By Chef Derek St. Romain
I am not trying to brag, but this might be the best pork recipe I have ever put together. My first inspiration for this was at Deer camp here in central NC. After some minor tweaks it immediately became one of my go to dishes and I always make this if I know someone has never had wild game before.
I kept the recipe pretty secret and even more basic for a few years until very recently. Sitting around the table during the holidays everyone was raving about how great this tasted and asked so many questions I figured it was time to share it with as many people as possible. With as many deer tags as we get and wild pigs not even considered a game animal it makes it easy to share, a lot!
You See, here in NC we are blessed with very high deer numbers and if you know where to go, just as many wild hogs. What helps even more is I represent www.nohungrypeople.org a national 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that helps hunters, farmers, landowners and food banks by creating pockets of caring people feed those less fortunate. All the while, opening lands to hunters that would otherwise never be available and striving to make hunters heroes again. This organization has sent me on an incredible journey in the hunting industry the last 7 years and it has been life changing to say the least. Which brings me back to the recipes. I am normally supplied with fresh wild game meat all year round and in turn that lets me share my blessings with you here and on many other platforms. Way more people are into the wild food movement than the media will have you believe as it is one of the fastest growing segments of the “foodie” movement. This recipe is so easy and has so much flavor that anyone can be the star of the party if they can follow this basic recipe and these simple cooking instructions. So kick back and get ready for some great, wild game excitement!
Cut the Loin out flat (filet it) to be able to roll up all the ingredients, then do just that. Coat in Cajun seasoning and garlic, then stuff with cream cheese and basil. Now, roll the Loin up and wrap the bacon around the stuffed Loin!
If you soaked the Loin in buttermilk, rinse it under ice cold water until all the milky residue is gone.
Turn oven on to 400. Place a cast iron skillet in that oven for about 10 minutes and then take it out, add 3 tablespoons olive oil and place the stuffed Loin in the pan, then place it in the oven. Cook on 400 for about 30 to 45 minutes until the Loin reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees. Let set out at room temp for another 10 minutes before serving.
Follow Chef Derek on Instagram and Facebook @chefderekstromain #chefderekst.romain and also at #nohungrypeople