Stuffed Pork Loin

To be honest, I had never had a pork loin in my life until last year. Instead of making a huge to-do, I simply cooked it in the oven plain and served it with some sides … nothing too extravagant. So, when I found a 5-pound pork loin on sale at the local grocery store a little while back, I thought I’d get a little more creative. Thus began my hours-long search of the web for a stuffed pork loin recipe. I finally found one very similar to this, but made a few changes for my tastes. When I filled the loin, I had some of the onion, bacon and dressing mixture leftover. Naturally, I grabbed a spoon and dug in. And, my word, if that’s not the most tasty combination of my favorite foods I’ve ever tried. I was thinking about saving it to put it on top of a salad, but it never made it. But, I digress. This recipe turned out to be very tasty as well. I definitely have turned myself into a pork loin fan. 

1 Tbsp. dry minced garlic

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 boneless center cut pork loin roast (4 to 5 pounds)

1-1/2 Tbsp. tablespoon butter

2 large apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

1 medium onion, cut into thin strips (about 1 cup)

6 strips bacon, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

2-1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. Honey Dijon salad dressing

1 cup apple cider

kitchen string

Preheat oven to 325°. Combine garlic, salt, rosemary, thyme, pepper and cinnamon in small bowl. Cut lengthwise down roast almost to, but not through bottom. Open like a book. Rub half of garlic mixture onto cut sides of pork. Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples, onion and bacon. Cook and stir 5 to 10 minutes or until onions and apples are soft. Stir in brown sugar and dressing. Spread mixture evenly onto one cut side of pork loin. Close halves; tie pork loin with kitchen string at 2-inch intervals. Place roast on rack in shallow roasting pan. Pour apple cider over roast. Rub outside of roast with remaining garlic mixture. Roast, uncovered, basting frequently with pan drippings 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast registers 155°. Remove pork loin from oven; let stand 15 minutes before slicing. Carve roast crosswise to serve.