Pork and Aromatic Rhubarb Traybake (Printer-friendly)

Oven-roasted pork with tangy rhubarb, red onions, ginger, and warming spices for a comforting traybake dinner.

# What You Need:

→ Pork

01 - 1.75 lb boneless pork shoulder or loin, cut into thick slices
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 teaspoon sea salt
04 - 0.5 teaspoon black pepper

→ Rhubarb and Aromatics

05 - 10 oz rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
06 - 2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
07 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
08 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
09 - 1 orange, zest and juice
10 - 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

→ Spices

11 - 1 teaspoon ground coriander
12 - 1 teaspoon ground fennel
13 - 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
14 - 0.5 teaspoon smoked paprika
15 - 0.25 teaspoon chili flakes, optional

→ Garnish

16 - 3 tablespoons fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
02 - In a bowl, toss pork slices with olive oil, salt, pepper, coriander, fennel, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and chili flakes. Arrange seasoned pork on one side of the prepared baking tray.
03 - In another bowl, combine rhubarb, red onions, garlic, ginger, orange zest and juice, and honey. Toss well to coat, then spread out on the tray beside the pork.
04 - Roast for 35 minutes, turning the pork and stirring the rhubarb mixture halfway through.
05 - Increase oven temperature to 430°F and roast for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until pork is golden and cooked through and rhubarb is tender and caramelized.
06 - Rest pork for 5 minutes, then slice. Serve everything on a platter, sprinkled with fresh herbs.

# Cooking Tips:

01 -
  • Everything roasts on one tray, so cleanup is a breeze and you can actually sit down while it cooks.
  • The rhubarb caramelizes into a sweet-tart glaze that makes pork taste like something from a restaurant.
  • Warming spices and citrus create layers of flavor without any complicated technique or hard-to-find ingredients.
02 -
  • Don't skip the resting time for the pork, those few minutes let the juices redistribute so every slice stays moist and tender.
  • If your rhubarb is very tart, taste a small piece raw and add an extra tablespoon of honey to the mixture before roasting.
  • Turning the pork halfway through is crucial for even browning, otherwise one side stays pale and the other gets too dark.
03 -
  • Use a large tray and spread everything out in a single layer, overcrowding leads to steaming instead of roasting and you'll miss out on those caramelized edges.
  • Grate the ginger on a fine grater or microplane so it melts into the rhubarb mixture instead of leaving fibrous bits behind.
  • Taste the rhubarb mixture before roasting and adjust the honey to your liking, rhubarb can vary wildly in tartness depending on the season.
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