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Arista alla fiorentina (Florentine Spit-Roasted Pork Loin)

Total Time1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pork loin roast
  • Olive oil q.b.

For the dry marinade:

  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 1-2 sprigs of fresh sage optional
  • Salt and pepper
  • You will also need:

Butcher's twine for trussing the roast

    Instructions

    • Take a nice pork loin roast. Depending on from what part of the loin the roast is taken, it may have had a bone removed from its interior and been tied. If so, untie the roast. If not, then 'butterfly' the roast so that it opens up like a book.
    • Rub the inside of the roast with dry marinate made from rosemary leaves, garlic, salt and pepper. (Some recipes also call for sage.) This marinade can be chopped in a food processor, but do not over-process--they marinade should remain rather rough.
    • Roll and tied up the roast. With the aid of a paring knife, 'lard' the roast by inserting more of the marinade into the meat at regular intervals. Rub the exterior with any remaining mixture and pour over a bit of olive oil (see photo below). You can start to roast the arista immediately, but it will have more flavor if you leave the meat to marinate for several hours, or even overnight.
    • If your barbecue has a rotisserie feature, then skewer the roast and place it above a drip pan in the barbecue, into which you can pour some white wine. Then grill over moderate indirect heat (i.e., leaving the burners directly under the roast off or, if using a charcoal grill, pushing the charcoal to the sides), lighting the rotisserie burner if you have one to aid in searing the roast to a beautiful golden brown. If you don't have a rotisserie burner, you may want to turn up the bottom burners to aid browning.
    • Depending on the size of your roast, let it cook for 45-60 minutes. Check the internal temperature after about 30-45 minutes. Pork is well done at 160 degrees Farenheit (about 70 Celcius).
    • Remove the roast from the fire a few degrees under this, as it will continue to cook. Let it rest at least about 20-30 minutes before serving. It can also be served at room temperature--in fact, if you ask me, it's even better that way.
    • NB: Don't throw out the drippings in the pan--they are delicious poured over the roast. Reduce them in a saucepan if they are too thin.