Al Capone Roast

On the Menu Today~
Al Capone Roast

This is our version of a Wisconsin
Up North Classic, the
"Al Capone Roast"
An Al Capone Roast
is said to have been made popular
by the gangster Al Capone,
who was notorious for "hiding out"
in the northwoods of Wisconsin.
Not only was Al Capone a gangster but
he was a gangster who loved good food.

Al Capone Roast

Several years ago,
when we bought our first Al Capone Roast,
we immediately fell in love
with this delicious and tasty roast.
We always purchased an Al Capone Roast
from a small grocery store located near
Rhinelander WI.

Over the years, it has become increasingly difficult to
find an Al Capone Roast in any grocery store in our area.
We asked several different grocery store butchers why?
We were told that due to the increase in price of ingredients
used to make an Al Capone Roast,
it was just too expensive to
make them anymore.
People just didn't want to pay that much for a roast..so..
we decided to make our own version of the famous,
Al Capone Roast....and we are so glad we did!!

Al Capone Roast

This recipe is featured on CCN~
Culinary Content Network~ The Daily Meal

Al Capone Roast

An Al Capone Roast is traditionally made up of a
boneless pork loin and beef tenderloin which are butterflied,
then layered with fresh Italian sausage,
sliced black olives, chopped fresh mushrooms,
sliced pepperoni, genoa salami and hard salami,
then topped with slices of mozzarella and provolone cheese.
The whole thing is sprinkled with Italian seasoning and
rolled up. (Now you know why it is so expensive to make!)


Our version is made with a less expensive cut of meat and
we feel, a cut of meat that has so much more flavor,
than the traditional boneless pork loin and beef tenderloin.
We opted for a Porketta Roast,
due to its great flavor, availability and
its Italian backround....
Perfetto!

Al Capone Roast

Porketta Roast~
What is a Porketta Roast?
A spicy, tasty and extremely moist boneless pork roast.
It's covered with a dry rub combination.
The rub can include dill seed, fennel seed, oregano, lemon
pepper, garlic and onion powder.

Al Capone Roast

A Porketta Roast starts out as a Boston cut pork shoulder,
which is one of the juiciest and most flavorful cuts of pork.
The pork roast is de-boned, excess fat is removed and butterflied.
The roast is then literally sprinkled with
a delicious dry rub seasoning blend.

Al Capone Roast

Now, on to the recipe....

Al Capone Roast

Al Capone Roast

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 pound porketta roast
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, divided
• 1/2 pound fresh, bulk Italian sweet sausage
• 1 (4 oz) can sliced black olives, drained
• 1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained and chopped
• 8 slices prosciutto ham
• 12 slices hard salami
• 12 slices provolone cheese
• olive oil

Cooking Directions

1. Slice porketta roast in half.
2. Sprinkle both halves with Italian seasoning, set top half aside.
3. Pat fresh Italian sausage on bottom half of roast.
4. Sprinkle sausage with sliced black olives and chopped mushrooms, lightly press into sausage.
5. Lay 4 slices of prosciutto on top of black olive and mushroom layer, top with 6 slices of hard salami, top with 12 slices of provolone cheese. Repeat layers.
6. Place top half of roast on layers.
7. Tie the two halves together with cooking string. * (Hopefully you can tie your roast better than me)* Drizzle roast with olive oil.
8. Place roast in a 5 to 6 quart crock-pot.
9. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Pork, Mushrooms, Sausage, Olives, Salami, Cheese

Al Capone Roast

Al Capone History~
Occupation: Gangster
Born: January 17, 1899
Died: January 25, 1947 (heart failure)
Best known as: The American gangster known as "Scarface"
Name at birth: Alphonsus Capone

Alphonse "Al" Capone,
was one of the most famous U.S. gangsters during
the 1920's and the 1930's.
A Chicago-based boss involved in illegal gambling,
bootlegging (illegal alcohol) and prostitution.
Al Capone got his start in New York,
working as a thug and bouncer.

Born in the borough of Brooklyn,
in New York City to Italian immigrants.
Capone became involved with gang activity at a young age,
after being expelled from school at age 14.
In 1919, when he was in his early twenties,
he moved to Chicago to make money smuggling
illegal alcoholic beverages.

He quickly moved up the ranks of Johnny Torrio's gang.

Capone was known for his smarts and brutality.

By 1925,
he was in charge of one of Chicago's biggest criminal gangs.
The Chicago outfit,
which became known as the "Capones",
were dedicated to smuggling, bootlegging liquor and
other illegal activities such as prostitution.

Capone headed this massive bootlegging, gambling and
prostitution operation during Prohibition and
raked in tens of millions of dollars.
He was widely suspected in several murders but never charged.

In 1929, he was considered the mastermind
behind the gangland killing on Chicago's North Side,
known as the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
Capone's men gunned down seven
rival gang members and executed them.
Investigators could never collect enough evidence
to put anyone on trail for the deaths.
Capone's public reputation was damaged,
in the wake of his involvement in the massacre.

Capone engaged in various other criminal activities,

including bribery of government figures.
Despite his illegitimate occupation,
Capone became a highly visible public figure.
He made donations to various charitable endeavors,
using the money he made from his illegal activities and
was viewed by many to be a "modern-day Robin Hood".

Arrested many times over the years,
Al Capone was famously pursed by federal agent Eliot Ness.
He ended up finally going to jail for income tax evasion in 1931.
After serving eight years in federal prisons,
one of which was "The Rock" or better known as Alcatraz,
Al Capone was released on good behavior in 1939.

In the final years of Capone's life, he suffered mental and
physical deterioration due to late-stage syphilis,
which he had contracted in his youth.
Capone retired to his estate in Florida.
On January 25, 1947,
he died from cardiac arrest after suffering a stroke.

Capone's hideout was located in northern
Wisconsin near Couderoy on
407 acres of wooded, pristine and private property.
The hideout was located on Blueberry Lake.
It is said that Capone used the 37-acre lake for seaplanes,
carrying shipments of bootleg alcohol from Canada,
before making it's way to Chicago.

Capone owned the land in the late 1920's and early 1930's,
during the height of Prohibition.
The gangster's house is built of stone,
with 18-inch thick walls, a hand-cut stone fireplace and
custom-made spiral staircases created in Chicago.
It also has a stone gun tower,
where machine-gun-armed guards watched out for the authorities,
whenever Capone was on the property.
There is also a caretaker's cottage and bunkhouse.
A barn on the estate is suppose to have housed chickens,
so the gangster could have fresh eggs.
There is even a jail house on the grounds,
which is a very small single cell surrounded by a brick wall.

Stone Gun Tower~

Jail House~

The Houston family bought the property in the 1950's
from Capone's estate and
had operated it as a seasonal bar and restaurant,
known for its prime rib.
The Houston family also offered guided tours,
focusing on the Capone lore.

In 2009,
the property went up for auction for 2.6 million dollars.
The bank that foreclosed on the property a year earlier,
bought the property at auction.

*Capone photos from google search