Caribbean Pork Roast
Course: Main Course, PorkServings
4
servingsPrep time
1
hour15
minutesCooking time
1
hour50
minutesIf there’s one thing that myself and my family absolutely adores, it’s Caribbean food.
It doesn’t matter whether I’m tired, stressed, or simply feeling a bit down, I can always count on Caribbean food to cheer me up and put a smile on my face again.
I don’t know whether it’s the bright and vibrant colors of the ingredients, the fresh, sweet, fruity, and tangy flavors, or the fact that it is bursting with flavor and features the moistest, most tender and juicy pork imaginable, but my Caribbean Pork Roast dish is one of those meals that you simply have to come back for more. My family certainly think so, as there are rarely any leftovers the following day.
Contrary to popular belief, Caribbean food did not become Westernized because of Columbus. In fact, it was around way before him. Many believe that the Caribbean influence over Western food can be traced back to native Kalinago and Arawak Indians, who would use spicy chilli peppers like those found in Caribbean food, to not only season their meals, but also to preserve their foods too.
Caribbean cuisine nowadays is a fusion of West African, Amerindian, Creole, and Latin American cuisine, with influences from Europe, and even Asia. Caribbean food is the ultimate fusion food, which is why people love it all over the globe, as it appeals to all kinds of different palates.
Rather than whipping up jerk pork, which in itself is very delicious, I decided to do something a bit different, and opted for a juicy pork tenderloin, cooked with fresh and juicy pineapples, aromatic thyme, and just a hint of chilli. I wanted to create the right balance between sweet, sour, spicy, and savory. If you do like your heat, by all means add more fresh chilli, or perhaps a hotter pepper. The Scotch bonnet chilli, which is a staple ingredient in Caribbean cuisine for example, packs a lot of heat yet is full of flavor and has a fruity taste that would go very well with the pork tenderloin used in this dish.
One of the most important things about my Caribbean pork roast is the marinade. You need to let the pork marinate for at least one hour, though I recommend you leave it overnight in the fridge. You want the flavors in the marinade to penetrate the meat, and the acids in the vinegar and lemon juice to break down the tough muscle fibers in the meat, as it is this process that will give it that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
One thing I will say about the herbs is to always use fresh herbs, as dried are too bitter and just will not work. Fresh thyme really makes this dish and dried just would not be the same. You can also use fresh pineapple instead of canned, but it likely won’t be as soft or juicy, and may be slightly more bitter. Basically, I strongly recommend you use canned instead of fresh.
Ingredients
1 tbsp honey
1 pork tenderloin
2-3 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp white vinegar
Salt/pepper to taste
1 tsp paprika
1 lemon cut into quarters
1/2 tsp chili
5 cloves of garlic finely chopped
Ginger thinly sliced
5 thyme sprigs
1 canned pineapple, chopped
1 cup pineapple juice
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine honey, vinegar, chili pepper, garlic, ginger, and thyme sprigs. Also, add lemon. Squeeze lemon juice into the bowl. Leave what’s left of the lemon in the bowl as well.
- Now place the meat in a bowl with the mixture and leave to marinate for at least one hour, the longer the better.
- Remove the meat from the marinade and cover it with spices and salt.
- Using a large frying pan, fry the meat in a coconut oil for 5 minutes on each side.
- Now add the pineapple and its juice to the pan.
- Cook for about 20 minutes until the pineapple juice evaporates.
- Now remove the meat and pineapples from the pan and place them in a baking dish. Pour the marinade over, add half a glass of water, cover the pan with foil and place in the oven at 175 degrees C° (350 F) for about 1 hour 20 minutes.
- Cut the pork into thin slices, serve with pineapple and rosemary.
