Ever have one of those days when you want to take a perfectly good piece of pork, stuff it with pork, and then wrap it in pork? Yes, we stuffed pork loin with sausage and wrapped it in bacon.
No? Um...well....you see...it all started like this...
Triple-Threat Stuffed Pork Loin
When my husband and I first got married, I loved to cook for him. (I mean I still do, but we are talking newlywed cooking.) I would spend hours flipping through magazines and old cookbooks looking for something new to impress him with.
The man loves pork on a spiritual level.
In a magazine, I can't remember which one, this was over 10 years ago...we found a recipe for sausage stuffed pork loin. My husband loved it. He raved about it. Every few months over the next decade he would bring it up ..."Baby, remember that time you made that stuffed pork loin?"
But the recipe was nowhere to be found. All I can remember is the stuffing consisted of crumbled sausage, garlic, carrots...and the rest is a memory. So 10 years later, this is the best I could come up with.
I purchased a 3 pound pork loin thinking it was a whole one. When I opened the package, I found it was actually TWO of those smaller loins. Oh well. We made it work. Feel free to use a big loin.
Brown up your sausage, drain and cool. We use Tennessee Pride brand.
Mix softened cream cheese with carrots, spinach, cooked sausage and seasonings and blend well. Use your hands if you have to, but I found it went pretty quickly with a big spoon.
Wash and pat dry the pork loin. Carefully cut the loin open lengthwise. You want to cut it ¾ of the way through, leaving it attached...almost like a book.
Stuff it, wrap it in thick cut super awesome bacon, and secure with toothpicks. Make sure you wrap it completely and tightly so none of the stuffing comes out while cooking.
Marinate for several hours, turning every few hours so the pork loin can soak up flavor on all sides. Use whatever you like. We used a local favorite by Allegro.
You can leave it overnight, but keep in mind that pork really takes on your marinade and you don't want to overpower the flavor of the stuffing.
Love grilled pork? Try these yummy ideas:
Grilled Ribs with Wild Blackberry BBQ Sauce
Hawaiian Grilled Pork Kabobs
Honey Bourbon Pork Steaks
Now, on to the grill. I can't give you exact cooking times due to variances in grills and loin size. But I can tell you how we did it on our infrared gas grill. The outside temperature gauge and infrared technology make it easy to maintain consistent heat, which is important when grilling pork.
Start with your grill on 400 degrees. Place loins on the grill. Reduce to around 325, and close the grill. Let cook for about 10 minutes, then rotate. Be sure to cook evenly on all sides. Continue cooking until the bacon is crispy brown and the pork loin reaches an internal temperature of around 150 degrees. Remove from heat, cover and let it rest.
After about 15 minutes of resting, carefully slice the stuffed pork loin and serve. So good.
Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Pork Loin
Ingredients
- 4 lbs pork loin
- 1 lb mild pork sausage
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon rubbed sage
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 12-20 pieces thick cut bacon
- 2 cups marinade of choice optional
Instructions
- Cook sausage and garlic. Drain and cool.
- In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, sausage, carrot, spinach and seasonings. Combine well.
- Wash pork loin and pat dry. Cut the loin open lengthwise ¾ of the way through. Leave the loin attached on one of the longest sides.
- Carefully stuff the loin with the stuffing, and wrap tightly with bacon. Secure with toothpicks.
- Place pork loin in a shallow dish and cover with marinade if desired. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, turning the loin occasionally.
- Heat grill to 400 degrees. Place loin on the grill, and reduce heat to 325. Close the grill and cook pork loins evenly on all 4 sides. Turn frequently, browning the bacon. Continue cooking and turning until pork reaches an internal temperature of around 150 degrees. (Check temperature in the loin meat, not in the center where the stuffing is.)
- Remove from heat and cover with foil. Let rest 15 minutes. Slice carefully and serve.
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