Chef Ouita Michel’s Pork Tenderloin Roulade with Cider and Bourbon

This time of year one of our favorite ingredients to cook with is apple cider. It’s the perfect acid for Autumn salad dressings, a creative stock for squash soup, and reduces beautifully as a simple syrup or marinade. We will feature several apple cider containing recipes in the coming days for you from our favorite chefs!

Today’s recipe is shared by Kentucky Chef Ouita Michel of Windy Corner Market and Restaurant and Holly Hill Inn in Midway.  It is a hearty roulade of pork tenderloin filled with delicious fall fruits, apple cider, and of course, Kentucky bourbon!  Thank you so much Chef Ouita!

Chef Ouita Michel’s Roulade of Pork Tenderloin
Serves 8

2 pork tenderloins
16 strips bacon
1 shallot, minced, or 2 Tbsp minced onion
1 rib celery, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced (optional)
1⁄2 cup dried cranberries
1⁄2 cup dried apricots
1⁄2 cup peeled and diced apple or pear
1 Tbsp olive oil
1⁄4 C apple cider
1 Tbsp Woodford Reserve or your favorite bourbon
Salt and pepper to taste

Filling
Sauté shallot, ginger, and celery in olive oil until just wilted. Add cranberries, apricots, and apple; cook together 2-3 minutes. Add apple cider and bourbon. Simmer until liquid has evaporated. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Reserve. Filling can be made ahead.

Stuffing and roasting tenderloins
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly trim one tenderloin; remove the very narrow end. Gently butterfly the loin, cutting the length of the loin but not through it. Open cut loin like a book and gently pound with the heel of your hand. Season loin with salt and pepper. Spoon half the fruit filling onto the pork in an even rectangle across the bottom half of the loin. Roll the loin, tucking it together and enclosing the fruit filling. Lay out 8 strips of bacon, slightly overlapping each strip. Place rolled pork loin on the bacon and wrap bacon around loin. Tie in four places. Repeat for second loin.

Heat a large oven-safe sauté pan and cook loins on all sides, crisping the bacon. Place pan in oven and roast 25-30 minutes. Remove and let loins rest 5 minutes before carving.

Pan Sauce
Optional: For a quick pan sauce, drain roasting pan of extra bacon fat. Add 1/4 cup bourbon, 1/2 cup apple cider, 1 Tbsp coarse mustard or Dijon mustard. Reduce by half.

Roulade trivia:   The word “roulade” comes from the french verb “rouler” which means “to roll”.   It refers to meat rolled around a stuffing or filling and secured with twine or toothpicks.   If you find yourself without butchers (kitchen) twine or toothpicks, you can substitute undyed cotton or linen twine or use skewers.   One common substitute that people often recommend is to use unwaxed dental floss, do not do it!  The floss will most likely singe and break, leaving undesirable filaments behind on your meat.