Pork Tendy & Boozy Apples
When Chef Ouita Michel and Events Chef Scott Darnell took to the culinary stage at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, they cooked this deliciously seasonal main course using Kentucky’s native spirit. It features locally-raised pork from Patrick Kennedy’s Stone Cross Farm and apples from Stepping Stone Farm, which recently took over Reed Valley Orchard. And of course, plenty of Kentucky bourbon!
We’ve broken the four part recipe down into easy steps. Shop your local farmers market for pork and visit an area orchard for fall cooking apples.
Pork Brine
Makes enough for two whole pork loins or four to six pork tenderloins.
If not used all at once, extra brine can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
4 cups water
½ c Kosher salt
¼ c brown sugar
Sage leaves
3 cloves garlic smashed
¼ onion, sliced
1 bay leaf
4 t black peppercorns, lightly crushed
Some juniper berries
A thyme sprig
A few parsley stems
Coriander seeds
4 cups ice cubes to aid in rapid chilling
½ cup bourbon
Put everything but ice & bourbon into a large pot and bring to a simmer. Once the salt and sugar are dissolved, remove from heat and stir in the ice until it melts. Stir in the bourbon and refrigerate until chilled before adding pork. We suggest brining the pork for a minimum of four hours and maximum of 12 hours if using pork tenderloin (or 24 hours for whole pork loin.)
Pork Rub & Cook Method
1 T Kosher salt
1 T brown sugar
1 T black pepper, freshly ground
1 T granulated garlic
1 T paprika (or smoked paprika)
1t dried mustard
½ t ground clove
½ t instant coffee (optional)
½ t cocoa powder
Mix it all up and rub on your brined pork.
Preheat the oven to 400°. Sear all sides of pork in cast iron with a bit of oil. Be careful to not let the rub burn. When all sides are seared, put the pan in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temp of 150°.
While pork is in the oven, make bourbon flamed apples (recipe follows.)
We recommend serving both with our Weisenberger Cheese Grits & Chris Cain’s Southern Collard Greens (start both of these before anything else.)
Bourbon Flamed Apples
2 local cooking apples such as Jonathan, Macintosh or Winesap
Knob of butter
Sprig of rosemary
1 T brown sugar
2 T bourbon
Squeeze of fresh lemon
Peel (if preferred), core & slice the apples to ~½ “ thickness. Sauté the apples and rosemary sprig in butter until almost tender, add brown sugar and toss to coat. Remove pan from heat, add the bourbon and light with a long wooden match or lighter. Stand back and keep a lid handy if the flames get too high. When the flames die down, add a squeeze of fresh lemon and serve with the pork.
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