Kitchen twine (6-7 pcs cut into about 24 inch lengths)
Roasting/half sheet pan
Baking rack that fits the pan
Aluminum foil, to line the pan
Aluminum foil, to tent the meat after baking
Ingredients
3 to 3 ½lbspork loin
½teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonground black pepper
1teaspoongarlic powder
1teaspoononion powder
Filling
8oz250g Philadelphia cream cheese, softened (I used ¾ cup only)
1small carrotgrated
6 to 9pcs thinly-sliced deli hamenough to cover
2hard boiled eggscut in half lengthwise
½red bell peppersliced into thin strips
1large whole sweet picklequartered lengthwise
1 375gpack bacon(I used low-sodium bacon)
Instructions
To Prepare the Pork Loin:
Place the pork loin on a cutting board, fat side down. The idea here is to flatten the entire loin into about ½ inch thickness, in ONE PIECE. It’s like unrolling a mat until it’s completely flat. Take your time and do little cuts until you’re comfortable.
With a sharp knife, start by cutting (lengthwise) about ½ inch thick from the bottom of the meat. Make sure the knife is parallel to the cutting board and try to make it as even thickness as possible. As you near the end, stop once you reach the same thickness (½ inch). Turn the meat sideways and continue cutting (“unrolling”) until the meat is completely flattened.
Grab a meat mallet and slightly pound any uneven parts of the loin. The thickness should be the same throughout. Now, you’re ready to season the meat.
Season and Assemble the Roast:
Combine salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder in a small bowl. Mix and rub through the inside part of the meat. Set aside.
Next, spread the softened cream cheese then sprinkle the grated carrots on top. Place a single layer of ham on top of the carrots, making sure the entire meat is covered. A bit of overlapping is fine.
With one narrow end nearest you, line the halved eggs along the narrow side (4 pieces total) leaving about one inch of free space nearest you.Then, line the pickles next to the eggs and the bell peppers next. It’s like making a sushi roll.
Gently roll the meat, from the narrow end nearest you. Tuck and tighten every turn to make sure the fillings stay in place. Once done, position the rolled meat seam-side down. Season the outside with some ground black pepper.
Arrange the bacon pieces side by side until the whole length of the meat is covered. Tuck the bacon ends at the bottom. To easily do this, start by positioning the middle part of the bacon at the very top of the rolled meat and tuck the ends using both hands. Slightly overlap the bacon (about ¼ inch) to adjust for shrinkage while baking.
Place the rack inside the baking sheet. Arrange the twine pieces about an inch apart at the center of the baking rack. Gauge the length of the entire roast in determining the twine positions. Starting from the center of the rolled pork, tie the twine tightly and repeat until all the strings are used up. Trim any loose strings with scissors. Adjust the twine positions depending on the size of your meat.
Preheat the oven to 375F. Position the oven rack in the lower-middle slot. (If the middle part of your oven is on the 3rd position, place the rack on the 2nd)
Bake for 1 hour then lower the temperature to 350F and bake for another 2 hours or until the internal temperature is 140F - 145F.
Tent with foil and let rest for 30 minutes before carving. Serve with ketchup, if desired. This is great served with rice, pasta and some salads or steamed vegetables. Enjoy!
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