If you have yet to decide on a Christmas entrée, or If you have decided on a beautiful pork crown roast, here is an excellent and different, but easy recipe.

This is a fantastic way to prepare a pork crown roast. The roast is marinated, placed onto the grill, basted with a sweetened glaze, sliced, and then served with a delectable sauce.  Perfect for the holidays or any special occasion.

Grilled Pork Crown Roast

• 1 pork crown roast (10-12 bone)

for marinade:

• 1/3 cup/80 mL olive oil
• 1/4 cup/60 mL gin
• 1/4 cup/60 mL fresh oregano leaves, chopped
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons/10 mL Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons/7.5 mL sea salt
• 1 teaspoon/5 mL fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon/2.5 mL mild chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon/2.5 mL black pepper
• for glaze:
• 1 cup/240 mL fig preserves
• 2 tablespoons/30 mL water
• 1 tablespoon/15 mL gin
• for sauce:
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons/30 mL olive oil
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 cups/260 mL chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons/30 mL Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon/15 mL white wine (optional)
• 6-8 whole peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon/2.5 mL sea salt
• cornstarch and water

Combine all marinade ingredients in medium plastic or glass bowl. Place roast into a large resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade ingredients into bag making sure only the meat portion is covered. Seal and place into refrigerator in a standing position, meat side on the bottom, bones on top. Marinate for 4-6 hours.

While roast is marinating, prepare the glaze. Simply add all glaze ingredients to a saucepan and simmer until fig preserves is melted through. Once all ingredients are well combined, remove pan from heat and let glaze cool to room temperature before using.

Preheat gas, charcoal or pellet grill for medium-high heat. Remove crown roast from bag and discard marinade. Wrap each bone with aluminum foil, so they do not burn during cooking process. Place roast onto grill and cook over indirect heat for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, depending on size and thickness of roast. Toward the last 40 minutes of cooking, baste with fig glaze continuously. Once meat reaches 165 degrees in multiple locations, it is time to take off the grill. Place onto a large cutting board and tent with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

To prepare serving sauce, heat olive oil in a large pan. Add shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes constantly stirring, add chicken broth and bring to a light bubble for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. To thicken sauce, simply combine 1/4 cup/60 mL of cold water with 1 heaping teaspoon of cornstarch in a small dish. Increase heat to medium high on stove, letting the sauce come to a bubble. Slowly pour in cornstarch mixture, making sure to stir so lumps do not form. The sauce should thicken quickly. Once this happens, remove pan from heat.

To serve, cut away the twine used to secure the the roast. Remove foil from bones, and cut each portion between the bone, exposing a nice thick bone-in chop. Top meat with sauce and enjoy with your favorite side dishes.

Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year from West Sport in Sudbury.

Image and recipe - bbq.about.com

The holidays are here. After the entertaining and after the decorations get put away, winter draws on. You may be looking to freshen up the look of the living room or great room. And a great way to do this is with a wood burning fireplace insert.

After the holidays, we just want to relax. There is no better way to do that than in front of a wood burning fire. Wood burning fireplace inserts are the perfect solution for rooms with an open fireplace. Fireplace inserts turn an inefficient, boring hearth and fireplace into an efficient and gorgeous heat source for your entire home. Wood inserts are installed within your existing fireplace, so little work is needed.

If you want to update the look of your home or create a room with more atmosphere and ambiance but without an entire remodel, fireplace inserts are a great option. In fact, they will make your home heating more efficient, less expensive and more attractive. They are great additions for older homes, for homes where the fireplace is not used, for homeowners who want to decrease their heating bills or for those who want to increase the value of their home.

Wood burning fireplace inserts are beautifully made with large glass doors and surrounds that can match any style décor. Most fireplace inserts are incredibly efficient and can burn all day Many have a blower so the heat will be circulated throughout your living space.

If you want to create a relaxing space and a new look in your great room or living room after the holidays, consider wood fireplace inserts. Contact West Sport in Sudbury.

Is there a room in your house that just doesn’t get warm enough? Maybe your home office or finished basement. It is possible that it would be expensive and inefficient to add heating, and traditional electric heaters are expensive and unsafe. But now you have an option. Comfort Furnace, the best, most efficient and most effective space heater you will ever own.

Unlike most heaters that provide uneven hot spots, the heat from a Comfort Furnace surrounds you regardless of where you are in the room. Comfort Furnace is an infrared furnace that heats your space the way the sun warms the Earth; by providing convection-like heat. It heats the air through infrared heating elements. This heated air is forced into the indoor environment by fans. This creates an even, soft heat that is normally balanced between floor and ceiling by no more than a few degrees difference. Because of today’s spiraling gas, oil, propane, and other energy costs, The Comfort Furnace will pay for itself in no time. It actually operates on less electricity per day than a coffee pot.

The Comfort Furnace is very attractive too. It looks like a piece of furniture, so you guests may not even notice it. It looks like an end table, so they may accidentally rest their drink on it!

This is the more intelligent, less expensive way to heat the space in your home that you just can’t get warm. For more information, contact West Sport in Sudbury.

Winter is here and it is time to address your fireplace. If your home still has an old open hearth, now is the time to make a change and add a wood burning fireplace insert. If you have an older, open fireplace, there are ways to save money and make your home more beautiful.

Wood Burning Inserts essentially convert your open fireplace into a wood stove. They are beautifully designed in all styles to match your home and décor. Fireplace inserts are equipped with insulated doors and they slide right into the opening of your fireplace.

Fireplace inserts bring romance, ambiance and good cheer to your home. It is also nice that they add at least 10% to the value of a house. But they also bring some relief from fuel prices.

Fireplace inserts make a fire more affordable, convenient and efficient as well as safer and environmentally friendly.

Yet, the wonderful looks of the hearth won’t be compromised. The shifting shapes and colors of the fire will be as fascinating as ever, and the instant solace the fireplace offers after cold commutes and shopping trips will remain unabated.

The U.S. Department of Energy says Fireplace inserts have superior energy efficiency. They are great looking and come in a wide variety of styles, from traditional to contemporary. Designers and homeowners choose them to fit in any style room from the most comfortable room to the most elegant room.

Wood Burning Fireplace Inserts fit into existing fireplaces and can generate more than 70,000 BTUs per hour and can warm up to 1,900 sq. ft. of space. Most have tight-fitting glass or metal doors and built-in circulation features.

There is no question that fireplace inserts are terrific and getting better all the time. For more information, contact West Sport in Sudbury.