Roasted Pork Loin

This Maple Cider Brined Roasted Pork Loin recipe is all that and then some. This is a pull-out-all-the-stops kind of recipe for a special meal! I have 100% confidence you’re going to love it! 

If you have been looking for a Christmas dinner or holiday roast that serves four to six people, stop your search and feast your eyes on this Maple and Apple Cider Brined Pork Roast.

It is brined in apple cider, maple syrup, cinnamon and seasoning. Then it is rubbed with a simple butter, mustard and maple mixture that creates an irresistible browned crust on the roast. It is served with a delicious homemade apple chutney made with mustard seed, apple cider vinegar and pure maple syrup.

Four Tips For Juicy Pork Loin Roast

Pork loin is notably lean and can be very dry if not prepared with care. I have four tips to share with you to help prevent drying it out.

Tip 1: Brine It

Brining is a technique, somewhat similar to marinating, that involves soaking meat or poultry in a salty liquid for several hours before cooking.

The process, unlike marinating which requires acidity, relies on the high sodium concentration in the brine to force osmosis of the liquid and seasoning to penetrate into the meat cell walls. Where marinating effects the outer layers of meat, brined meat will be juicy and seasoned throughout to make it hold more moisture and flavor.

Some brines are simply water and salt. Many also include sugars of some sort. This one today goes a bit further by adding in flavor (not just salty and sweet taste) in the form of cinnamon, apple cider, maple and bay leaf.

Tip 2: Add Some Fat

In culinary school I learned about a technique called barding, which if you’ve ever had a bacon-wrapped scallop, you’ve experienced first-hand. Basically barding is wrapping lean meat with fatty meat (like bacon) to sort of “baste” it with fat as it cooks. This helps to keep the meat moist and helps keep it from drying out.

Today I took that basic principal and made a butter rub which essentially does the same thing– it bastes the roast as it cooks. It has maple sugar, mustard and rosemary in it to give it extra flavor too.

Tip 3: Use An Instant Read Thermometer

When you cook pork, it is really hard to know it is done and having tested this recipe a bazillion times, I can tell you that you can’t go from the timing alone. Depending on the side of the loin your roast is cut from, the range of cooking time can vary by 15 minutes!

To test the internal temperature, you’ll want to insert the sensor of your thermometer into the center of the roast. Test it in several spots and use the lowest number for your reading.

It should be 125 degrees F when you take it out. As it rests, the temperature will continue to rise. As you see in my photos and video there is only the slightest hint of pink in the center of the roast. Note: the USDA says to roast it to 145 degrees before taking it out of the oven. This will result in a much dryer roast, but if you have safety concerns or health issues, please follow their guidance.

Tip 4: Rest Before Slicing

This sounds trivial, but it is so important! Rest the roast for at least 15 minutes before you slice it. Why? When you first take the pork loin roast out of the oven, the meat proteins are wound tight and seizing. Letting the roast rest will give the meat proteins time to relax a bit. If you slice it too soon, the juices will just pour right out of the meat onto the carving board.

Purchasing Tips For Boneless Pork Loin Roast

This recipe uses a 2 pound boneless pork loin roast. Look for one in the meat case, or ask your butcher to cut it for you.

Look for a fat cap of 1/4 inch thick or less. You will need to tie it with string, so if yours comes tied, that will save you a step.

Pork Loin Roast vs Pork Tenderloin

Pork Loin

Pork loin is not the same thing as pork tenderloin. Pork loin comes from the loin (back) of the pig. That’s the “primal” that runs along the back of the animal between the shoulders and hind leg.

Modern pork is raised to be very lean, so the meat of pork loin roasts are very lean. It is often sold with a “fat cap” of up to 1/4-thick.

Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin also comes from the loin primal, but it is a much smaller cut. The tenderloin is made up of the psoas major and minor and iliacus muscles. {In a human that translates to our hip flexors for all of you anatomy buffs.}

To visualize it, this muscle runs along the rib on the ham (tail) end of the pork. It doesn’t do much heavy work, which is why it is so tender.

Tenderloin doesn’t have any external fat on it because it is an internal cut, but it may have silver skin which can be removed. If you want to try a recipe similar to this one, but you happen to have purchased a pork tenderloin, I recommend this Easy Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Apple Skillet instead. It has a lot of the same flavors but is taylor made for tenderloin.

How To Make Maple Cider Roasted Pork Loin

Tie The Pork

Use kitchen twine to tie the loin, in about four places, along the length of the roast. The ties will serve to tighten the meat from a flattened loaf-shape into a more circular cylinder shape. This will help the meat cook more evenly.

Brine The Pork

• Combine the brine ingredients (except for the salt) in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
• Once it simmers, add in the salt and stir to dissolve the salt.
• Remove it from the heat and add in 1 1/2 cups ice to immediately cool it down.

• Set a 1 gallon ziplock bag into a deep bowl and set the tied roast into the bag.
• Pour the chilled brine over the roast. Press any air out of the bag as you seal it shut.
• Refrigerate it for 4 to 6 hours.
• Note: there will be a tiny bit of meat exposed, so if you can agitate it once or twice while it brines that would help.
• If your timing is such that you cannot roast the pork after 4 hours, you can take it out of the brine and keep it covered and refrigerated until you are ready to continue

Make The Chutney

The chutney is a simple cooked sauce made with diced apples. It can be served warm or room temperature. For convenience it can be made two days ahead, and rewarmed (or brought to room temperature) before serving. Here’s how to make it:

1. Cook the Shallot: Cook the minced shallot in the butter in a saucepan.
2. Add Liquid and Spices: Next add in the cider vinegar, maple syrup, mustard seeds and salt and bring it to a simmer.
3. Add Apples and Cook: Add in the diced apples (I recommend golden apples, or one macintosh and one firm like cortland or gala.) Cover the saucepan and simmer it over low heat to allow the apples to soften.
4. How Long to Cook: Depending on the variety, the apples will soften in about 5 minutes.

Make The Maple Butter

Once you’ve brined the pork, you’re ready to roast it. Before it goes into the oven, you’ll want to add on the maple butter. Here’s how to make it:

• Mash together softened butter, granulated maple sugar, rosemary, mustard and salt.

Roast The Pork Loin

• Dry the meat: Once you take the pork out of the brine, pat it dry with paper towels. Discard the brine.
• Add Maple Butter: Spread the maple butter over the top and all over the sides of the roast.
• Prep Roasting Pan: Give your roasting pan a little spritz with cooking spray, and set the roast into the pan.
• Roast in the center of the oven at 425 degrees F.
• Test for doneness by inserting an instant read thermometer into the center of the roast.
• Internal Temperature before resting: For a final resting temp of 140 degrees, pull the roast out when the internal temperature is 125 degrees.

Rest and Carve

Transfer the pork to a carving board or platter. Tent the roast with foil and let rest for 15 minutes. The carryover heat will cause the pork to continue cooking as it rests.

Remove the butchers twine before slicing. I just cut each piece with scissors and pull them off.

Slice the pork into thin slices. Serve with the warm chutney.

Steps To Make This Recipe

Holiday Meal Pairing Ideas

Here are some ideas for what to serve this pork loin with.

• Serve with buttermilk mashed potatoes and simple skillet green beans.
• For a homey traditional meal serve it with roasted parsnips or roasted carrots and a garden salad.
• This Wild Rice Salad or this Wild Rice Pilaf with pomegranates would be festive additions.
• My Holiday Slaw is an easy fresh side and pork and cabbage are a classic combo!
• This festive Kale Slaw with Raspberries is a great wintertime salad that would be great with these flavors.
• For a maple sweetened dessert make this Apple Cake with almonds or my Gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting.

Thanks so much for reading. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. 

Happy Cooking!

~Katie

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