Indirect Grilling a Whole Pork Roast is Directly Delightful!

Allow me to be direct about indirect grilling a whole pork roast – it rocks! When I’m not smoking meats or grilling fish, the next best thing to do over a wood charcoal fire is to cook them indirectly by placing the food in the middle of the grill with the wood cooking on each side. Today I’m sharing my whole pork roast recipe that is stuffed with Reggiano Parmigiano chunks, mushrooms, and garlic.

I chose to cook a 4 pound pork roast and prepared a brine like marinade with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and a lot of garlic. Before I add the pork roast to this though and refrigerate overnight, I need to open a pocket in the roast. Now for full disclosure, I cut the pork roast too deep (almost to the bone) so don’t do what I did and instead cut a slit about 2 inches deep the length of the pork. Add the garlic cloves, Reggiano Parmigiano chunks, and mushroom slices in the pork roast and then use cooking string to tighten it together.

To set up your grill, fill 2 charcoal starters with lump hardwood charcoal and add a few apple wood chunks (not too many though because we don’t want to smoke the meat completely and dry out the pork). I prefer to light them with a paper towel dressed in olive oil under the starters so the wood flavor isn’t compromised with something like lighter fluid. Once the charcoal is grey, dump one starter into the right of the pit and one to the left, leaving about 12 inches between them. Then place your pork roast bone side down on the grates in the middle of the grill and close the grill. I cook the pork for about an hour on each side, trying to maintain a heat of 325-350 degrees and only open the grill to turnover the pork

Once the pork reaches a temperature of 165 degrees, remove from the grill and wrap in aluminum foil. Refrain from cutting into your pork beast for at least 15 minutes so the internal juices continue to tenderize the meat. For wine, I would suggest a Pinot Noir as the fruitiness of the wine goes nicely with the apple smoke flavor and the sharpness of the Reggiano. So there it is, whole pork roast grilled indirectly over an apple wood smoke charcoal fire from Paggi Pazzo!

Indirect Grilled Whole Pork Roast Recipe

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours 30 min
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2 – 4 pound) pork roast
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 cup water
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon rosemary
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 2 tablespoons pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 cup Reggiano Parmigiano (chunks)
• 1/4 cup white mushrooms

Cooking Directions

1. Clean pork roast and cut in half or slice pocket length and add 1 chopped garlic clove, mushrooms, and sliced chunks of Reggiano Parmigiano in pork roast pocket, then tie pork together with cooking string. Add to bowl with olive oil, vinegar, water, remaining chopped garlic cloves, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Allow to chill for 3-4 hours or overnight
2. Prepare charcoal grill with adding lump hardwood charcoal to 2 chimney starter cylinders with apple wood chunks (not soaked). Light by adding paper towel with olive oil under cylinders
3. When wood charcoal turns grey, add charcoal to grill pit on the left and right edges of the grill, leaving open a 12 inch space in the middle of grill for in-direct grilling
4. Place pork roast bone side down in middle of grill and close cover. Do not open for 1 hour
5. After 1 hour, open grill and turn over pork roast. Close grill and do not open for another hour
6. After 2 hours, check pork roast temperature and if pork reaches 165 degrees, remove pork and place in aliminum foil. Let rest for another 15 minutes
7. After pork has rested, slice and serve