Slow Cooker

Tuscan Roast Pork (Arista di Maiale)

Name: Tuscan Roast Pork (Arista di Maiale)
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Tuscan
Ingredients: 3 pounds (1.3 kilograms) bone-in pork loin/rib roast; About 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; Salt and pepper; 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped; Zest of 1 small lemon, finely grated; 5 sage leaves, finely chopped; 1 cup (250 milliliters) water or white wine

by: Emiko

December 2, 2014

4.5

2 Ratings

Serves 4 to 6

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Author Notes

There are several different ways to cook and prepare this roast. Some, instead of placing the chopped herbs along the bone, make half-inch incisions all over the meat and place a little garlic and rosemary in these; others prefer not to do this for the sake of appearance when the pork is sliced. Some use a boneless cut and slice this thinly; in this version, it is sliced thickly using the bones as a guide. The roast can be cooked in a moderately high oven, but this slow roasted version guarantees moist, juicy meat that otherwise has a tendency to easily dry out.

If you're not roasting peeled and chopped potatoes in the juices of this roast that collect on the bottom of the pan, you are missing out on one of the best kept secrets of Tuscan cuisine. Some blanched greens (Tuscan kale, chard, or any other sturdy green leaf) or cooked cannellini beans tossed through those juices make wonderful sides to this dish too.

Simple enough for a family meal but elegant enough to impress guests, try this versatile pork roast for your next Sunday roast. —Emiko

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

3 pounds (1.3 kilograms) bone-in pork loin/rib roast
about 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Zest of 1 small lemon, finely grated
5 sage leaves, finely chopped
1 cup (250 milliliters) water or white wine

Directions

Remove the pork from the fridge and let come to room temperature about at hour before preparing. In the meantime, cut along the bone as if you were going to cut the bone off completely, but leave about an inch still attached. Rub the pork all over with olive oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
Combine the finely chopped garlic, lemon zest, and herbs and rub this all over the incision made between the bone and the meat, patting down the herbs. Make a 1 inch incision between each rib bone and thread kitchen string/ butcher's twine through these incisions to tie the roast tightly and hold it together.
Place the roast on a metal cooling rack, inserted inside a deep baking tray, skin-side up. Pour water in the bottom of the tray (if you prefer, you can use white wine, and in this case, pour it all over the roast and let it drip into the tray). Roast for 3 1/2 to 4 hours at 195º F (90º C) -- if you have a meat thermometer, you're looking for the interior to be about 150º F (65º C).
Remove from the oven, turn up the heat to 430º F (220° C) and cook another 5 minutes to crisp the skin. Rest for at least 15 minutes, uncovered, before slicing into thick slices and serving. This is wonderful with roast potatoes (possibly roasted in the pan juices under the pork) or sautéed greens.

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11 Reviews

Sargassoc March 24, 2021

While the flavor of this was wonderful, cooking it at 190˚ for 4 hours didn't even raise the internal temperature past 110˚. I finally had to bump it up to 225˚ for another 30 minutes. I used the white wine and there were simply no pan juices at all, wine or pork. I just wonder how everyone else got this properly cooked at this temperature for this time.

eveross July 11, 2018

We bought half a pig from a local farmer and made this last night - to rave reviews. It was delicious - not heavy but moist and flavorful. We actually followed the recipe and it was great. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Dewey December 22, 2014

Hi! I have two questions. My oven only goes as low as 260 F. Any sense of how long I would reduce the cooking time? ALSO- I'm thinking of brining my roast first. Does the low and slow method here make brining moot?

Emiko December 26, 2014

Brining is a great idea, it keeps moisture in the meat and seasons it, so that's still ok to do. If you're using your lowest oven temp (260F), try cooking just 2 1/2 hours (if you can, check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer - really useful!).

Julie December 17, 2014

Sounds wonderful, but would the wine make the potatoes soggy or keep them from browning properly?

Emiko December 20, 2014

Hi Julie! I use the pan juices once the pork is already cooked - toss the (parboiled) potatoes around in those juices and then roast! If you can't wait for potatoes to roast, the pan juices are also very good with cannellini beans or any greens - toss them in a skillet together until warmed through.

Rae P. December 14, 2014

If you want to use a boneless roast would you cook it with the same temperature? Less time?

Emiko December 15, 2014

Cook it at the same temperature AND a little extra time (20-30 minutes) -- the reason for this is that during resting time, the bones hold a lot of heat and keep the interior temperature up. So a boneless roast that doesn't have that will need to have a little extra time to make up for that and to give it a few more degrees inside (if you have a meat thermometer, it needs to go about 68 C or 154F).

Matilda L. December 10, 2014

A serious butcher shop would probably be able to order one for you if you contacted them early enough--I'm lucky to have a D'Angelos nearby. One year I tried to order a fresh ham with skin-on from Whole Foods, but they gave me one with fat cap, not skin.

Robyn W. December 10, 2014

I would love to make this but where in the U S of A do you find pork with skin on??