I finally ran across the Niman Ranch brand of pork I've heard so much
about, in the form of a "pork top round roast" at Trader Joe's. That's
not a term I've heard used for pork before. It was less than 2 lbs.,
boneless, rolled and tied. Does anyone know what this cut is?
I just roasted it, coated with garlic slivers, olive oil, s&p. The
package recommended 450°F, which is a lot hotter than I usually roast
pork at, but I tried it. Something this small would probably benefit
from a marinade, and next time I may roast it at my normal 325°F.
It was pretty good, but still didn't have the succulence I remember
from before they "improved" pork to make it lean. It did seem to have
more fat and flavor than the conventional market pork loin roast, but
not so much as to generate raves. Good enough to motivate me to try
other Niman Ranch stuff if I find it. Price was not that much more
than the regular market stuff.
-aem