Roast Pork with Apples and Onions

A delicious holiday alternative to the ubiquitous turkey, with minimal effort.

Step 1 Prep pork

Place a boneless pork loin fat-side up in a greased baking pan.

Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper, chili powder, cajun spice, or the seasoning of your choice.

Put it in the oven at 400F for approximately 45 minutes to an hour, and remove when it reaches an internal temperature of ~140-145F* on your instant-read meat thermometer.

*Note: the USDA recommends 160F, but this produces a painfully dry bit of pork (especially with today's leaner pork) and is overkill, according to Cook's Illustrated. The Pork Board recommends 150F, which also turns out dry. Trichinosis is killed at 137F, so we're into the safe zone. The internal temperature will rise 5-10 degrees as the meat rests to redistribute the juices, covered, after cooking.

Comments

[woodoc]

This is very similar to what I have been doing. I grill the pork loin on the BBQ to help reduce the fat .
I like a more pure apple flavor so I core and slice the apples with the peeling intact (have been using either fuji or jonigold apples) and steam them in a covered pan with a small bit of apple juice (water could be used), cinnamon,  nutmeg and agave nectar for added sweetness, all to taste.
Cook the apples as preferred (I like to leave them slightly firm) and then reduce the remaining liquid to use as a drizzle over the sliced pork.

This is my first posting, thanks for your understanding:)

[itskeiser]

Is there any harm in putting the apples/onions in the oven alongside the pork (in seperate pans) It seems like that'd save time as well as make the pork stay warm when it hits the plate

[canida]

The pork needs around 10-15 minutes to rest before slicing, so the timing works out pretty well. Otherwise, nothing wrong with cooking the apples/onions separately, except you miss out on some of the meat pan juices/seasonings (even if you dump them in, it's not the same as using the same pan) and you've got twice the clean-up. Of course, if you use a harder vegetable like carrots (see jsb-1138's comment) you may need that extra cook time.

[itskeiser]

awesome,thanks for the info debating swapping the onions for sweet potatoes,or maybe just adding them on top of it all

[canida]

Definitely add them on top, that would be delicious! Tell me how it goes. ;)

[jsb-1138]

I made this today, however, I forgot to pick up apples at the grocery store, so instead I used some carrots I had in the fridge. Also, in place of the madeira I used some kind of apple (ciderish) whiskey and apple cider vinegar. I used green beans in place of the brussels sprouts as well. Since I used carrots instead of apples, I had to cook them for a little while longer to soften them up, but nonetheless, this was a mind numbingly delicious recipe! As are most of your others, Canida. Keep it up! May I request more lentils/legume based recipes?

[canida]

That's an awesome picture! Looks fantastic. I'll see what I can do about the legumes.

[Canookian]

Uhh...I've seen some of your other instructables...and thats JUST pork, apples and onions, right??

[_soapy_]

No, it's got alcohol in it too.

[Canookian]

Lol, I was referencing towards her instructables involving mice. Duck-footed mice, LED mice, you name it, she's made it...from mice, of course

[CtySci]

this look like something i would eat

[LasVegas]

Looks delicious! I would de-glaze the drippings with the madeira before adding the mixture to get all the good bits from the roaster into the apples-n-onions. This would be great with anything roasted! I'll have to try it.

[canida]

The apples drop enough juice to successully deglaze the pan themselves as they cook; the madeira is extra bonus.

See Roast Bison with Caramelized Onions for a similar preparation.