Harvest Pork with Sweet and Savory Au Jus

Yum
Harvest Pork with Sweet and Savory Au Jus is a boneless pork roast roasted up with a host of characters which makes a full bodied flavor au jus that is very light and poured over the meat at plating time. I brought in fall flavors with fruit, the standard mirepoix and fresh herbs. It's a break away from heavy sauces and gravies and I loved the flavor.


Now that it is just the two of us I buy smaller roasts which end up costing not a lot of money. The two plus pound roast cost $8.50 and really is enough for four to six people. What I plan on doing is to roast this in my showtime rotisserie, however you can roast this on a rack in a roasting pan in the oven. Figure 20 - 25 minutes per pound and the internal temperature should reach 145° degrees for safety purposes. We like our pork with a slight hint of pink actually so I take mine out at about 142° and letting it rest for about 10-15 minutes tented with foil.

You let the roast rest to allow the juices to redistribute. If you cut a roast as soon as it comes out of the oven then all the good juice just runs out. The juice will still escape as it rests and that juice can be added to any liquid you have for a sauce, gravy or in this case an au jus.

• 2 lb. boneless pork roast
• 2-3 small apples - thick slices
• 1 - 15.5 oz. can pear halves (reserve 1/4 cup liquid)
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 large carrot - cut in large chunks
• 1 small onion - cut in large chunks
• 1 stalk celery - cut in large chunks
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 sage fresh sage leaves
• 8 fresh parsley leaves
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• granulated garlic to taste
• cooking spray

1. Spray the bottom of your roasting pan and your rack with a cooking spray (like Pam).
2. Chop all of the vegetables and line the roasting pan with the vegetables.
3. Add in all of the pear halves and 1/4 cup of the juice from the can.
4. Next add in the fresh herbs and the chicken broth.
5. Season the vegetables with a bit of salt and black pepper.
6. Season the roast on all sides with salt, pepper and granulated garlic.
7. Roast in a pre-heated 350° oven uncovered until the temperature is at 145°. If your roast is a tad over 2 lbs. you'll roast for about an hour or so.
8. Take the roast out of the oven and place on a cutting board.
9. Next take the liquid and vegetables and fruit and herbs and place in a medium sauce pot. Bring to a boil and mash down the vegetables and fruits slightly. Strain the au jus and you are ready to serve. 

We served ours with broccoli and some boiled red potatoes with butter and ladled the au jus over the pork. It was delicious. If you don't like any pink in your pork be sure to roast until it does reach 145°. Like I said above I like mine with a hint of pink with roasts and it certainly helps if you have left overs and want to warm it up the next day. A dry roast to begin with only gets like sawdust when re-heated.