Roast Rack of Pork

In preparation for Thanksgiving, I always make something rather large and bountiful the week before that we can nibble on during the week to free myself from making dinner every night. A rack of pork certainly fits the bill here as you can cut up the chops after roasting and eat the chops separately, or slice pork for sandwiches, even put it in salad or make whatever comes to mind; there are myriad possibilities here. Whatever is left - I mean scraps - I put into a paté for the hors d'oeuvres tray before dinner.

Rack of Pork

I like to let the pork sit in the fridge wrapped in cheese-cloth for a couple of days. It helps the meat to age a little and it takes on the many flavors of the dry rub of herbs and slivers of garlic I insert into the fat. You can use pre-dried herbs or dry fresh herbs yourself. I usually have herbs hanging to dry but the herbs one finds in specialty spice stores are equally as good for this purpose.

1 Rack of Pork (usually 8 large chops weighing anywhere from 6-8 pounds)

Herb rub:

2 Tbs. Fennel Seeds

1 Tsp. Anise Seed

2 Tsp. Green peppercorns

1 Tsp. Black Pepper Corns

4 Tbs. Dried Rosemary

2 Tsp. Dried Thyme

2 Tsp. Dried Sage

Place the herbs into a spice grinder (I used an electric coffee grinder for this exclusive use) and grind into a powder.

If you can't "French" the rack yourself, have your butcher do that for you. What you want to do is basically trim away excess fat around the ribs. At the same time, you should turn it over and get your fingers in between the membrane-like film and the meat and pull away the membrane. In addition to that, there are little knots in between each chop that you need to cut out. There is also a long piece of fleshy muscle that runs along the back of the rack where the actual chop meets the bone. I usually cut this part out (especially when using this cut for a standing crown rib toast). It is delicious pan friend in olive oil with a little salt and pepper as a snack while preparing the rack(s).  Once you have completed these steps you can proceed to the next one below.

3 Cloves Garlic, sliced lengthwise into slivers

1 sprig Fresh Rosemary
1 wedge preserved Lemons, seeds removed and chopped into thin julienne strips and finely chopped and
2 Tsp. Lemon juice from preserved lemons jar

Make tiny slits into the top layer of fat on the rack and insert the garlic. Rub the herbs all over the top, sprinkle with salt. Dot the holes with tiny sprigs of fresh rosemar and wrap the entire rack in cheesecloth, place on a platter or small roasting pan and put in the fridge. Leave it there for 2-3 days. Aging the pork is completely optional and can be roasted immediately if you prefer or are pressed for time.

Preheat over to 375ºF

Take the rack out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature (30-45 minutes).

1 small Onion
2 Carrots peeled and coarsely chopped
1 stalk Celery coarsely chopped
The white part of one leek sliced
Olive Oil
1/4 cup Dry Vermouth
Aluminum Foil

2 long strips of Aluminum Foil folded over itself in thirds and then in half. You should have 2 16-inch lengths of foil. With a scissors, carefully cut a frayed border on one side of the strip but only cutting about 1/4 inch or so into the foil. Cut the lengths in half and then in half again. You should have 8 pieces of foil. Tightly wrap each piece of foil around the tips of the bone so that the fray makes a type of hat or crown. This prevents the bones from charring during roasting and is a very pleasing way to present the pork at the table before carving.

Drizzle the olive oil on the bottom of a roasting pan, add the vegetables and the vermouth plus a tablespoon or two of water.

Before you place a rack on top of the vegetables and put the pork on the rack. At this point, add the preserved lemons and place on the middle rack of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 350º and roast for 3 hours. Baste occasionally, adding more water to the bottom of the pan if necessary. Test for doneness with an instant read thermometer until the internal temperature of the meat reads 180º.

When the pork is ready, remove it from the oven and cover it with an aluminum tent and let rest  for about 20 minutes.

While the pork is resting, remove vegetables from the pan and reserve. Put roasting pan on the stove and reduce the liquid to about 3-4 tablespoons. Add a little butter to the pan and swirl it around the pan so it completely melts and is incorporated into the jus.

Carve the rack into separate pieces, pour some of the jus over the chops and serve.

Next stop: Thanksgiving!