In Tuscany, roasted pork loin rubbed with garlic & rosemary is known as arista.  In any language, it translates as delicious.  It’s also a nice reminder that grilled foods don’t have to be drowned in highly seasoned rubs or sticky sauces–a reminder to anyone in the kitchen of how delicious simple things can be.

Want to roast your own arista? Take a 3-4 lb boneless pork loin roast; tie it with cotton kitchen string into a uniform shape for even cooking & slicing.  Slice one peeled garlic clove into thin slivers.  Poke a few holes into the pork and stuff garlic slivers into the holes.  Mash or puree four or five peeled garlic cloves and a tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves  in 1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil.  Rub entire roast with flavored oil; allow to rest at room temperature for at least an hour before cooking.  Grind black pepper generously over the roast and sprinkle with sea salt just before cooking.

Cook over hardwood lump charcoal for 90 to 120 minutes at 325; or until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees.  (Of course, you can roast it in the oven at the same temperature.)  On a Big Green Egg, cook the loin on a raised grid over a drip pan.  Rest for 20 minutes before slicing; or cool completely and serve at room temperature or cold in the Italian fashion.

To enliven my fallback side dish of roasted sweet potatoes, mushrooms & onions, I tossed in some peeled, diced apple.  Cooked alongside the roast for 40 minutes, the apples stayed crisp, a nice contrast to the melting onions and tender sweet potatoes.