Confession time: until a few years ago, I had only attempted to cook a pork loin a couple of times, with dry, disappointing results. A friend encouraged me to try again, and raved about how tender and moist her pork loin roasts were. With her encouraging words in my ears, I took a few more stabs at it and realized that indeed, a pork loin makes a great centerpiece to many weeknight meals. The trick is to not overcook the roast. (A meat thermometer is your best friend; trust it more than the timer. For best results, you want to stay south of 160 F.)
If you shy away from pork loins, I hope this will inspire you to reconsider. They are often a featured sale item, and I usually pick them up for under $2 per pound, making them a budget-friendly choice. A large loin can be divided into 2 or 3 meals, depending on your family size. And a loin can be dressed up or down for any occasion, from weeknight meal to company’s coming status. They also take well to all sorts of flavors, from pecans to mustard to a variety of spices and seasonings.
Recently, I latched onto this yin-yang sweet-spicy mixture that forms a succulent glaze on a loin. (The original recipe was geared toward tenderloins, so I adjusted the amounts to accommodate the larger surface of a loin.) I also picked up chili paste, not sweet chili paste. There’s a HUGE and flaming difference between them, so look closely or modify your ingredients as noted below.
Fiery Sweet Pork Loin
2 1/2 to 3 pound pork loin (I buy a larger one to divide and freeze half for a future dinner)
Ingredients (Option 1, using hot chili paste)
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon minced garlic)
1/2 teaspoon ginger (fresh or powdered)
1/8 cup honey
1-2 tablespoons chili paste
Ingredients (Option 2 – sweet chili paste)
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon minced garlic)
1/2 teaspoon ginger (fresh or powdered)
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup sweet chili paste
2-3 teaspoons Sriracha
Directions. Preheat oven to 350. Rinse pork loin and pat dry. Place in roasting pan; there is typically a thin layer of fat, place it facing up. I use my Dutch oven, uncovered, with a drizzle of olive oil in the bottom to keep it from sticking. Mix all topping ingredients together and slather over the loin. Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes per pound, or until thermometer reads 140-145. Leave the thermometer in, and remove from oven and tent with foil for 5 minutes before slicing. The temperature should continue to rise; make sure it’s at 150 before slicing to serve. Serves 5-6.
Happy roasting!
