Main Dishes |
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Roast Pork Loin - 2013
Recipe courtesy of Ron Wozny
INGREDIENTS
PREPARATION
About 30 minutes before you plan to start roasting, take the pork loin out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature. Preheat oven to 450°F. In a small bowl, combine the oil, garlic, salt, pepper and herbs and mix until a paste forms. Dry the pork loin with paper towels and rub it all over with the seasoning paste. Then set it on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer on a slight angle into the very center of the roast. If you're using the digital kind with a temperature alert function (compare prices), set it to 140°F and transfer it to the oven. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 300°F. Let the loin continue roasting for another 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 140-145°F. Take the roast out of the oven and cover it with foil. Let it rest 10 to 15 minutes, during which time the roast's internal temperature will cruise up to around 145°F at which point it is ready to slice and serve.
Note: If using dry herbs, use about half of the fresh amount.
Note on pork temperature: For many years, 160°F has been the recommended internal temperature for cooking pork. In 2011, the USDA changed this recommendation to 145°F. Though mostly eradicated in commercially-raised pork in the mid-1990s, this is to safeguard against the trichinella parasite, which is killed at 137°F. The result of cooking it to 145°F is an amazing, juicy and flavorful roast!
- 1 3-4 pound boneless center-cut pork loin
- 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp fresh sage, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
PREPARATION
About 30 minutes before you plan to start roasting, take the pork loin out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature. Preheat oven to 450°F. In a small bowl, combine the oil, garlic, salt, pepper and herbs and mix until a paste forms. Dry the pork loin with paper towels and rub it all over with the seasoning paste. Then set it on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer on a slight angle into the very center of the roast. If you're using the digital kind with a temperature alert function (compare prices), set it to 140°F and transfer it to the oven. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 300°F. Let the loin continue roasting for another 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 140-145°F. Take the roast out of the oven and cover it with foil. Let it rest 10 to 15 minutes, during which time the roast's internal temperature will cruise up to around 145°F at which point it is ready to slice and serve.
Note: If using dry herbs, use about half of the fresh amount.
Note on pork temperature: For many years, 160°F has been the recommended internal temperature for cooking pork. In 2011, the USDA changed this recommendation to 145°F. Though mostly eradicated in commercially-raised pork in the mid-1990s, this is to safeguard against the trichinella parasite, which is killed at 137°F. The result of cooking it to 145°F is an amazing, juicy and flavorful roast!
