts will tell you to go to 145 or even 150, but those are outdated. The days of cooking pork to a dry, solid-white block of toughness are behind us now that we know pork is safe to eat when it’s still juicy and slightly tinged with pink. Once the thermometer registers 140, take the roast out and let it rest; the internal temperature will continue to rise until it’s perfectly done. Watch carefully and check frequently during the last few minutes of roasting: roasting meats have a tendency to linger infuriatingly just below the desired temperature and then zoom up to overcooked when you’re not paying attention.
Whatever else you choose to serve alongside this pork, don’t forget the applesauce – preferably homemade (easy to make and infinitely better than store-bought). Cool, juicy applesauce, sweet/tart and lightly spiced with cinnamon, is the perfect counterpoint to the mildness of the pork, the earthiness of the rosemary, and the saltiness of the prosciutto.
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Prep the pork with the herb butter and prosciutto wrapper at least 2 hours before roasting, and up to a day ahead.
- After roasting, the pork can sit for up to an hour, but don’t carve it until just before serving.
- Leftovers will keep up to 5 days and are best eaten cold, or very gently reheated. Microwaving the cooked pork will cook it further, drying it out. I like to toss leftover pork into a salad, have it cold on a sandwich, or arrange it with other cold meats, cheeses and vegetables on a platter for a casual supper. If you want to reheat it, add ingredients that contain moisture: cut it into thin strips, douse it with soy sauce and toss it into fried rice; or make a hot sandwich with melted cheese, caramelized onions, and a condiment such as barbecue sauce. Don’t worry about clashing flavors – the rosemary and garlic in the pork work well with lots of different flavors.
For a complete fall menu that features this dish, see my post for Saturday October 17, 2020.
Rosemary Pork Loin with Crispy Prosciutto
A 2-pound roast will serve four; 3 pounds will serve six.
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or ¾ teaspoon Morton’s
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- One 2- to 3-pound pork loin roast
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 thin slices of prosciutto, about 2 ounces
- Olive oil
Directions
- Step 1 Mince the garlic. Add 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt to the garlic if using Diamond Crystal, or ½ teaspoon of Morton’s. Mince the garlic and salt together, then use the side of your knife to smash the garlic and salt together into a paste. Transfer the garlic paste to a small bowl and add the rosemary and butter. Smash the mixture with the back of a spoon until all the garlic and rosemary is evenly distributed through the butter, and the mixture is soft and creamy.
- Step 2 Put the pork roast on a cutting board with the fat side up. Use a sharp, thin-bladed knife to make cuts 1 inch long and ¼ inch deep all over the surface of the roast. If the roast wasn’t tied by your butcher, use kitchen string to tie it every few inches along its length, to form it into a tight cylinder. Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the bottom and sides of the roast with the remaining kosher salt. Spread the top of the roast the garlic-rosemary butter, spreading it out evenly, then season generously with pepper. Drape the prosciutto slices over the roast, laying them across the roast on a slight diagonal and slightly overlapping, so the entire top and sides of the roast are covered with prosciutto. If there is any excess prosciutto on the sides, tuck it under the roast, but you’re not aiming to completely wrap the whole roast and you don’t want a lot of prosciutto on the underside. Just tuck the prosciutto against the roast and pat it so it adheres to the butter.
- Step 3 Line a small baking sheet with foil and drizzle the foil lightly with olive oil, to make a fine layer of oil for the roast to sit on. Transfer the roast to the baking sheet. Cover the roast with plastic wrap, and chill it for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
- Step 4 Heat the oven to 350 degrees on the Roast setting. Drizzle the prosciutto on top of the roast with olive oil, using your hands to carefully smear the oil over the prosciutto without disturbing it.
- Step 5 Roast the pork until an instant read thermometer inserted deep into the center of the roast reads 140 degrees. This should be approximately 20 minutes per pound, or 40 to 60 minutes depending on the size of your roast, but trust the thermometer rather than the clock, and start checking the temperature before you expect the roast to be done. When the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, remove the roast to a cutting board. Use one that has a gutter around the edge to catch the juices – if you don’t have a board like this, use a clean baking sheet instead.
- Step 6 Turn the oven to the Broil setting with a rack positioned at the top of the oven, a few inches away from the heating element. Carefully pour off and discard the melted butter that has collected on the baking sheet. Leave the foil in place. Use your carving knife or your hands to carefully peel away the prosciutto from the top of the roast and transfer it to the baking sheet. If it breaks into pieces, that’s fine. Loosely cover the roast with foil and set it aside to rest for 15 minutes.
- Step 7 Broil the prosciutto on the top rack for just a minute or two, until it’s crisp and browned. Watch carefully, and don’t let it burn! Remove the prosciutto to a small plate lined with paper towel to drain.
- Step 8 After the roast has rested for 15 minutes, cut and remove the strings. Slice the pork and transfer the slices to a platter or individual plates. Carefully tip the cutting board to pour the accumulated juices over the pork. Crumble the prosciutto into pieces and scatter them over the pork.
