Inserting Garlic Cloves Into a Roast: Yes, No, Who Cares?

[Shel_B]

Toots wants slivered garlic cloves inserted into the pork roast I'm making tonight. Should I do it? I vaguely recall reading somewhere that puncturing a roast and inserting slivered garlic cloves is not recommended. Is my memory correct? If so, why shouldn't it be done?

[lesliec]

I guess the theory of why you shouldn't is it might introduce bugs from the surface into the interior. But it's pork; presumably you're not serving it rare. I do the garlic thing (and rosemary) often, but mainly with lamb.

I say do what Toots wants. Isn't that usually the best plan?

[Plantes Vertes]

I can't see why you would not do the garlic studding, but if some reason does emerge you can always make a garlic paste to rub the pork instead.

[David Hensley]

Do what Toots wants...seriously...

[ChrisTaylor]

Listen to the boss.

The garlic thing is only ever unpleasant if you're doing a low and slow roast. And if you are there's nothing stopping you from, say, roasting the garlic and stuffing little nuggets of mushed up roast garlic into crevices in the meat. Just don't poke holes in a slab of meat you're going to slow roast and then stuff them with garlic or you'll wind up the rather unpleasant result of a nicely cooked piece of meat with some nicely raw pieces of garlic popping up in every few mouthfuls to say hello.

[alanz]

Go ahead and do as she asks... It does nice things for a roast. Be sure to eat the garlic!

[Martin Fisher]

Oh yeah!!!! Love me some garlic studded pernil!!!!!!!

[patrickamory]

Bugs???

I love slivers of garlic in a long slow roasted leg of lamb, for instance.

[Shalmanese]

Just FYI, there are certain instances where garlic studded in meat can turn blueish-green. The garlic is still perfectly fine to eat but some people find it unappetizing to look at. Personally, I've never found garlic studded meat to be a great method. But if you're fine with the appearance and it's what you want, there's no harm.

[SylviaLovegren]

If it's roasted too long sometimes the garlic can get a rank smell. (This from the experience of many years of done-to-death garlic-studded leg of lamb at MILs for Christmas and Easter.)

Since then, I prefer garlic on the outside, mashed with salt and herbs.

[Shel_B]

I studded the pork roast and it turned out pretty well. The garlic taste was not overwhelming and afforded a nice background to the meat. Toots would have liked a little more garlic flavor, so next time I'll use more and thinner sliced garlic (although I could probably put more garlic into her side of the roast and less into my side).

Thanks to all who said that there's no problem doing this. I don't know where I got the notion that studding a roast with garlic was not a wise thing to do.