Grandma's Pork Loin Roast

A person holding a large steel roasting pan filled with a roasted pork loin sitting on top of roasted apples and fennel.

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Entree

Keyword: best pork loin roast recipe, holiday roast recipe, how to roast a pork loin

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 1 10

Brining time: 8

Total Time: 9 30

Servings: people

Calories: 425kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Grandma's Pork Loin Roast gets a nice brine and then a maple-mustard crust when it bakes. Cook along with the apple and fennel, and wow oh wow, is this good! Grandma would be so proud!

Print Recipe

Equipment

Brine bag
Roasting pan

Ingredients

FOR THE BRINE

8 cups apple cider cold
¾ cup Kosher salt
¼ cup brown sugar light
2 cloves garlic crushed
3 sprigs thyme thyme
1 4 lb pork loin roast boneless, leave a thin layer of fat

FOR THE ROAST

¼ cup maple syrup
3 tbsp whole-grain mustard
2 tsp thyme fresh, chopped
1½ tsp Kosher salt divided
2 tsp black pepper freshly ground, divided
2 bulbs fennel quartered, cored, and sliced
2 apples peeled, cored, and sliced
1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

BRINE THE PORK

Combine 2 cups of the apple cider with the salt, brown sugar, garlic, and thyme in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly, until salt and sugar dissolved, about 3 minutes.
Whisking continuously, pour the hot cider/salt mixture into another pan or bowl with the remaining cold apple cider.
Place the pork loin roast in a pot that is lined with a brine bag. Pour the brine over the pork. Tie up and cover. Place in the refrigerator for 8 to 18 hours.

ROAST THE PORK

Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat your oven to 450°F.
In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, mustard, thyme, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp black pepper.
Drain the pork and pat dry with paper towels.
In a medium bowl, toss the fennel and apple with the oil, ½ tsp salt, and a good pinch of black pepper.
Scatter the apples and fennel across the bottom of a large roasting pan (large enough to hold the pork with an inch or two of space around the edges).
Put the pork, fat side up, on top of the fennel and apples. Brush the pork all over with the mustard glaze.
Roast the pork until the crust just starts to brown, about 20 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the loin reads 145 F., about 50 to 60 minutes more.
Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
Slice the pork and serve with roasted apples and fennel on the side.

Notes

Be sure to watch the video near the top of the blog post for visual reference. If you like the video, subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

Ask your butcher to cut you a boneless pork loin roast, about 4 to 5 lbs. You'll want to leave a thin layer of fat on the top of the roast.

The roast can stay in the brine for up to 18 hours.

Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. The cooked roast can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw and reheat in a 350°F oven, wrapped in foil, for about 30 minutes, or until warmed through.

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