Orange Pecan Rack of Pork with Cranberry Coulis and a Giveaway!!

When The Motherhood and The National Pork Board asked me to develop a recipe featuring rack of pork which is on special this week at Costco, I was pretty darn excited. I love pig. Bacon, pork chops, pork loin, ribs.... if it oinks, I'll eat it. However, rack of pork is not something I whip up very often, so this was a challenge that I was happy to take on.

This recipe that I'm about to share with you features the rack of pork, but this recipe lends itself nicely to other less expensive cuts of meat such as pork chops. The rack of pork is quite impressive and perfect for the holidays, but feel free to use this same recipe for pork chops or pork loin.

My vision for this recipe (listed at the end) was a savory crunchy exterior and a flavorful moist interior. To accomplish this, I decided on a crust made of pecans, orange zest, and rosemary. There's something about the combination of crunchy and tangy that makes my taste buds dance. And yes, taste buds can dance. Mine do anyway....

I heart rosemary.

In this lovely bowl we have panko bread crumbs, orange zest, pecans and rosemary.

And here it is again in its polygamous union. 

After drizzling the pork with orange juice and olive oil, I rubbed in a healthy dose of salt and pepper. Then I pressed on the panko mixture. How beautiful is that?

Aidan snapped a picture while I was cooking. The kids kept peeking around the corner, marveling that I was up on two feet. I can't even begin to tell you how good it feels to be in the kitchen again. You'll notice that I'm wearing a Christmas apron. That's because we are getting snow in New England this weekend. Can you believe that?

After the pork was in the oven, I got started on the cranberry coulis. A coulis is a fancy term for any pureed fruit sauce. In this instance, we are creating an orange cranberry coulis. Basically, it's just like making cranberry sauce but with orange added.

I tossed the rinds in to add flavor. They get fished out at the very end.

And here's our cranberry orange mixture once it's pureed. Isn't it lovely?

I poured it into a squeezy bottle which makes it easier to decorate the plates. Spellcheck is telling me that squeezy isn't a word. It is now.....

Holy Hannah! Look at that rack of pork! What a glorious sight to behold.

After allowing the pork to rest a bit, I squeezed out a pool of cranberry coulis and placed the meat on top of it. Doesn't that present nicely? I can totally see making this for Christmas. The colors alone make it look so darn festive. And the taste? Phenomenal. I hate to toot my own horn, but this is incredible. If you like oranges and rosemary, then you are in for a real treat.

Orange Pecan Rack of Pork with Cranberry Coulis

1 rack of pork

1/4 cup of orange juice

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cups panko bread crumbs

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

2 oranges (zested, but save pulp for coulis)

2 Tbsp rosemary, chopped

2 tsp salt

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Coulis

1 bag of cranberries

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of water

the pulp (chopped) and remaining rind from oranges used for rack of pork

Preheat oven to 325. In a mixing bowl, combine panko crumbs, pecans, orange zest, rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix until combined. Pour orange juice over rack of pork. Drizzle rack of pork with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Press panko mixture onto the rack of pork. Cover with foil and pop into oven. Cook until the internal temperature in the thickest section reaches 145 degrees, but remove foil during the last ten minutes of cooking.  Mine took just about two hours.

For the coulis, in a medium size saucepan mix together cranberries, sugar, water, orange pulp and rind. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for ten minutes. Remove rinds and puree the rest in a food processor. Set aside.

Once the rack of pork is done cooking, allow it to rest for ten minutes. Spoon a pool of cranberry coulis on the plate and then place a slice of rack of pork on top. Stand back and admire.

I bet you want to make your own rack of pork now, right? Well, here's your chance. The Motherhood and The National Pork Board would like to give one of you a $25.00 Costco gift card so that you too can whip up a porkalicious feast for your family. 

The lucky winner will also win a handy dandy digital thermometer and tips on cooking our favorite barnyard friend. To enter, comment on this post with your first name, last initial, the state you are from and your favorite part of the pig. Entries must be received by Wednesday, November 2nd 11:59pm ET. Good luck!

Be sure to visit Porkbeinspired.com and Costco for more tips and recipes!

This post was sponsored by The Motherhood and The National Pork Board. The recipe was created by little ole me and I hope you all enjoy it! All opinions are my own.