Pig Week: Reconstructed Pork Tenderloin

In cooking, the term ‘deconstructed’ means to take a dish, like a beef stew, and cook the ingredients separately, using techniques/flavors not necessarily associated with the parent dish. Finally the separately cooked items are then plated or combined for the final presentation. As a simple example, in the case of a deconstructed beef stew, you might slightly fill a bowl with a reduced beef stock, then place some grilled steak in a corner of the bowl, some glazed carrots and onions in another part of the bowl, and finally gratin potatoes in another part of the bowl. ‘Deconstruction’ is a nice, but maybe a little over used technique, and eventually, I’ll get around to doing some deconstructed dishes.

But what about ‘Reconstructed’? What could that mean? I thought about it for a while, and nearly everything I ended up with was some kind of soup, stew or casserole. Not bad, but not terribly cutting edge. And then I looked at it a different way – giving back to something that man had taken away. And I came up with this.

In the case of my reconstructed pork tenderloin, I am putting back in two things that pork should come with, and naturally does come with, but butcher-men, in collusion with homogenized American tastes have taken away : Fat and Skin.

Now I realize that not everyone will want to try this out. Even beyond that, not everyone will be able to try it out, as it involves a substance you will not find at the grocery store: Transglutaminase. Transglutaminase is an enzyme (naturally derived) which binds protein together. It is more commonly referred to as ‘meat glue’. If you have ever had Chicken McNuggets, or Turkey Loaf, or fake crab meat, you have eaten it. It what holds ‘mystery meat’ together. Now while none of the above probably sound very appealing, it is not the use of transglutaminase that makes it so. It is the fact that you are taking crap, and trying to make something better out of the crap – not the best plan for great tasting food. You will have to order transglutaminase from the internet, where it is available under the brand name Active RM. It is not cheap, and is usually sold by the kilo. But a little goes a long way, and properly stored in the freezer, it will last a very long time.

In this case, I am using the ‘glue’ to meld together the pork tenderloin and chicken skin. My idea is to use the skin to hold in juices and fat, while the pork cooks. And yes, it works !

I don’t blame you if you find the whole idea weird – my wife Julia did as well, and was not anxious to try it out. But when she did, she gave the final product a big ‘thumbs up’. If you try this, I think you will agree.

Ingredients

• 1 pork tenderloin (about a pound)
• skin from 10 chicken thighs
• rendered fat
• 1 tablespoon transglutaminase enzyme (Active RM)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fine minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Start by preparing the tenderloin. You need to slice and trim it so that you end up with 2 evenly shaped sections, about 6 ounces each. Set them aside and refrigerate.

Now, in the oven or in a pot on the stove, render your fat. I used goose fat from a goose confit I was making, but a few ounces of rendered bacon fat will do just fine. You want fat with flavor, so don’t just render some lard, and for Pete’s sake, do not use vegetable fat or oil. Remove the tenderloin pieces from the refrigerator, and using a meat injector syringe, inject the rendered fat into the pork. Do not be shy ! When finished, return the pork pieces to the refrigerator to allow the injected fat to re-solidify, about 30 minutes.

Now take a long piece of plastic wrap and spread it out on a flat surface. Take about 5 of the chicken thigh skins and arrange them in the middle of the plastic wrap so they form a square large enough to ‘roll and wrap’ the pork pieces.

Prepare the transglutaminase. Mix one tablespoon of it with 4 tablespoons of water to form a slurry. Using a pastry brush, coat the top of the chicken skins throughly. Place a piece of pork on the skins and roll the skin up around the pork tightly. Make sure the ends are covered as well. Roll up the newly constructed meat in the plastic wrap, and twirl the ends of the plastic wrap until the whole concoction is firmly sealed. The objective is to make the skin and pork really stick together. Return the wrapped meat to the refrigerator, and allow the ‘glue’ to set up for at least 4 hours prior to cooking.

Whew ! The hard part is now done. After that, the rest is simple. Combine the olive oil, herbs and spices in a small bowl to form a paste. Remove the pork from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and slather the paste all around the meat. Place the reconstructed pork on a wire baking rack, and cook about 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven, until the skin has turned brown and crispy.

Your reconstructed pork is now ready to serve. Serve with about anything you would normally serve pork with, but be prepared to enjoy the explosion of tender flavor that comes from this technique !

The Pork Explosion

OK. If bacon makes everything taste great, then certainly adding not one, but two more types of pork to it will make it transcendentally better ! You end up with the wildy popular (at least on the internet) Bacon Explosion. In my version, I substitute pork tenderloin for the core, instead of using more bacon, and use Italian sausage instead of country sausage, to add nuance to the dish, and, frankly, reduce some of the fat. Hence, the Pork Explosion.

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean center cut bacon
• 1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
• 1 8 oz. pork tenderloin
• salt
• black pepper
• Coarse grain brown mustard (for serving)

Perpare the tenderloin. Trim it down until it is about 7 inches long, and about 1 inch in diameter. This is very important, so that your pork explosion does not actually unravel and ‘explode’ ! Salt and pepper, to your taste, the tenderloin, and in a samll amout of butter or oil, in a hot pan, sear the tenderloin until it is browned, about 5 minutes. This will add to the flavor, and ensure that your pork is fully cooked at the end.

Next, thightly weave, in an over-under fashion, strips of the center cut bacon to form a mat. Make sure the weave is very tight, so the bacon, which will shrink during cooking, does not alow the rest of the meat to pop out during cooking.

Now spread the Italian sausage over the bacon mat, about 1/3 inch thick, covering all but about the last inch of the mat.

Center the seared tenderloin on the mat.

Carefully roll up the mat, keeping the tenderloin in the center of the roll. Use the bacon which was not covered with sausage to overlap and help seal the roll. The roll should be very tightly wrapped to prevent the roll from coming apart whnhe cooking. Wrap in plastic wrap very tightly, and refrigerate about an hour to help all the meat bind together.

Now it is time to cook. Place the roll on a baking rack and place in a 350 degree oven. Allow to cook for about 30 minutes, until the bacon is golden brown and a little crispy, as much of the fat cooks out of the dish.

Your pork explosion is now ready to serve. I can be sliced and eaten hot, but I have found that I prefer to let it cool, then refriferate it, and then slice it into 1/2 inch slices. It serves more like a terrine or country pate when done this way. Serve the slices as an appetizer, with some coarse grain brown mustard on the side.