Gin-Washed Pork Rib Roast #FoodNFlix

This month I am hosting #FoodNFlix and #LitHappens as we watch and read, respectively, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. You can read my Food'N'Flix invitation here.

In any case, I asked the Food'N'Flix crew to watch and head to the kitchen.

On the Screen
I actually watched the movie first, then read the book. And I'm glad that I did it in that order, because had I read the book, then watched the movie, I think I would have been disappointed. The movie itself is delightful, a wholesome albeit predictable charmer.

The basic plot: Juliet Ashton, played by Lily James, is a young writer in London who receives a letter from a member of a literary club on the island of Guernsey. Dawsey Adams, played by Michiel Huisman tells her about how they formed the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society to hide a roasted pig from the Nazis. The correspondence inspires Juliet to make a trip to Guernsey and meet the wickedly eccentric members for herself. And her life's course is altered as she falls in love with the island and Dawsey. Okay, sorry for the spoiler there.

If you haven't seen it, stream it on Netflix! It's well worth your time.

On the Plate

The movie opens with Eben Ramsey, played by Tom Courtenay, saying, "Sweetest pork I've ever tasted, Dawsey!" And, in a flashback, you see Dawsey pulling that roast out of the oven. [photo above] I have never seen a pork roast like that. So, I set about trying to track one down.

One of my favorite pork purveyors told me I needed to ask for a pork crown roast or pork standing roast. Unfortunately, he didn't have any and he only comes to town once a month. So, I called Whole Foods and was assured that I didn't need to special order that, it was something they had all the time. Okay.

Well, disappointingly enough, they chop the ribs bones off. So, it didn't look how I wanted it to, but it was delicious! And, in honor of Isola Pribby and her infused gin, I washed the roast with gin before rubbing it with spices. It was delicious.

Ingredients serves 6

• one 3 to 4 pound pork rib roast
• 1/2 C gin

Dry Rub

• 1 C organic dark brown sugar
• 3 T pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika)
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1/2 t paprika
• dash of ground coriander
• dash of ground cardamom
• freshly ground sea salt
• freshly ground pepper

Procedure

The night before, or first thing in the morning, prepare the rub. Combine all ingredients, and mix thoroughly until well blended. Brush the gin over the surface of the roast, then pat the rub onto all the surfaces, going heavier on the meaty side. Refrigerate for as many hours as you can; I ended up leaving it for 8 hours.

Bring the rubbed roast out of the fridge to let it come to room temperature while you heat the oven. but at least 30 minutes. A couple of tips for roasting meat: always roast uncovered and always roast fat side up!

Preheat the oven to 500°F. Set the pork in a small roasting pan. Roast the pork for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. 

Continue roasting the pork for 15 minutes for every pound that it weighs. Mine was a full four pound roast, so I roasted for an additional 60 minutes.

Remove pork from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

And, as a final note, I did find a pork rib roast that looks the way I want. So, if I order it and redo this recipe, I'll be sure to share it.