The Other White Meat

About a year ago I discovered a new piece of meat I had never cooked before...pork loin.  I mean, sure, I had made pork chops and stuff, but I'd never cooked it as a roast.  I stumbled onto a recipe that sounded good, so I tried it, and I LOVED it.  Then Albertson's put them on sale for a SUPER good price and I bought a whole bunch.  I also learned that the butcher in the store would cut them however I wanted them...who knew?  I had him cut some just in half, so I could use them as roasts, and others I had him slice into chops, and I "accidentally" had one whole roast cut into cubes (who knew that when I said "1 inch pieces" he wouldn't know I meant "1 inch slices"...so I had to go looking for a recipe for the cubes too...and I found a really fabulous one that I will share on another day.)  I still have quite a bit of this pork in my freezer, but it has made a nice addition to the list of things I cook regularly.  This roast is one of my favorites and it's VERY easy.

HERB ROASTED PORK LOIN

5 lb. boneless pork loin

1 teaspoon rubbed sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine sage, salt, pepper, and garlic. Oil the bottom of a roasting pan with a smear of olive oil.  Rub thoroughly over pork and place pork in an uncovered roasting pan (put the pork in the pan with the fat side up--the fat will cook down through the meat and make the roast more tender)on the middle oven rack (I used a dutch oven this time, and I covered it).  Bake for approximately 3 hours or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees. 

About an hour before the roast will be done, make the glaze. Place the sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, water and soy sauce in a saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture bubbles and starts to thicken.  Brush the roast with the glaze about 4 times during the last half hour of cooking (my roast got done early, so I removed it, kept it in the dutch oven, and glazed it a couple of times while the rest of the meal was still cooking and it stayed hot for another 45 minutes with the lid on).  Slice the roast and pour more glaze on, drizzling down between the slices. I usually have extra glaze for anyone that wants it.  Enjoy!

I have some leftover...is it time for lunch?