HERB-BRINED PORK PRIME RIB ROAST

Steps:

• For brine:.
• Combine 1 quart water and all remaining ingredients in medium saucepan.
• Bring to boil, stirring until sugar and salt dissolve.
• Pour brine into wide pot or container large enough to hold pork (3- to 4-gallon capacity).
• Add remaining 5 quarts cold water; stir to blend.
• Let stand until brine is cool to touch, about 1 hour.
• For pork:.
• Place pork on work surface.
• Trim off all but 1/4-inch layer of fat from roast.
• Turn roast over so that rib bones point up.
• Using boning knife and starting where meat meets rib bones, gradually cut loin away from rack of bones, leaving 2 inches of meat attached to bones (do not cut meat off bones completely).
• Tie meat back onto bones with kitchen string at 2-inch intervals.
• Place roast in brine, submerging pork completely and weighing down with heavy pot if necessary.
• Cover and refrigerate 5 days.
• Remove pork from brine; discard brine.
• Rinse pork under cold running water for 5 minutes to reduce saltiness; pat dry with paper towels.
• Place pork on rack set over sheet of foil; let stand at room temperature 2 hours.
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F
• Place pork on rack in large roasting pan.
• Mix thyme and crushed peppercorns in small bowl; sprinkle mixture over pork.
• Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 140F, about 1 hour.
• Remove from oven.
• Let roast rest 30 minutes (internal temperature of roast will increase 5 to 10 degrees).
• Remove kitchen string from roast.
• Cut meat into slices and serve.