Ingredients
-
Salt
-
Black Pepper
-
1 (2½- to 3-pound) boneless Pork
-
2 tablespoons minced fresh Thyme
-
3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
-
1 Onion
-
1 cup pearled Barley
-
3 Garlic
-
¼ cup dry White Wine
-
4 cups Chicken broth
-
½ small Butternut Squash
-
8 ounces Swiss Chard
-
1 ounce Parmesan Cheese
-
2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
Directions
We used the French method of cooking en cocotte (covered in a heavy pot in a very low oven) to produce juicy, perfectly cooked pork loin along with creamy barley in this one-pot recipe. The low-heat, trapped-moisture method kept the pork from overcooking. Once it was done, we finished cooking the barley on the stovetop, adding cubed butternut squash and Swiss chard stems toward the end of cooking so they could just become tender. In the final minutes, we stirred in the quick-cooking chard leaves, adding some Parmesan cheese for a bit of richness. We prefer natural pork, but if your pork is enhanced (injected with a salt solution), do not brine. Instead, skip to step 2. Arrowhead Mills and Quaker pearled barley yield the most consistent results in this recipe. If you use a different brand, you may need to extend the cooking time in step 5, adding water as necessary.
Steps
|
1
Done
|
Dissolve ¼ cup salt in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge roast in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 1½ to 2 hours. |
|
2
Done
|
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Remove roast from brine, pat dry with paper towels, and tie at 1-inch intervals with kitchen twine. Season roast with pepper and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon thyme. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown roast on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to plate. |
|
3
Done
|
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion, barley, and ¼ teaspoon salt to fat left in pot. Cook over medium heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and remaining 1 tablespoon thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and bring to simmer. |
|
4
Done
|
Return roast and any accumulated juices to pot, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until pork registers 140 degrees, 30 to 50 minutes. Remove pot from oven. Transfer roast to carving board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest while barley and vegetables finish cooking. |
|
5
Done
|
Bring barley to simmer over medium-high heat and cook, covered, until barley is just cooked through but still somewhat firm in center, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in squash and chard stems and cook, covered, until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in chard leaves, decrease heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, until leaves are tender and mixture is thickened to risotto-like consistency, 2 to 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. |
|
6
Done
|
Discard twine and slice roast into ½-inch-thick slices. Serve with barley and vegetables. |
