Juicy Pork Loin

Pork tenderloin is versatile, lean and delicious. According to the National Pork Producers Association, its saturated fat content is almost as low as a chicken breast.
Because of pork’s naturally mild flavor, you can add a multitude of marinade and seasoning combinations to create mouthwatering dishes that the whole family will love.

Unlike center cut pork chops, when cooking pork tenderloin, the meat stays tender and juicy. The only real thing to watch for is to not overcook it.

Since pork loins tend to be priced higher than center cut chops, watch your local sales ads and stock up when you see them on sale.

Ingredients

• 1 pork loin (2 pounds will feed a family of four)
• 1 teaspoon of each of the following:
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Thyme
• Sea Salt
• Black Pepper
• Crushed Red Pepper

Direction

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash the pork loin and pat with a paper towel until most of the water is removed.

Mix the spices together and rub all over the loin. The spices can be adjusted to satisfy your own taste buds.

In a cast iron or any oven safe skillet, add 2 Tablespoons of oil. Heat the skillet on med/high until very hot.

Put the loin into the hot skillet and sear on all sides, including the ends.

This takes only a minute or so on each side. Searing will help keep the juices inside during cooking.

Once you have seared the loin all over, cover the skillet loosely with aluminum foil and put it into the preheated oven.

Bake 20 minutes per pound or until a meat thermometer inserted into middle reads 180 degrees.

Remove loin from oven. Leave the foil in place and let the meat rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

This time will allow the meat to reabsorb some of the juice. Transfer to a cutting board for slicing.
The finished product! This meat is so flavorful you won’t need any type of sauce.

Tips:

Serve with sweet potatoes (baked or French fried) and a green vegetable or green salad.

Leftover meat can be warmed in the oven or fried in a skillet to serve with eggs and hash brown potatoes for a hearty breakfast the next morning.

If you prefer, you can add a sauce topping such as orange marmalade to make a different style dish.

Use the leftover meat in soup, stew or even spaghetti sauce.