Bacon Marinated Pork Loin Stuffed with Fig, Sage, and Goat Cheese + Meal Plan Monday Week 29

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Weave Made Media®, Smithfield®, but all my opinions are my own. #weavemade #SummerSizzling http://my-disclosur.es/RgFrEH

This summer has been all about grilling. Aside from some crazy hail and flooding in May and early June, it’s been a pretty mild summer in Denver, so we’ve been out in our backyard as much as possible. My woodworking hubby built us a beautiful redwood deck a few years ago while I was gone studying abroad in Spain, and I absolutely LOVE sitting out there for my morning coffee before the sun gets too high, and grilling and entertaining in the afternoons after the sun has drifted behind our detached garage. Sometimes we even go outside at night, lay in the hammock and try to catch glimpses of stars through the city lights. It may be a tiny yard, but it sure is a beautiful place to be in the summertime!  (Plus, the less to mow, the better. Am I right?)

If you haven’t caught on from the meal plans, we have also been trying to stick to a healthier diet the past several months. This means I’ve had lean meats on my grocery list a lot more often than we used to. Chicken and turkey is almost always my go-to, but this week Hubby asked for “something fancy with pork. And maybe bacon too?” for our weekly date night meal. I was so excited when I found this Smithfield® Applewood Smoked Bacon Marinated Pork Loin Filet in the meat section at Walmart! (Hubby was TOTALLY excited too. Wife of the year award here I come!)

While I was staring at the choices, one of the awesome meat department guys came up and asked if I needed help. I told him I was just brainstorming for my food blog. We chatted for probably 20 minutes about ways to cook pork and then he helped me track down an elusive roll of baking twine (it’s actually over on the other side of the store in housewares on one of those random hanging displays in the middle of the aisle – not near the meat). I didn’t catch his name, but if you’re reading this, thanks for your help! (And for those of you keeping track at home, I now have a meat department guy, a produce department guy, and a cheese department lady at various grocery stores around Denver. I think my Texan friendliness is showing.)  

This recipe is one that I’m really excited about sharing because it looks SO FANCY but it was SO EASY! As Hubby and I were eating our meal, we both decided that it was the most delicious pork loin we have probably ever eaten. (And we’ve eaten at a ton of restaurants y’all.) The bacon on top came out crispy, the goat cheese, sage, and figs inside add some sweetness and creaminess, and the pork was seriously perfect on the grill and not dry in the least. We were really proud of ourselves for our restaurant-quality food, so I want to share all my secrets with y’all.

My three secrets for perfect fancy pork

My first secret for perfect fancy pork is to cut it in a fancy (and easy to stuff) spiral. You’ll want to make what is called a roll cut and it’s actually way easier than it looks. I watched the first 3 minutes of this instructional YouTube video, declared myself a master of this technique, and did it pretty well on my first try! The crucial part is to keep your knife sideways, make small, shallow cuts along the length of the pork loin, and whatever you do, do not cut all the way through the pork loin while you “unroll” it. You should definitely watch the video and look at my photos, before you give it a shot. Still kind of hesitant? You can butterfly it too with one long cut down the center and I won’t judge you. 🙂 You just won’t be able to get as much of the filling in there and it may leak out a bit more on the grill.

The second secret to perfect fancy pork is to cook it on indirect heat. Pork is a lean meat, so there’s not a lot of fat inside to render and keep it tender. That means you’re best bet is to turn on one side of your grill and cook the pork loin on the opposite side of the grill. (Or pile your charcoal to one side and the meat on the other.) It takes a bit more time than blasting it with flames would, but trust me on this one. I almost always cook with a meat thermometer and take my pork off when it reaches the 155 degree mark. (It hits the 160 degree safe temp by the time it finishes resting.) 

This leads me to the third secret to perfect fancy pork: Give your pork a quick nap after you take it off the grill.  Any time you cook a large hunk of meat, you want to give it time to rest so the juices don’t run out and leave it dry when you slice it. “Resting” the meat means you cover it completely with a foil blanket on a cookie sheet or cutting board mattress, tuck it in and just let it sit there for about 10 minutes while you grill some veggies or grab a cutting board and a few fancy place settings. (Telling your pork a bedtime story is optional.) I also stressed this technique back when I shared my Texas Fajitas, and I really can’t say enough about how important it is when grilling! 

So if you want to knock the socks off your spouse or your dinner guests with just a small bit of effort, try these tips, whip up a side of grilled veggies, pop open a bottle of wine, and serve up this Bacon Marinated Pork Loin Stuffed with Fig, Sage, and Goat Cheese. You can even save $2.00 on any ONE (1) Smithfield® Marinated Fresh Pork Product through this digital coupon offer. (While Supplies Last)

Bacon Marinated Pork Loin Stuffed with Fig, Sage, and Goat Cheese

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

• Author: Stephanie Powers
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

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Description

A quick and fancy pork recipe using Smithfield® Applewood Topped Bacon Pork Loin Filet

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 Smithfield® Applewood Topped Bacon Pork Loin Filet (at least 1.5lbs)
• 6–8oz goat cheese, softened to room temp
• 3 sprigs fresh sage leaves, washed and stems removed
• 6–7 dried turkish figs, diced
• baking twine

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

1. Heat the grill to medium heat (gas) or prepare the coals (charcoal). An ideal temp would be between 375-400 degrees, and you’ll need a grill with a lid for even cooking. You’ll also need indirect heat, so only light one side of the grill with gas or charcoal.
2. Remove the pork loin from the package and gently scrape off the bacon topping and set aside.
3. Place the top/marbled side down, and using a sharp knife, carefully roll cut the pork loin (see video link and photos above) and flatten it out on a cutting board. (Butterflying is fine too.)
4. Using the back of a spoon, spread the goat cheese evenly on the inside of the pork loin, being careful to leave a few inches of pork uncovered on all sides.
5. Lay out the sage leaves and sprinkle with the dried figs on top of the goat cheese.
6. Roll the pork back up with the filling inside and tie tightly in several places with baking twine. Be sure to secure the ends well to help keep the cheese from leaking out while being cooked.
7. Press the bacon topping back onto the top of the pork loin.
8. Place on the opposite side of the grill from the heat source, bacon side up. Close the lid and cook for about 22 minutes per lb if roll cut, and closer to 30 min per lb if butterflied.
9. Remove from the grill once the internal temp has reached 155 degrees.
10. Place pork on a cutting board or cookie sheet, tent with foil, and allow the pork to rest for about 10 minutes.
11. Slice carefully into medallions, cutting the twine off as you go, and serve with some grilled veggies, a salad and a bottle of wine for a perfect quick and fancy meal!

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Notes

• Gluten-free: This is gluten-free!

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 6

Meal Plan Monday 7/20-7/26:

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This meal plan is designed to feed approximately 4 adults at each meal or two adults with lunches left over. Feel free to double or add to it as needed.  **You’ll need to open it with the free Adobe Reader App (Android or iOS) to be able to use the check boxes on mobile, so install that first if you don’t have it already.**

Monday: Leek and Mushroom Skillet Frittata from Natasha Red (gluten-free, vegetarian)

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Tacos Al Pastor from Gimme Some Oven (gluten-free) 

Wednesday: Nonna’s Sauce over Spaghetti Squash from Flowers in my Hair (gluten-free, vegetarian/vegan option)

Thursday: Eat Out.

Friday: Pizza Night! With my Perfect Pizza Dough and your favorite toppings. (Gluten-free if you sub gf pizza dough)

Saturday: Date Night! This Bacon Marinated Pork Loin Stuffed with Figs, Sage, and Goat Cheese. (see recipe above) (Gluten-free) 

Sunday: Y.O.Y.O. (You’re on your own.)

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