Ingredients:
Pork:
1 cup (250 milliliters) water
1/2 cup (70 grams) kosher salt
1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
1/2 cup (125 milliliters) maple syrup
2 cups ice cubes
3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) Dijon mustard
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
One 2-inch piece ginger, sliced
2 sprigs rosemary
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 cup (250 milliliters) dry apple cider
One 6-rib (about 1.4 kilograms/3 pounds) bone-in center-cut pork loin roast (or a 1 kilogram/2 pound center-cut boneless pork loin roast)
Crust:
2 slices whole grain bread
1 tablespoon roughly chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (60 grams) crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) Dijon mustard
Directions:
- For the brine, bring the water, salt, sugar and maple syrup to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and cook for 5 to 8 minutes to dissolve the salt and sugar, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the ice. Set aside until melted. Whisk in the Dijon mustard, garlic, ginger, rosemary, cinnamon, peppercorns and cider. Transfer to a container and place in the fridge to chill.
- Once completely chilled, place the pork in a large zip-top bag with the brine. Place the bag in a bowl in case of leaks and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
- Remove the pork from the brine, dry it off with paper towel and set it out on the counter for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and prepare the crust by roughly tearing the bread into a food processor and pulsing into crumbs. Add in the rosemary and continue to pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl and drizzle over 1 tablespoon of the oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Stir in the crumbled blue cheese.
- Heat an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle the roast with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Sear the roast, starting with the fatty side, until golden brown on all sides, then transfer to a cutting board. Spread the top and sides of the roast with the Dijon then press the breadcrumb and blue cheese mixture on top of the roast to form a crust.
- Place the pork back into the skillet and roast until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F (70 degrees C); 40 to 50 minutes for a boneless roast or 55 minutes for a bone-in roast. If the roast is browning too quickly, tent loosely with aluminum foil.
- Transfer the pork roast to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing to serve.