Introduction: ROAST PORK LOIN WITH APPLE BOURBON CRANBERRY SAUCE

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About: I am a 82-year-old self-proclaimed Chef who has spent most of his life in the hotel/resort tourism industry. I have traveled up and down the east coast of the United States from New York to Key West, and from …

There are so many different ways to roast pork loin. I had defrosted a nice piece of pork; just under 2 pounds, and I intended to make my Roasted Pork Loin with Crushed Green Peppercorns and Green Apple Bourbon. However, I also discovered that I had about a cup of whole cranberry sauce, a small bottle of Granny Smith Apple Juice, and a nice, big, Rose Apple on hand (and no green peppercorns). After a little thought, I decided to make an herb-roasted pork loan, basting it with a sauce I created using the the apple, cranberry sauce, craisins, brown sugar and Jim Beam Apple Bourbon. This worked!

Step 1: INGREDIENTS & INITIAL PREPARATION: (6 Servings)

For the Pork Loin:

  1. S&P
  2. 1 TBS Pepper Corns (you can use black, green, or a melange; I used a melange)
  3. 1 TBS fresh Rosemary, or 1/2 teaspoon dried; I used dried)
  4. 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  5. 1/;2 teaspoon dried sage
  6. 3 or 4 cloves of fresh garlic, minced.
  7. 2 TBS high-temperature cooking oil (I like a blend of EVOO/Sunflower Oil)
  • Place the above ingredients into a mortar and crush and mash them into a thick paste.
  • Rinse and dry the pork loin; season it liberally with S&P, then place it on a large sheet of plastic wrap; coat it with the herb-garlic-olive oil paste, hand-rubbing the paste into all sides of the meat, then tightly rap it in the plastic wrap and refrigerate it for several hours until ready to roast (overnight is good).

If you are going to roast the pork loin with vegetables, rinse, scrub, and slice them just before roasting time:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

I used what I had:

  1. 1 carrot, sliced thick
  2. about 1/2 large white onion, chopped into thick pieces
  3. 1 big, beautiful, Rose Apple cored and sliced, seeds removed
  4. 1 TBS lemon juice, brushed all over the apple slices to keep them from turning brown while prepping.
  5. 2 TBS unsalted butter

Make the basting sauce (you can make it ahead of time, or while the oven is preheating, or just after you have placed the roast in the oven:

  1. 1 cup jellied or whole cranberry sauce (I used whole)
  2. 1/2 cup Apple Juice (Granny Smith Apple Juice is fine)
  3. 1/4 cup Craisins (optional)
  4. 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  5. 1/2 cup Jim Beam Apple Flavored Bourbon
  • Combine the above ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat untl the cranberry sauce is melted. Set aside until ready to use.

Step 2: DIRECTIONS:

Remove the pork loin from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking and let it rest on the counter.

  • Place 2 TBS cooking oil in a heavy cast iron skillet or ovenproof non-stick pan and heat over high heat.
  • Brown the pork all over; about 2 or 3 minutes per side; then set it aside until it is cool enough to handle. While the meat is cooling, cut about 4 strands of twine long enough to reach around the meat and tie; then tie the roast as pictured and set aside while you cook the vegetables.
  • Place 2 TBS unsalted butter in the skillet you used to brown the meat and add the vegetables and 1/4 teaspoon each of dried thyme and rosemary. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the vegetables are brown. This may take 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the apple slices
  • Move the vegetables and apple slices around to the sides of the skillet and place the tied piece of pork in the center of the pan
  • Baste the uncovered pork with about 1/4 cup of the basting sauce and place the pan in the preheated 400 F oven and roast for 10 minutes.
  • Reduce the oven heat to 300 degrees and continue to baste the pork with the basting sauce every 15 minutes until the pork loin has roasted for another 30 minutes.
  • PLEASE NOTE: Roasting time is approximate, depending on the size of the roast and the accuracy of your oven temperature; roast until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 145 degrees F; then remove the pan from the oven and let the roast rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Step 3: TIME TO EAT . . .

A plate of tender, juicy, sliced roast pork, a serving of oven-roasted vegetables, thick tender-crisp sliced apples and a glass of Jim Beam Apple Bourbon and soda - who could ask for more.

Bon Appetit

Step 4: Nutrition

I have estimated the nutritional values of this recipe to the best of my ability using the MyFitnessPal Recipe Analyzer (and I may be a bit overly-optimistic when I say this recipe will serve 6 people). The cocktail pictured is not included in this estimate.