Carolina BBQ Roasted Pork

If you're looking for a new and exciting way to serve pork, look no further than this Carolina BBQ roasted pork. The perfect combination of sweet and tangy, this dish is sure to impress your guests and leave them wanting more.

Recipe

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Carolina BBQ Roasted Pork

Total Time2 hours hrs

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pork

Servings: 6

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Carolina bbq sauce

• 1 ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 ½ tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon black pepper
• ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Remaining ingredients

• 2 ½ - 3 lb pork loin
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons Aleppo pepper
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• ¼ cup chopped chives
• ¼ cup crushed peanuts

Instructions

• Make Carolina bbq sauce. Combine all of the ingredients including apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, dijon mustard, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes in a medium saucepot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer for 15-18 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
• Set aside half of the bbq sauce and reserve. Place pork loin in a Ziploc bag and pour the remaining bbq sauce over the pork, turning to coat. Let sit for at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Remove pork from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Meanwhile, combine sugar, Aleppo pepper, paprika, salt, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder until well combined.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top.
• Remove pork from marinade and sprinkle a generous amount of the spice mixture over pork, making sure to cover all of the sides. Place on prepared baking sheet and roast pork in the oven for 1 hour 20-30 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 150 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Top pork with crushed peanuts and chopped chives. Slice and serve with reserved bbq sauce on the side.

Video

Notes

You can make the bbq sauce up to 5 days in advance.

Cook the pork until the internal temperature registers 145 degrees F for medium-rare, 150 for medium, 155 for medium-well, and 160 for well done.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Marinate the pork

First things first, you'll want to marinate the pork loin in a flavorful BBQ sauce. To make the sauce, you'll need apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring them to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer for 15-18 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

Let the sauce cool completely before using. Feel free to make the sauce several days in advance.

Next, place the pork loin in a Ziploc bag and pour half of the BBQ sauce over the pork, turning to coat. Reserve the other half of the sauce for later use.

Let the pork sit in the marinade for at least 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. This allows the flavors to penetrate the meat, making it extra juicy and tender.

Step 2: Season

Once the pork has marinated, it's time to season it with a blend of spices that complements the tangy flavor of the BBQ sauce.

For this recipe, you'll need sugar, Aleppo pepper, paprika, salt, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Combine all the spices in a small bowl and mix well. Remove the pork from the marinade and sprinkle the spice mixture generously over the pork, making sure to cover all sides.

You will probably have some extra seasoning mixture left.

Step 3: Roast

When you're ready to roast, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Place the pork on the wire rack and roast for 1 hour and 20-30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 150°F.

If you like your pork medium-rare or well done, adjust the cooking times accordingly.

Once the pork is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. When I was a student attending the Culinary Institute of America, this was one of the first lessons we learned when preparing meat. It's imperative that you let it rest so that the juices can permeate. Trust me, the resting time allows the pork to become even juicier.

Then, top the pork with chopped chives and crushed peanuts for some added texture and flavor. Slice and serve with the reserved BBQ sauce on the side.

One bite into this beautifully roasted pork and I was sold. The flavors are wonderfully complementary to one another, with the tangy BBQ sauce and the sweet spice mixture with mild heat. The pork was juicy despite being a lean cut, and the garnishes added another layer of texture and flavor. Hopefully, it'll impress you as much as it did me!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: You can make the BBQ sauce up to 5 days in advance.
• Store: To store roasted pork, let it cool down to room temperature and place it in an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to four days. To reheat roasted pork, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the pork in an oven-safe dish, add a small amount of liquid such as broth or water to prevent it from drying out, and cover the dish with foil. Heat in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

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