Garlic Roasted Brined Pork Loin

Garlic Pork Loin 3 Ways - Olive Oil (simple), Dijon Mustard (savory), Raspberry Jam (sweet)

Pork loins are a blessing and a curse

The blessing is that they look impressive, are fairly inexpensive and when dressed up they give off an aurora of extravagance.

The curse is that they are very lean (this could also be a blessing to some) and are prone to dry out (clearly a curse) when cooked.

The fix...

Brine it overnight with a simple mix of salt, sugar and water. This easy step will insure that your pork loin is flavorful and juicy every single time! 

With that said, Brining is not an option, it’s an absolute must!

My notes to you…

• My brine is mild and is intended to lightly flavor the pork loin all the way through and keep it juicy. But if you are one who loves an extra punch of flavor, feel free to add some garlic or herbs to the brine, but don't go crazy because the flavors could become over powering.

• Once your pork loin has been brined, the next step is to choose your exterior flavors. I use the same base for my smear - Herbs de Provence, garlic, salt and pepper. Then I add olive oil (simple), dijon mustard (savory) or some kind of jam (sweet) (not jelly).

• The recommended temperature to cook pork to keeps changing (I think for the better) currently it’s recommended to cook till 145 – 160 degrees. I like to cook pork loin to 135 degrees in the oven and allow the temperature to rise outside of the oven to the recommended temperature when resting.

• Though it is tempting to cut off a slice to taste as soon as it comes out of the over, don’t do it! Always allow the roast to rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to settle back into the meat.

Garlic Roasted Brined Pork Loin - 3 Ways

 3         pound             Pork Loin

Brine

8          cups    water

¼        cup      kosher salt

1          Tbsp.   brown sugar, packed

Place pork loin in brine overnight or up to 2 days. Take the pork loin out of the brine and dry with paper towels.

 

The brine recipe will work for one roast and up to 3 as I did in the photo above.

Smear

1          Tbsp.               Olive Oil, Dijon Mustard or Jam

1          tsp.                  Herbs De Provence

2-4      cloves             Garlic, minced ( I used 2)

½        tsp.                  Kosher Salt

¼        tsp.                  Black Pepper

Mix seasoning together and smear all over roast – if using jam, smear only over the fat cap. The roast is ready to cook and will have plenty of flavor, but if you want extra garlicky flavor (see note below)

• Another option is to wrap the roast in plastic after you put on the smear and keep it in the fridge for a couple of hours and  up to a day which will give the roast a more pronounced garlic flavor. 

Left to right; Jam, Olive Oil, Dijon Mustard

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Place roast on a roasting rack and cook for 10 minutes in a 500 degree oven.

Drop temperature to 350 degrees and continue to cook until the roast reaches 135 degrees. Depending on the size of your roast this should take about 50 minutes to an hour.

Garlic Pork Loin 3 Ways - Olive Oil (simple), Dijon Mustard (savory), Raspberry Jam (sweet)

Note to self;

10 minutes @ 500 degrees

40 – 50 minutes@ 350

Total cooking time 50 – 60 minutes or when thermometer reaches 135 degrees