Recipe: Barbecued Pork Loin Roast Stuffed with Brandied Figs

Every summer in Tasmanian, Stillwater and Black Cow Bistro owner Kim Seagram hosts a dinner with a magnificent pork loin roast, crispy crackling intact, stuffed with brandied figs and caramelized onions. Here is her recipe, adapted for the home cook.

Advance preparation: Have butcher score crackling and remove from roast to prepare later. For crispy crackling, rub kosher or sea salt into rind and set it on a dish of salt, skin side down, overnight in refrigerator. To butterfly pork loin, place it fat side down on a cutting board. Using a large, sharp knife, make a lengthwise slit down the length of the roast, leaving 1 ½ inches of meat attached; open it like a book. Place the pork between two pieces of plastic wrap and, using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound to lightly flatten to obtain a 1 ¼-inch thickness. Remove plastic wrap.

If using fresh figs, soak in brandy for 1 hour; drain. For dried figs, reconstitute in warmed brandy for at least 1 hour; drain. To make stuffing, heat oil in a medium-sized frying pan until shimmering. Add onions and cook until they take on some colour, then add brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and continue cooking until onions are caramelized. Combine onions, figs and bread (to soak up juices) in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Spread stuffing evenly on pork and roll up. 

Remove crackling from refrigerator and brush off salt using a damp tea towel. Place crackling around roast and return the roast to its original cylindrical shape. Using kitchen string, tie into a cylinder.

Set the barbecue for indirect grilling by placing a drip pan under the grill in the centre and preheat the grill to medium. When you are ready to cook, place the pork roast in the centre of the grate over the drip pan and away from the heat and cover the grill. Cook until the pork roast is crusty and browned on the outside and the internal temperature reaches about 145°F, about 1 ½ to 1 ¾ hours. Test for doneness by inserting thermometer into centre of roast. Transfer to cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Cut into 1/2-inch slices. Serves 8.

Photo by Jared Sych. Food styling by Julie Van Rosendaal.