Ingredients
For marinade and Pork:
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons chile powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 pounds boneless pork loin
For Stuffing:
2 cups dried figs chopped
2 teaspoons roasted garlic
2 tablespoons pureed chipoties
in adobo
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup pine nuts roasted
5 slices cooked crumbled bacon (reserve rendered fat)
kitchen twine
Preparation
1 mix marinade ingredients and pou over pork in a shallow dish. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. 2 in a food processor combine stuffing ingredients expect pine nuts and bacon, pulse until smooth, put in a bowl and stir in pine nuts and bacon. Set aside. 3 remove pork from marinade and dry with paper towels, reserve marinade. Butterfly lion lenghtwise. Cover with plastic wrap and pound softly with a mallet to flatten. Place stuffing in center of loin and tie securely with twine. 4 put marinade in saucepan and cook over low heat until reduced to a glaze. 5 heat reserved bacon fat to medium high in a large pan, sear meat on all sides. Transfer meat to a rack in a shallow roasting pan and cook in a preheated oven at 325 degrees for about 50 minutes or until internal temperture registers 155 degrees. Brushing with glaze during last 5 minutes. Let meat rest 10 minutes before removing twine and slicing.
