Once summer is firmly in place, it's always a good idea to have a couple meals that you can put together entirely on the grill -- or at least without turning on the stove or oven inside. These are vital for those days when Mother Nature turns up the heat and you want to keep your place cool ... or at least not roasting! Making dinner happen outside is excellent for that. It also begs you to pour yourself a glass of your favorite frosty beverage and enjoy a bit of nature while you let the grill do the work.
A good soak in a flavorful marinade is key to making this recipe work. I like to get my roast marinating the night before I plan to grill. I might even prep the asparagus and ramps (you can use whole green onions if you don't have ramps) then too so I can just grab a kit and head for the yard when it's time for grilling. By getting the roast nearly finished before adding the vegetables to the grill plate (I highly recommend getting one for fuss-free grilling), you can have everything done at once. You also get to toss a bit of lemon at the roast near the end of its cooking process and start the veggies off with a burst of lemon. It's a nice approach.
To serve, slice the pork and get everything on plates. Have a cold beverage with it all. Now, that's nice and simple isn't it?
Grilled Lemon-Garlic Butter Pork Loin, Asparagus & Ramps
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ c. olive oil
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. Dried rosemary
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 (2-3 lb.) pork loin roast
- 8 oz. thick asparagus spears
- 8 oz. whole ramps
- 1 T. butter
In a gallon-sized resealable bag, combine the minced garlic, olive oil, Italian seasoning, rosemary, and juice from ½ of the lemon (refrigerate other half of the lemon until ready to use); seal and shake to combine. Add the pork loin roast to the bag and reseal, removing as much air as possible. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and as long as 2 days.
When ready to grill, prepare a grill for indirect grilling over medium-high heat. I prefer to set a cast iron grill plate on the grill to distribute heat and keep juices from causing flare ups. While the grill is heating, clean the asparagus and ramps; remove woody parts of the asparagus stems and set aside.
Remove the pork loin roast from the bag and place it on the grill plate. Cover the grill and allow the roast to grill for 20 minutes before opening the grill and turning the roast; grill for another 20 minutes.
Open the grill and turn the roast and set both the asparagus spears and whole ramps on the grill plate and juice the reserved ½ lemon over the meat and vegetables. Close the grill and cook for another 10 minutes before removing it all to a large serving plate. Add the butter to the green parts of the ramps and all the residual heat to melt the butter.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 1 hour plus marinating time