Medieval Roasted Pork Loin

Sliced roasted pork loin with jus

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City/Region: England

Time Period: 1390

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Pigs were an important source of food in the Middle Ages. They didn’t take up a lot of space, had lots of babies, and ate pretty much anything, so despite their smell and bouts of violence (sometimes ending in murder), they were commonly found throughout Europe.

This English recipe, which uses black pepper, coriander seed, caraway seed, and wine, all expensive ingredients that had to come from far away, wouldn’t have been for the common folk. Today, these ingredients are readily found at the grocery store, and this is a delicious roast that is perfect for those just getting into medieval cooking. As with a lot of historical recipes, there are no quantities given, so feel free to adjust the amounts of any of the spices to suit your taste.

“Cormarye.
Take Coriander, Caraway small ground, Powder of Pepper and garlic ground in red wine, muddle all this together and salt it, take loins of Pork raw and flay off the skin, and prick it well with a knife and lay it in the sauce, roast thereof what thou wilt, & keep that that falleth therefrom in the roasting and seeth it in a little pot with fair broth, & serve it forth with the roast anon.”

— The Forme of Cury, 1390

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Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons whole caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 750 ml bottle red wine or less as needed, I used a light Bordeaux
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
• 3 to 4 lbs (1 1/2 kg) pork loin
• 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or lard
• 1 cup (235 ml) beef broth

Instructions:

1. Grind the whole spices, then mix together the coriander seed, caraway seed, black pepper, salt, and garlic. Whisk in about 2 cups (475 ml) of the red wine.
2. Pierce the pork loin on all sides with a knife to let the marinade get a little deeper into the meat.
3. Pour the marinade into a dish or a zip top bag that is large enough to hold the pork loin. Add the pork loin. You can add more wine here if you wish. If you’re using a dish, the marinade doesn’t need to completely cover the pork, just make sure to flip it over at least once during the marinating time. For a zip top bag, you want enough liquid to surround the meat.
4. Put the pork loin into the fridge to marinate for at least a couple of hours, preferably overnight. If you're using a zip top bag, it's a good idea to place it in a dish or pan just in case it leaks.
5. After the pork has marinated, take it out of the marinade and pat it dry with paper towels. Reserve the marinade.
6. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Prepare a roasting pan with a rack if you have one, but no big deal if you don't have a rack. You could even use the same dish you marinated the loin in if you'd like.
7. Place a large pan over high heat and add a tablespoon or two of oil or lard. When it’s hot, place the pork in the pan fat-side down. Sear for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip. Sear all sides of the loin, including the ends, so that there’s a nice browned crust all over.
8. Place the seared pork loin into the prepared roasting pan and ladle some of the reserved marinade over it. Roast in the preheated oven for 40 to 60 minutes, or about 15 to 17 minutes per pound. Check it occasionally, and if it starts to burn, you can cover it with some aluminum foil. If you have a thermometer, you want it to read at least 140°F (60°C) when inserted into the center of the pork. It will continue cooking after you take it out of the oven, and you want it to hit at least 145°F (63°C).
9. Take the roast out of the pan, cover it with foil, and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
10. Pour the drippings from the roasting pan into a saucepan and whisk in the beef broth. Bring the pot to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally. This won’t thicken into a sauce, but will be more like a jus for a French dip.
11. After the jus has warmed and the pork has rested, slice the pork and serve it forth with the jus.

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