My cousin gave me this recipe months and months ago, but I had trouble locating inexpensive chestnut honey until I came to Russia and France.
Now I am stocked up, but what could you substitute? Nothing will be precisely the same, but you can get the same woodsy burnt caramel flavor from a buckwheat or wild thyme honey. Other monofloral varieties that are dark and a little spicy are good too – I would imagine that Mesquite honey works quite well if you can get it.
You’ll need:
- pork loin (these marinade proportions are for an approx 1.5-2 lb piece so, adjust accordingly)
- 3 generous tsp chestnut honey
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- salt, pepper
1. Preheat oven to 390F. Tie loin roast, spacing the ties about 1 1/2 inches apart.
2. Season meat with plenty of salt and pepper, then pour and rub the honey in, crushing some rosemary on top. Wrap in foil and let marinate at room temperature for about 2 hours.
3. Cooking time will depend on size of your roast, but should be about 20-30 minutes per pound. I like my pork medium and the nuttiness of the honey comes out best at medium than medium-well.
This one cooked for about 40 minutes total – keep it wrapped in foil with the aromatics while roasting, then uncover for the last 5 minutes to get a bit of a crisp.
Tip: Baste it with the honey when you check on it.
That sounds like an amazing ingredient. The pork looks cooked to perfection.
Thank you! I loved the flavor.
I have planted hazelnuts so in a few years i can raise hazelnut pork.. and this chestnut honey sounds divine.. we don’t have any big chestnuts here .. poo. but how about lavender honey i have that! c
I’m not sure I’d love lavender with pork, personally, though I adore lavender honey with ricotta! But who knows, maybe it will be subtle and delicious!
How about eucalyptus or a wildflower honey of some kind with a subtle flavor?
Excited about your hazelnut pork in the future :)!
This pork roast sounds fantastic with the chestnut honey glaze. Such great flavors!
Thank you! I really enjoyed it.
Beautiful roast!! I’ve never heard of chestnut honey but it sounds like it would be delicious with the roast!
Thank you, Stephanie! The honey is mostly made in France and Italy, I think.
This looks wonderfully simple and delicious!
Thank you, I am glad you liked it – let me know if you try out the recipe!