AL CAPONE PORK LOIN ROAST

[WisPete]

AL CAPONE PORK LOIN ROAST MARCH 2024

PS Seasoning Chef adapted.
https://www.psseasoning.com/blogs/recipes/al-capone-roast

I have really enjoyed preparing, serving, and eating a smoked Al Capone Pork Loin Roast several times.

The Wisconsin Northwoods is the birthplace of this recipe.

https://youtu.be/Ps4mbf2WWXE by PS Seasoning
https://www.psseasoning.com/blogs/recipes/al-capone-roast original version
https://youtu.be/Ps4mbf2WWXE?t=128 video started cutting.
https://youtu.be/Ps4mbf2WWXE?t=5 video finishing cutting.

“A show-stopping stuffed pork loin is easier to make than you think! Especially when you learn how to roll-cut it using these easy directions complete with pictures.”


My extended family thought it was the best meal they have ever eaten at our house. It is a great holiday meal with a larger group.
I have made several changes to the recipe each time I made it and will continue on that track.

So could readers of this post.

It is time-consuming and fairly expensive but only the cutting is medium difficulty.
It is a particularly good recipe to modify. Search the web for many other versions. But the PS Seasonings version is the best to start with; my version the best to do later and modify yourself.

A real butcher might be able and willing to do the cut, but my wife did a fine 1/4^th inch roll cut using a very sharp, very thin carbon steel knife.

It works fine with a 4-pound or a five-pound pork loin; I did not try a 3.5-pound loin.
The amount of each meat in their recipe seems to be the right amount for a 5-pound loin roast, serving 10 guests or 12 polite guests.
I used 2 ounces of each meat and 6 ounces of provolone cheese for a 4-pound roast. The right amount to fully cover.
I added a small package of thinly sliced pancetta (not minced) andspread on sun-dried tomato paste and a small amount of anchovy paste.
My wife does not use Good Fella because it has “with sugar to round it out” and besides that, the sugar is corn syrup. But I like its taste and freshness. We use an Italian herb mix that has only Italian type herbs, no corn syrup solids, salt, garlic, or black pepper.
We sprinkle on 1.5 tsp. of Italian fennel pollen. Really worth the cost. A mandatory ingredient in porchettas made in Italy.

• 

Good Fella - Italian Herb Seasoning
Quantity of Good Fella - Italian Herb Seasoning
Price $7.99
https://www.psseasoning.com/products/good-fella-italian-herb?_pos=8&_fid=05221a0b8&_ss=c



Fresh & Wild Wild Italian Fennel Pollen Vegan, Gluten-Free Great with Rice, Pasta, Risotto, Marinades, Meat & Fish, or Even Sauces

We add minced fresh garlic to the sautéing mushrooms at the end of their sautéing.
We have used kalamata olives (somewhat milder) the first time and Greek olives (stronger) the next time. I will try using the olives used in their u-tube presentation (green stuffed with pimentos). Maybe a blend of them.
Another version of the recipe includes the zest of one lemon and ½ tsp of chili flakes, but we have not tried those. Looks promising.
Another cook says their regularly stuffed pork loin is seared it on all sides and ends before serving.
We always are undecided on the order of the ingredients.
First is cross-hatching; then Good fella (contains sugar, salt, black pepper, and garlic); fennel pollen; sun-dried tomato paste and anchovy paste; and parmesan cheese.
After those, we are uncertain whether the mushrooms with garlic and olives would stay in the trussed loin best if they were interspersed with the meats or inserted before the meats. We think that the provolone cheese might be the best to hold in the chopped items, so we place it last.

What are your recommendations?

Tonight’s roast was dry on the end pieces, not so much in the middle.
We have considered smoking to 130 degrees and then slicing it and browning the sliced pieces in a pan with butter.
We have considered smoking to 130 degrees and browning the roast either before or after smoking. I have seen that approach online.
Our adult children just gave each of us an Anova sous vide for our birthdays.
We are now considering a sous vide bath to 110 degrees or somewhat higher.
We have considered re-ordering the ingredients. Maybe in the order of their recipe. Maybe in another order.
We have considered making a gravy/sauce like other online recipes provide.

What are your recommendations?

We serve the roast with fried apples. Not like the sweet version from cracker barrel, but using tart apples such as Honeycrisp, Braeburn, and Granny Smith with somewhat less sugars but with bourbon. We also serve a cranberry orange sauce/compote that has ruby port in it.


INGREDIENTS BY PS SEASONINGS. OVERLAYED WITH OUR CHANGES SO FAR

• 3 ½ LB. – Boneless Center cut Pork Loin
• 4 T – Good Fella
• 2 OZ – Prosciutto,
• 3 OZ – Hard Salami, VERY thinly sliced
• 3 OZ – Pepperoni, VERY thinly sliced
• 3 OZ –Pancetta, VERY THINLY sliced
• 8 OZ– Provolone Cheese, VERY THINLY Sliced
• 3 OZ – Olives, Chopped
• ¾ C – Parmesan Cheese, Grated
• 8 OZ – Mushrooms CREMINI IS BEST. TO GET THEM VERY THIN, WE USE A FAVIA hand-held slicer. The slices are half the width of those in a grocery store. They make browning them in butter easy but time-consuming. I chop them finely after they cool some. Read: “You Should Be Cooking the Hell Out of Mushrooms. You'll be shocked at the magical flavor it brings to soups, sauces, snacks, and stir-fries. OCTOBER 17, 2023”
• 3 T – Butter
• 3 T – Garlic, Chopped
• [1 T Sundried Tomatoes paste.]
• [1 T Anchovy paste.]

DIRECTIONS

1. Trim excess fat from the pork loin if necessary. BUT HAVE THE BUTCHER LEAVE ON A DECENT THICKNESS FAT CAP.
2. [I READ one might want to put the loin roast in the freezer to just firm it up a bit but do not freeze it. It would, however, be lower than room temperature on the smoker, but not if using a sous vide first.]
3. Use a sharp knife to cut and “butterfly” (?) the roast, unrolling it away from the knife as you cut. It is not a true butterfly, which makes only one cut. “Butterflying is a way of preparing meat, fish, or poultry for cooking by cutting it almost in two but leaving the two parts connected.” I have seen the proper word but cannot recall it. It might be a “roll cut”.
4. [START WITH THE CUT UNDER THE FAT CAP, 1/4^TH INCH CUTS. THEN LEAVE THAT ALONE AND START CUTTING THE OTHER SIDE AT 1/4^TH INCH THICK; THEN CUT THAT CUT SIDE ANOTHER 1/4^TH INCH THICK. AND AGAIN, IF POSSIBLE. MAKE FOUR FLATS. When rolling and tying, make sure you roll from the non-fat cap side so that the fat cap is on top of the trussed, stuffed loin.]
5. Once the roast is open, season generously with Good Fella.
6. Evenly lay out the 3 4 sliced meats on the pork, followed by the sliced provolone.
7. Sprinkle on the chopped olives and grated parmesan.
8. Roughly chop OR THINLY SLICE the mushrooms and then sauté them in butter for 8 minutes. Add garlic for the last 2 minutes of cooking.
9. Evenly spread the mushrooms on top.
10. Roll the roast back up as tightly as possible. WE USED TWO OF US AND 8 TWINES. Truss the roast with butcher’s twine and then season the outside generously with Good Fella. It might help if after those trusses, other trusses lengthwise be applied.
11. Allow to rest at room temperature while you preheat the smoker to 350 degrees. OUR FIRST TWO LOINS HAD FAT MIDDLES AND SMALL ENDS SO WE HAD TO FRY THE CUT PIECES IN IN BUTTER IN A PAN ON THE COOKTOP. TASTY BUT EXTRA STEP. MAYBE 325 DEGREES WOULD COOK THE INSIDE BETTER. [At 130, one might want to turn up the heat to 500 to brown it nicely.] [Maybe use a sous vide.]
12. Place the roast on a rack lined tray. QUESTIONABLE IDEA THAT DOES NOT CATCH JUICES BUT MIGHT BE DESIGNED TO COOK MORE EVENLY; JUST TRUSS IT VERY WELL (TWO PERSONS Helpful) and smoke it directly on the grills.
13. Place on the smoker and cook for 1 ½ - 2 hours until the internal temperature of the roast reaches 140 130 degrees. Check often-it may be best at 1.5 hours.
14. Rest for 20 minutes before slicing.
15. If not quite done, sauté each slice in a pan with butter.
16. Enjoy!

[TripleB]

Wow, what a write up. Great job (and patience).

I’ve never made this recipe, but one of the issues seems to be dryness. I would recommend the blade cut (closer to the shoulder) than a center cut. Blade cut has a bit more internal fat than the center cut. You could also try injecting or wet brining the center cut too.

FWIW….

[Mosca]

Wow. I know for a fact I would devour this. So would a lot of folks I know.

I’ve done a couple roulades with chateaubriand, stuffing it provolone, caramelized onions, mushrooms, and garlic. The roll cut is pretty easy with a sharp knife; take your time, it isn’t a race.

Sous vide is pretty good for pork tenderloins, but I haven’t tried a pork loin that way. It would probably work. One problem I had with my first roulade was overhandling it; it’s hard to work with if you’ve never done it before. Yeah, a second person helping out would have made a difference! Sealing it in a bag would help keep it together I think.

It’s pork. Searing it would always help, there’s nothing like the sweet meatiness of seared pork!

Nice contribution, thank you!

[JCBBQ]

I can’t quite…picture it. 😜 Any help w that would go a long way.

Seriously though, I’m gonna have to do this. Thanks!

[FireMan]

Sounds really cool. I have stuffed a few pork loin in my time & it was always well received. Your “innards” though take it to a level where it’s out of the park! Cool write up and neat yer usin “local” seasoning.

[captainlee]

I have tried once to roll cut a loin, it certainly isn't easy. I got it done, not a work of art but were able to roll it back up stuffed. Your recipe looks great, I'll have to give it another try.

[randy.56]

On my bucket list, you did a fine job on the wright up. Like the cutting video.