Pork Loin Purse with Spinach, Pear, and Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 piece pork loin (3-4 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon BBQ rub
- ¼ medium white onion, thinly sliced
- 1½ teaspoons fresh tarragon, minced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 pear, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup fresh spinach
- ½ cup crumbled goat cheese
Instructions
- Preheat a smoker or grill for indirect heat to cook at 275˚F. Rinse the pork loin and pat dry. Beginning about ¾ inch from one end and continuing to ¾ inch from other end, cut a slit in the pork loin, about three-quarters of the way into the loin. At the bottom of the cut, make small slices to make a “T” or a pocket. Season the outside of the pork loin with the rub as well as inside. In a small bowl, combine the onion, tarragon, garlic, pear, mushrooms, salt, and pepper and toss to mix. Stuff the spinach into the pork loin, then pack with the onion-tarragon mixture. Place in the smoker for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the meat temperature nears 140˚F. Sprinkle the goat cheese over the stuffing and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145˚F. Remove from smoker and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing 1 inch thick.
