America's Test Kitchen (2000–…): Season 17, Episode 25 - Summer Pork Supper - full transcript

♪♪

Today
on "America's Test Kitchen,"

Julia and Bridget
make smoked pork loin

with dried-fruit chutney.

Ad shares hi
favori grilling tools,

and Becky shows
Bridget the secrets

to the perfect
sweet-potato soup.

It's all coming up right here
on "America's Test Kitchen."

- All pork roasts
are not created equal,

especially when you're
cooking them on a smoky grill.

- Now, we usually call
for well-marbled cuts,



like ribs or pork shoulder,

which stay super tender
despite hours on the grill.

- Right.
- But pork loin is much leaner.

The flavor can be easily
overwhelmed by smoke,

and its texture is prone
to dryinout.

- Mm-hmm. So today
we're going to show you

the best way to smoke it.

When you head to the store,

you have two to choose from...

You have the blade-end roast,

and you have a center-cut roast.

Anwhd at you want is
the blade-end roast.

It's cut up more
from the shoulder area,

which is a little bit more fat,



and it will stay a little bit
more moist on the grill.

If you look
at the meat itself,

you can see quite a difference.

This one has a nice rosy tint,

and this one is a little paler.

So this one is much
better for the grill

becae yocan withstan
thlong cooking time.

All right. So I'm goin
toring this y over her

Now, sometimes
when you buy these,

there's a lot of fat on top,
other times noso much.

And this one lks
etty good

except f this
little knob over here.

I'm just going to trim this off.

As with most pk loins
that a this shape,

it's a reagood idea
to tie it

because makes it
more of a circle,

and of course, a circular roast
will cook through more evenly.

I have some kitchen twine here
already cut into lengths,

and I'm just going to nestle
the twine underneath the roast,

right about where
I want to tie it,

and I want these pieces of twine
to be about an inch apart.

- Anytime that you're
tying up a roast,

whether it a pork loin

like this or a beef tenderloin,
even pork tenderloin,

what Julia is doing
is absolutely correct.

She's starting right
in the middle

and working her way out
from either end.

Too often,
you'll start at one end,

and then you end up
with all the space on one end,

and a bunch of tight
little strings at the other.

I've done that.

-And I'll trim all those ends

after I'm done
tying the whole thing.

And there you have it,
a perfectly tied roast.

Now, t next step
is we want to coat this roast

with a little salt and a little
light brown sugar

because it has that little bit
of a maple flavor,

and that goes really
nicely with the pork,

and that will help keep the meat
moist as it cooks on the grill.

So here I have 1/2 cup
of light brown sugar,

and to that, we're going to
add 1/4 cup of kosher salt.

I'm just going
to mix this together.

All right.

Now, before I rub it
alover the roast,

I'm going to take a little piece
of plastic wrap

and put it down
onhe cuttingoard

because it helps keep things
just a little tidier.

ere we go.

Now, we're going to sprinkle
the salt/sugar mixture

all over the roast
and really pack it on.

- Now, th is a natul roast,
correct?

-That's right.

- So the Test Kitchen prefers
buying natural pork loins

instead of enhanced
or injected pork loins.

Those enhanced and injected
pork loins

have been injected
with a salt solution.

And if y look at the label,
you can find that out.

Look forhings likealt,
sodium,

or even sometimes
labeled with broth.

- That's right,
and if you happen to use

an injected pork loin,

you don't want to let this salt
and sugar mixture

sit for too long on the pork.

Because this is
an un-ennced pork in,

we're going to let this mixture
sit on the pork

for at least 6 hours.

And what's going to happen
is it's going to draw

the pork juices
out of the roast,

and that's going to melt
the salt and the sugar,

and then the meat is going
to draw that back in

so it's well-flavored.

All right. So, now I'm going
to wrap th guy up.

And we want to let it sit
in the refrigerator

for at least 6 hours,

but yocould do iup
a day ahe.

All right.
It's time to get grilling

on that pork loin,
so let's get the grill set up.

And in the grill already,

I have a disposable
aluminum pan,

and we're goin fill
th p with water,

and that water
is going to do two things.

First, it's going
to help moderate

the heat inside the grill,

and the second,
it's going to help make sure

that pork loin stays moist,

because a moist piece of meat
will absorb smoke better.

- Sounds good.
- So here,

I'm just going to pour about
3 cups of water into the pan,

and we're going to push
that pan off to one side.

Now, on the other side
of the grill,

we're going to put the coals.

And what we wanted
was a low-temperature grill,

around 300 degrees,
but we wanted that to hang out

for at least an hour and a half
to 2 hours,

and that's kind of hard
to have a moderate heat

when using charcoal.

And the trick is to start
with some unlit briquettes.

Thank you, darling.
This is 25 unlit briquettes,

so I'm going to put these
opposite the pan of water.

We're going to put them
under the lit coals,

so over time,
they will catch fire

and help sustain that 300-degree
heat inside the grill.

So now, we're going
to put the lit coals

on top of the unlit briquettes.

Now, it's not a full chimney.

This is just 4 quarts

because, again,
we don want a hogrill.

We want a moderate
300-degree grill.

There we go.

And last but not least,
our foil packet,

if you wouldn't mind
handing that to me.

- Certainly.
- Thank you.

We're going to put that
right on the coals.

And I made the packet with 2
cups of soaked wood chips,

which I wrapped into a packet

that measure about
4 1/2 by 8 inches,

using heavy-duty aluminum foil.

And on the top, I cut two slits
so that the smoke can come out.

And of course, we've got to put
our grill grate on top.

Therwe are.

And now, we're going
to heat up this grill

for about 5 minutes,
and you're going to start

to see that smoke packet
start to smoke.

One thing I want to point out,

I have the vents
in the bottom halfway open

and the vents on the top
halfway open.

That helps trap some of the heat
to help the grill heat up.

- Sounds good.
- All rht.

That gll's been
heatg up for 5inutes.

You can start to see that smoke
coming out of the vents.

That is a good sign.

- That's a great sign.
- All right.

So it's time to
clean and oil the grill.

Now, this grill looks brand-new,

so it probably
doesn't need much cleaning.

And we're also going to rub
a little oil over the grill.

Good thing to do no matter
what you're grilling.

It helps season the grill grates

anmake sure you get
any of that dust off

before you throw the food on.
All right.

Now, it is time
to add the pork loin.

I'm going to give it
a quick pat dry

before we put it on the grill,

just with a few paper towels.

And this guy is ready
to go on the grill.

Now, I'm going to put him on
the grill over the pan of water,

on the cool side of the grill.
All right.

We're going to put the lid on,

and I'm going to those vents
over the pork loin.

That'll help draw the smoke up

around the pork loin
as it cooks.

- Nice.
- That's interpretive dance.

- I love it.
- It's like a smoke superhighway.

- So this guy's going to be on
the grill for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

You know it's done
when it registers 140 degrees.

But halfway through cooking,
I'm going to spin

that guy around
so that he cooks evenly.

-Sounds great.

- It's been a little over
an hour and a half.

- Time to check on our pork.
- Whoa-ho.

- Boy, that looks amazing,
doesn't it?

All right. So we'rgoing
take its mperature,

and we're looking for
a temperature of 140 degrees

or around there.

142, just right.

So it's time to take
this guy off the grill.

Mm-mm-mm.

He is a looker.

-He is gorgeous.

- So we're going to let this guy
rest for about half an hour

before we slice into it.

Let those juices redistribute.
All right.

So that pork loin
is off the grill,

anit's havin
it half-hourap

before we can slice into it.

- I love that you're trusng
thislose to meright?

Because after 30 minutes,

I don't know if that's
going to be there.

- Well, it gives us
a good chance to make a chutney.

That's going to taste great
with that pork loin.

We're going to start
with a little white wine,

this is 3/4 cuof white we.

Now, we're going to d
a lile vinegar

This is a 1/4 cup
of white-wine vinegar.

And we're just going to add
a little bit of water,

3 tablespoons of water.

And we're gog to make
thishutney witdried frui

because dried fruit and pork
is a great pairing.

So this is 1/2 cup
of chopped dried apricots,

1/2 cup of dried cherrie

Then we're going to add
a little bit of shlot.

This is one minced shallot,

ana little sar
to sweeten uthe deal,

and this is 3 tablespoons
of light brown sugar.

st but noteast, mm,
a little freshly grated...

- Ginger.
- Yeah, freshly grated ginger,

so this is 2 tablespoons
of freshly grated ginger.

And I'm just going to add this
all to the saucepan.

We're going to bring it up
to a simmer over medium heat,

and then I'm going to put
the lid on and let it cook

for about 10 minutes.

All right. So this has been
cooking ay

for abou10 minutes

Oh, doesn't that smell good?

-Amazing. So sweet.

Got a little bit of sour
in there, too.

- See, thatried fruit
has ally start to soften.

So now we're going to finish it
with a little bit of butter,

and this is a tablespoon
of unsalted butter,

a little bit of mustard,

and this is
a tablespoon of dijon,

and a littleit of dry stard.

Thiss 1 1/2 teaspoons
of dry mustard.

All right.

So we're going to cook this
for about 5 more minutes,

let it reduce down
and get nice and glossy,

and we're going to come back
and eat that pork.

- Yes, we are!
- All right.

So this guy has been resting
for about half an ur.

- Still looking good.
- I know, right?

- You know what that looks like?
- Bacon.

- Cylindrical bacon.
- It does.

I agree with you.

Kind of smells like it, too.

- It does.
- All right.

So I'm going to go in here
with a clean pair of shears

and just cut off the twine.

So the key to slicing this
is to slice it nice and thin.

So I'm going to aim
for 1/4-inch-thick slices.

- What do you mean slices?
- It's one perfect portion.

Oh, ho-ho.

- Look athat.
- Oh, yeah.

- Look at that nice,
pink ring around the outside

that denotes
where the smoke has gotten in.

Ho-ho, hello.

- So juicy, look at that.
- Oh, oh.

owl veo say,

I was rely skeptic
about rk loin,

even comg near
a smokedork shoulder,

but just smelling this
and looking at it,

I think m coming o
theoin de.

- The loin side.
- So I'm just going to put

a little bit of chutney
on there,

ain, made th those aicots
and cherries

Those flavors go so nicely
with that smoked pork.

- Perfect, perfect.
- A lot of people

don't think of smoke
and fruit going together,

but they're a perfect pairing.

- Mm-hmm.
- Like us.

- And we dig in right for that
exterior outside piece

with thacrust on I

It's smoky.
It's aittle swee

It tastea little bony.

- Pork loin has come
such a long way here.

It's absolutely perfect.

- Mm.
- Thank you so much, Julia.

- Oh, my pleasure.
- You converted me.

- Well, it looks like lean,
mild-flavored pork loin

can get a little smoky love
on the grill.

Start with
a blade-end pork loin,

and saltovernight.

Wood chips provide
delicate smoke in a low grill,

and a pan of water ensures
incredibly juicy pork.

Finish it off with
a simmered sauce of whe wine

and dried fruit,
and there you have it.

From our test kitchen
to your kitchen,

the very best smoked pork loin
with dried fruit chutney.

- After the first caveman
discovered fire,

his first words were probably,

"Where are my grilling tools?"

Well, I'm here with Adam
to discover

which grilling tools are worth
spending a few rocks on.

- We're going to start out
withharcoal fi starters.

There's less newspaper
around these days.

People are looking
for alternatives.

We have five different
ones that we tested.

These e made from wax,
cardboard, paper, wood chips,

usually a combination.

We tried them dry.
They all worked pretty well.

We tried them wet
because the manufacturers

say that you can light them
when they're wet.

Didn't work right out
of our 2-hour bath.

We had to blot them dry first,

and then they all
worked pretty well.

Our favorite one was this
one down at the end.

This is the Weber Lighter Cubes.

They were 14 cents a piece.

You use two or three
to start a fire.

We liked them because they were
the most water-resistant,

and actually, they're not going
to get wet in the first place

because even if you're camping
or something,

look, they're packaged in
foil and plastic

so they're going
to stay pretty dry.

Let's walk on down to
fire-grilling tool number 2...

barbecue brushes.

We have a lineup of six here.

They all have
silicone bristles

because that's really
what dominateshe market w.

We evaluated these
on the three C's...

comfort, coverage, and control.

Testers actually went
as far as to count

the number of bristles
on these brushes.

Thisne, for inance,
100 istl,

and e problem s that
with that many bristles,

the head was too wide.

u sacrificsome control
and mauverabilit

This one had 22 bristles.

So it really didn't
pick up enough sauce.

You sacrifice some coverage.

The winning brush was
this guy here.

This is the Elizabeth Karmel

Super Silicone
Angled Barbecue brush.

We lik it becaus
itad 77 brises,

which was just the right number
for control and coverage.

It has a nice, long,
angled handle.

That took care
of the comfort.

This is a really good
barbecue brush.

Follow me to the last
grilling gadget.

Th one is caed
"Theibalizer."

- The Ribalizer?
- The Ribalizer.

Now, you know
that when you do

barbecued ribs
on a grill at home,

you're limited
to however many racks

you can fit on the grill grates.

- Right.
- Usually not enough.

Also, it can take up
to 4 hours to cook.

This gizmo is supposed
to solve both those problems.

First, ou can do
six racks of ribs

because they stand up between
these wires in the slots.

Second, they're supposed
to cook twice as fast

because you put some liquid
at the bottom

to both keep them moist,

and then, in the second
hour of cooking,

you put the cover back on,
and they steam.

- It performed just as promised.
- Hmm.

- The ribs cooked in half
the time of our usual recipe.

They were super tender.
They were really good.

But you could see
the problem here.

The lighter ribs are the ones

that we cooked using
The Ribalizer.

The darker ribs are the ones
from our traditional rece.

The Ribalizer ribs don't have
that char and that deep bark

that's really the hallmark
of great barbecue.

So our take on
The Ribalizer is this...

that it does perform
as promised.

And if you prioritize yield
and speed,

it's definitely
worth considering.

It's only $29.95.

But if you really are
a traditionalist like we are,

and you want to stick
with the ribs

that are going to give you
that char and that bark,

you probably want to skip
The Ribalizer.

- So if you'd like to set up
your inner caveman

with some new grilling tools,

well, then, why not try
the Weber Lighter Cubes

for a charcoal fire starter,

and for basting brush,
the Elizabeth Karmel

Super Silicone
Angled Barbecue brush.

And how can we
forget The Ribalizer?

- These days, it seems that
everything I knew

to be true as a child is wrong.

Pluto is not a planet.

Pterodactyls are now
called pteranodons.

And the candied yams that I ate
every single Thanksgiving

were not actually made with yams
at all, but sweet potatoes.

-It's true.

I have one more thing
to add to your list.

- Oh, no.
- No, it's good news.

- Okay.
- Sweet potatoes

don't have
to be just a side dish.

They can actually make a really
nice start to a meal as a soup.

- I love this idea.
- Yeah.

We're going to make
a silky, luxurious soup,

and it turned ou
that simpler is better.

So, I have 4 tablespoons
of unsalted butter

melting in the pot here.

And I'm adding one shallot
that I sliced up nice and thin.

And I have four sprigs
of fresh thyme.

And we'll let those go
for 5 to 7 mines.

We want them to cook

until the shallot
is softened but not browned.

And yoknow, we ted
maki this soup

with a typical mirepoix
with carrot, onion, and celery,

which is a really
classic way to start a soup.

It made the soup
taste o vegetal.

We want this to be really
focused on the sweet potato.

So we have 2 pounds.

I'm just going to work
on theast one he.

- And that's not a yam.
- That's not a yam.

I'm not going to
throw these peels away.

I'm actually going to save them.

u have a fny
ok on your face.

-I'm thinking compost.

- No, not for compost.
- I'm going to save them.

They have a really nice,
earthy flavor.

That's because they coain a
mpound called methoxypyrazine.

Tastes nice and earthy,
and we're just going to use

a little bit to give our soup
a nice, earthy taste.

It's really potent. It's been
detected in water levels

as low
as one part per trillion,

so we're just going to use
a 1/4 of the peels in our soup

so we don't overwhelm it
with that earthy taste.

- So it's very potent
and has a really long name.

-That's right.

Let's cut the sweet potato
in half here.

hat Becky is doing here
is so smart.

She cut the sweet potato in half

and put them flat side down
on the cutting board.

It's a much more stable
cutting surface,

so she doesn't miss
the sweet potato

and hit her finger instead.

- So the shallots are ready.
- I have 4 1/4 cupof water,

no broth, no chicken stock.

We want to keep those flavors
nice and clean.

4 1/4 cups going into the pot.

And we'll let that come up
to a simmer.

- Okay.
- So the water's up to a simmer.

I'm going to turn off the heat,
which I know it sounds

a little strange
for making a soup.

- Yes.
- This is the key

to having sweet potatoes

with sweeter flavor
and silkier texture.

So we're adding potatoes
to the water.

And just about a quarter
of those peels

with that nice, earthy flavor.

So we' let this eep
li this

ofthe heat f 20 minutes.

- It's like a sweet-potato tea.
- That's right.

So the potatoes have been
standing

for 20 minutes,
getting a little bit soft,

and I'll add a little bit
of flavoring,

still really simple.

First, I'm adding a tablespoon
of brown sugar.

That'll just bring out
the natural sweetness

in the sweet potatoes.

-I like that it's not tomuch.

Sweepotatoes already have
so mh sweetnes

You know, this could taste like
a candy if you added a lot more.

- That's right.
- We just want to enhance it.

We don't want to overwhelm it
with sweetness.

Here is 1/2 teaspoon
of cider vinegar.

That'll just balance
out that sweetness.

1/2 teaspoons of salt...

and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

So I'm going to turn
the heat on now,

and we'll bring that up
to a simmer.

While that's happening, I have
a little treat in mind for you.

- I like this.
- It involves bacon.

- I like it even more.
- Okay.

We're going to make a candied
bacon garnish for the soup.

- I love you.
- I know.

- So I have
four slices of bacon,

if you want to turn
the heat on for me.

-Sure.

- We're going to cook this
over medium heat.

-All right.

-Four slices of bacon.

We'll let all
the fat render out.

- Now, what are you going
to eat later on?

- I'm going to have
the soup plain.

We'll let that bacon go
until it's nice and crispy.

- It'll take 5 to 7 minutes.
- That sounds great.

- I'll keep an eye on it.
- Okay.

- So the potatoes have
come up to a simmer.

I'm going to turn that heat down
to medium-low,

put the cover on
and let these cook

until the potatoes
are nice and soft.

at'll takebout 10 mites.

- Okay, sounds great.
- And in the meantime,

this bacon still has
a couple of minutes left.

[ Sizzling ]

Our bacon is done,
nice and crispy, smells great.

It evesounds goo

- Yes, it does.
- Okay.

And I'll pour off
the fat that's left.

We don't need that.

Now we'll put this
back on the heat.

We have low heat.

And I'll put the bacon
back into the skillet.

And this is how we make it
into candied bacon...

a couple of teaspoons
of brown sugar

and 1/2 teaspoon
of cider vinegar.

And we'll just cook
this just for a minute or two

until the bacon gets nice
and coed

with the sugar and the vinegar.

- That's candied bacon?
- That's candied bacon.

-Bacon, sugar, vinegar.

Do it. Do it!
You need to make this.

Instead of truffles
for Christmas,

will you jt make me
candied bacon?

- I wl. Il
Merry Christmas!

So it's been 10 minutes.

- The kitchen is filled with
the most amazing fragrances.

-It smells so good.

Potatoes are nice and soft.

I'm just going to fish out
those thyme sprigs.

And now we just need
to puree the soup.

- With thpeels.
- ith the pes.

They're going to get
all blended up in there.

It won't discolor the soup

beuse we only added
a quarter of them.

It'll add that really nice,
earthy flavor.

-That's great.

- So, couple tips
about pureeing hot soup...

You don't want to fill
the blender

all the way up to the top,

or you and I are
going to have to take a shower.

Even if you're
holding the lid down,

the steam can cause the lid
to explode right off the top.

- Yes, Vesuvius.
- That's right.

So I'm only going
to fill it halfway up.

Okay, th looks pretty good.

We'll get this nice and creamy.

I'm going to blend this
for 45 to 60 seconds

until it's nice and smooth.

Okay. Let's see how that looks.
Looks good.

Let's pour it into
a clean pot here.

- Oh, silky.
- Now, I'll do the rest

of the soup in batches
untiit's all ne and smoo.

Here the last batch.

If you juswant to turn
the heat on for me,

Bridget, seems like
it's pretty hot.

I justant to maksure
it's piping hot.

I'm going to give it
a quick taste,

seif it need
any mo salt and pepper.

Ooh, that's so good.
I think it's perfect.

So it's nice and hot.

Let's give it a try.

- That is beautiful.
- Nice and silky smooth.

- So smooth.
- Right?

Now, here's your candied bacon
- Y!

- I also have maple sr cream.
- Oh, I lovthat.

- Sm gog too
r the sour cam,

- and I ve some ches.
- Great!

The recipe for
our maple sour cream

- I'm going in.
- Go for it, Bridget.

- What's great,
it's sweet potato.

So it does have
that inherent sweetness,

but it's not candy soup.

You know, it doesn't taste
like the side dishes

with all of the brown sugar

- and the marshmallows on top.
- Right.

- This is definitely
more sophisticated.

- And the texture is
so silky and luxurious.

I love that smooth,
creamy texture.

-Mm, mm-mmm.

t would be such a great way
to start Thanksgiving dinner.

- It would be.
- Yeah.

- Absolutelet set patoe
off the side dish.

-Mm-hmm.

- Put them front and center.
- That's right.

- Well, the beauty of
the silkiest sweet potato soup

is that the flavor is skin deep.

Start by soaking
sliced sweet potatoes

along with some of their peels

to create an ultra smooth
texture.

Simm the potats with sug
and vinegar for balanced fvor.

Puree, and don't forget to make
that candiedacon garni.

he y he.

From our test tchen
your kitchen,

the best, most silky,

deeply flavored sweet-potato
soup you'll ever eat.

And you can get this recipe

and all the recipes
from this season,

along with our tastings,
testings, and selected episodes

Thanks so much, Becky.

- You're lcome!
- You canome over

for Thanksgiving a time.

♪♪