Bacon wrapped maple pork!!!

Not miy picture but this is what it should look like when done.

Hello all,

I promised in my homily today (I'll post that later) that I would share the receipt for my "signature dish" that I call "Bacon Wrapped Maple Pork."

There is a funny story behind this dish: 

About 6 years ago a older friar came up to me a few days before it was my turn to cook for the week and he handed me a receipt.  He had this mischievous twinkle in his eye as I took it and opened the folded piece of paper.

Inside I found a complicate receipt for pork loin wrapped in bacon and marinaded in maple syrup.  It was rather complicated... but I cooked it for him the next week and the friars loved it.  I've simplified the receipt (I don't really cook using receipts) and now I'll share it with you.

Ingredients:

Pork loin (about 1/2 lb. to 3/4 lb. per person so that there is a small chance that you will have leftovers)

Regular bacon (avoid the "maple flavored" stuff... you'll need about 1 lb. per 5 lbs. of loin)

Real maple syrup (it has to be the real stuff... about 16-24 oz. for every 5-7 lbs. of pork.  You can stretch it by adding water since the real maple syrup is expensive)

Brown sugar: I use about 2 cups.

Various seasonings: This will make up the marinade.  I like garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, dried parsley,  and salt (about half as much brown sugar).  I do not like rosemary so I won't use it.  You are free to try it but I don't know how it will taste.  Please feel free to make the marinade anyway that you want.

Directions:

Thaw the pork loin if it is frozen.

Poke a few hundred shallow holes in the loin with a small knife.

Mix the marinade: maple syrup, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and herbs to taste.  Yon can thin this with water to stretch it a bit.

Marinade the thawed pork loin in the maple syrup marinade for at least 24 hours.

A tip: I use a clean garbage bag to marinade in.  It is easy to get the loin fully covered and smothered with the marinade.  Just dump everything in there on top of the loin, squeeze all the air out and twist the top tight and closed.  Then put it in a bowl to go in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

There is no mess.  The new garbage is clean and this allows full coverage with less marinade.  Be sure to flip the bag over in the bowl once during the marinade process to even everything out.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put the loin fat side down on a rack over an open roasting pan.  Put some of the marinade in the bottom of the roasting pan.

Cover the top of the loin with bacon so that it drapes over the loin like a towel over a towel rack.  Completely cover the loin.

Cook the bacon wrapped loin, on the rack, over the roasting pan, with some marinade in it, for about 20 minutes per pound.  

You will need to add some water to the bottom of the pan, occasionally, to keep the marinade from evaporating and becoming impossible to clean off.

The marinade in the pan steams everything with the sweet flavors and helps the final taste.  But it does not need to be basted.

Cook the loin till the center reaches 165 degrees.

Take it out of the oven and let it rest on a cutting board with the bacon (which is probably crispy at this point) still on top.  Let it rest for about 10 minutes.

The thick marinade in the bottom of the pan can be thinned with water and drizzled over the pork if you'd like.  It might be too sweat/salty so try it to see if you like it.  It will not make a good gravy... I've tried it.

Serve nice thick slices with some bacon and I think you'll like it.

I normally steam asparagus and brown/wild/long grain rice with this dish (I avoid the processed white rice).  

Enjoy and let me know how you liked it!