This apple glazed roasted pork loin is the perfect meal for the whole family. This juicy pork loin is rubbed with a simple seasoning paste and then topped with an apple cider glaze. Great for any holiday or just a Sunday dinner.Â
Some of my favorite dishes are the ones that seem like they took all day but in all reality took less than 15 minutes of active cooking time. This is one of my secret weapons when fall rolls around and I need an easy dish to make for my friends and family. The apple cider glaze has just the right amount of sweetness to go well with the pork without making everything overly sweet. Any left overs also make for an amazing sandwich the next day.Â
In this recipe
This recipe is all about simple ingredients. Salt, pepper, garlic and mustard are all you need to season the pork. Then top with with a glaze of apple cider, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard. Most of the ingredients can already be found in your kitchen making this an easy go to meal that will feed everyone. When you want to do something to make this recipe a little more unique is to substitute the brown sugar for molasses, honey, or maple syrup. Maple syrup is one of my favorite alternatives.Â
No need to tie
One of the things that you will normally see with pork loin recipes is that it calls to make sure that the pork loin has been tied. While I like this for aesthetic reasons it really isn’t necessary for a dish like this unless you want the pork to be circular when sliced. It will not change the cooking time of the meat. However I find that it allows me to get the seasoning all over the whole pork loin instead of on the twine. Â
Cooking the pork loin
For many roast recipes you will want to sear the outside in order to develop those wonderful flavors you have in a roast. However with this recipe there is no need to sear the pork first, the oven will take care of that for you. This is especially true if you have a convection setting in your oven. You will want to start with the fat side up and allow that toe crisp first. This will also help keep the meat moist and tender. Halfway through cooking you will want to flip the loin. Â
Glaze it up!
Once the pork is on its way to perfection you will want to start on the glaze. This is the part that takes the most cooking on your behalf. You want to make sure that the pot is cold when you add the ingredients. If the liquid is hot when you add the cornstarch it will clump and make little dumplings in the sauce. The easiest way to tell when the sauce is done is to dip the back of a spoon into the sauce and remove it. Then draw a line with your finger horizontally across the back of the spoon. If the line holds its shape for a second then the glaze is ready. It will continue to thicken.Â
Looking for other family meal ideas?
Apple Glazed Roasted Pork Loin
Equipment
- Baking dish or roasting pan
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Heavy bottomed sauce pan
Ingredients
Pork Loin
- 4 pound pork loin
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
Apple Cider Glaze
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1½ cup apple cider
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F, 177C, or gas mark 4.
- In bowl mix the salt, pepper, garlic powder, mustard and olive oil. Spread the mustard mixture over all of the sides of the pork loin. Place the pork loin fat side up in the oven. Bake for 1 hour and 20 min or until the internal temperature reaches 145F/63C. Flip the pork halfway through cooking to brown the other side.
- While the pork is cooking heat a heavy bottomed pan on medium high heat and add the apple cider, brown sugar, dijon mustard, corn starch and apple cider vinegar. Whisk to make sure all of the cornstarch has disappeared. The sauce will boil and thicken continue to whisk until it can coat the back of a spoon and a line drawn through it stays.
- Once the pork has been removed from the oven allow the pork to rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Drizzle the glaze over the sliced pork.
Nutrition
