OLD FASHION ROASTING PAN RECIPES

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
• Melt lard in cast iron dutch oven, or very heavy bottomed pot with lid, over medium high heat.
• Salt and pepper all sides of pork roast.
• When lard just begins to give off smell of being hot, place roast in pot.
• DO NOT move it for a minute or so, then rotate it to brown all sides.
• Lay garlic cloves and onion slices around the roast and stir to brown them a bit.
• Mix Kitchen Bouquet into the 2 cups of water.
• Pour in the water mixture.
• Bring to a boil.
• Cover tightly and place in lower portion of the oven.
• Roast 1 hour for boneless roast; 1-3/4 hours for bone-in roast.
• Half-way through roasting time turn the roast over.
• Remove roast from pan and cover to keep hot.
• Mix 2 Tablespoons cornstarch into 1/2 cup water.
• Using a whisk, stir the cornstarch mixture into the pot drippings, breaking up the garlic cloves as you mix.
• Bring to a boil, taste and season if needed with salt and/or pepper.
• NOTE: Pork roast made this way is ALWAYS tender.
• It makes wonderful hot pork sandwiches!
• The gravy is out of this world!

Steps:

• In a wide skillet with sides, melt butter over medium heat. When melted and sizzling, whisk in the flour. Whisk until the flour and butter turn into a smooth paste and look medium blonde in color; about 1 minute. It smells toasty, like browned butter.
• Pour in stock and whisk until smooth. Bring the gravy to a low simmer. As it simmers, it thickens and becomes glossy.
• Whisk in the herbs and mushroom powder then cook at a low simmer for a minute or two. Remove from the heat then stir in half and half or cream (optional).
• Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and black pepper (we like a generous amount of pepper).
• Substitute some or all the butter with fat left in the pan from roasting. If there are juices left in the pan, strain them then swap all or some of the stock for the pan juices. Pan drippings and juices will be well seasoned compared to the stock. When seasoning, taste the gravy first then adjust with more salt and/or pepper. If you used a stove-top safe pan such as a Dutch oven or stainless steel pan for roasting, there is no need for the skillet. Make the gravy directly in the roasting pan.