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Pork loin recipes


IfIOnly
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I've tried some great tenderloin recipes, and there are an abundance of these. I have a pretty good IP one even. The recipes using cheaper pork loin have been more hit and miss.

We like this oven baked one, but the sauce always sticks and burns to the pan. Such a waste! We like to spoon the sauce on our meat, if possible. I find pork chops and loin pretty bland. https://www.spendwithpennies.com/balsamic-pork-loin/

Got a favorite or any cooking tips? We've started using a thermometer and going by temp rather than time, which has been helping with getting moist rather than dry meat. Any other thoughts?

 

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You might check out recipes for brined pork loin. I just made thick boneless pork chops following these instructions and they were excellent--not at all dry. 

(The 1 tablespoon of salt per 1 cup of water was perfect. I see recipes with more salt, but I'm sticking with this ratio.)

https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-perfect-pork-chops-in-the-oven-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-194257

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22 minutes ago, Pippen said:

You might check out recipes for brined pork loin. I just made thick boneless pork chops following these instructions and they were excellent--not at all dry. 

(The 1 tablespoon of salt per 1 cup of water was perfect. I see recipes with more salt, but I'm sticking with this ratio.)

https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-perfect-pork-chops-in-the-oven-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-194257

This is perfect. I have 3 loins in the freezer and will be trying this with one soon. Thank you so much!

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35 minutes ago, IfIOnly said:

This is perfect. I have 3 loins in the freezer and will be trying this with one soon. Thank you so much!

Count me a being not a fan of brined meat, pork loin included. Many people do like brined meat--to me it makes everything taste very "processed" and unnatural. It does tend to keep things "moist," but at a cost in terms of taste (saltiness) and texture.

In contrast with Sous Vide you can cook it to a just done internal temp and then apply a light sear, so the loin stays juicy and delicious, while not being salty, "processed" tasting, and will have the perfect texture.

Bill

 

 

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36 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

Count me a being not a fan of brined meat, pork loin included. Many people do like brined meat--to me it makes everything taste very "processed" and unnatural. It does tend to keep things "moist," but at a cost in terms of taste (saltiness) and texture.

In contrast with Sous Vide you can cook it to a just done internal temp and then apply a light sear, so the loin stays juicy and delicious, while not being salty, "processed" tasting, and will have the perfect texture.

Bill

 

 

Thank you! I will keep this in mind. I was looking at Sous Vides at Amazon after your suggestion. The purchase price is higher than I was hoping for! Plus, I have sooo many appliances! Bosch mixer, Vitamix, grain grinder, food processor, Instant Pot, air fryer, and a bunch of smaller and less expensive ones like my ice cream and popcorn makers. I really was hoping I'd have all I'd ever need by now and that the air fryer would be the last minor kitchen appliance. Actually, I have always wanted a deep fryer, too. Forgot about that! Falafel would be so much easier to make. 😉

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1 hour ago, IfIOnly said:

Thank you! I will keep this in mind. I was looking at Sous Vides at Amazon after your suggestion. The purchase price is higher than I was hoping for! Plus, I have sooo many appliances! Bosch mixer, Vitamix, grain grinder, food processor, Instant Pot, air fryer, and a bunch of smaller and less expensive ones like my ice cream and popcorn makers. I really was hoping I'd have all I'd ever need by now and that the air fryer would be the last minor kitchen appliance. Actually, I have always wanted a deep fryer, too. Forgot about that! Falafel would be so much easier to make. 😉

Prices on Sous Vide machines seem to swing pretty wildly. One of those items that tend to go on sale for the holidays.

IMO among the best "gadgets" I've ever purchased (actually Mrs Spy Car got ours for me) for these reasons:

1. Meat, fish, and especially "tricky" items that are easy to overcook turn out perfectly every time. Literally foolproof.

2. All the cooking (except the "searing" at the end) is done on "passive time," meaning you do not have to monitor it.

3. Not only is the cooking time passive time, but for most items the cooking timings don't matter. So your spouse calls and says s/he is running late--it doesn't matter. Food in a water bath won't overcook. No timing issues.

I use mine a lot. I used it tonight in fact. I had some nice (sort of fancy) frozen sausages that I wanted to use up. Because I'd opened the pack last week and grilled one I knew these were tricky sausages (not so much fat). When grilled they went dry. But tonight I cooked them Sous Vide and then gave them a quick sear and they got raves for being juicy and moist. So much better.

And you can nail things like pork loin. Keeping it medium rare (135 or so). Perfect. Juicy. Master chef quality. And totally stress free.

No kidding.

Bill

 

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I throw mine in the slow cooker with a can or root beer or cola for about 7 hours, then take it out and shred it and add bbq sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray's).  Put it back in the slow cooker for an hour or so and end up with amazing pulled pork.  

 

ETA - I forgot that I also make pork carnitas in the slow cooker.

Edited by Kassia
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On 11/11/2020 at 11:13 PM, Spy Car said:

Sous Vide.

Bill

Bill, you've mentioned Sous Vide many times over the years. I just can't get on board cooking something in plastic. Any thoughts or research on that aspect? I love the idea, but hot plastic touching my food concerns me. 

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2 hours ago, Karen A said:

Bill, you've mentioned Sous Vide many times over the years. I just can't get on board cooking something in plastic. Any thoughts or research on that aspect? I love the idea, but hot plastic touching my food concerns me. 

Understandable. 

Here is one link from the popular (cooking) press:

Bill

https://www.cooksillustrated.com/articles/1131-is-sous-vide-safe#cooking-in-plastic-is-safe

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  • 2 months later...
On 11/14/2020 at 10:17 PM, IfIOnly said:

This is perfect. I have 3 loins in the freezer and will be trying this with one soon. Thank you so much!

If you're still looking for recipes, this one gets really great reviews. I used a similar brine today but I'm going to try it with the pork roast I have in the freezer. 

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/220989/maple-brined-pork-loin/

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I’m not opposed to brines in general, but I would never brine pork loin. I’ve never found that it needs it. You’ve already discovered how helpful a thermometer is to be sure it’s not over cooked. Pork loin is also not a cut that needs a slow cooker. 

I will say that depending on the recipe, I have marinated pork loin. That can work well. But normally I just make a blend of spices mixed in a small amount of olive oil. Let the spices sit in the olive oil for about 15 minutes. The mixture is rubbed on prior to cooking. 

Of course there’s always that one kid in the fam that will demand BBQ sauce for her perfectly cooked pork loin... 😂

Edited by popmom
Brines! Not bribes! Dang autocorrect
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On 11/15/2020 at 3:32 PM, KungFuPanda said:

We’re big fans of putting a mustard cream sauce over pork loin. If I roast potatoes, we put it on that too. 😬

I love this idea. I have a special sauce recipe that I serve with herb roasted pork loin, but it’s got some sweetness to it. Sauces made with fig jam or apricot preserves...

Edited by popmom
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I did one in my instant pot. Seasoned all sides with some salt and some Mrs. Dash table seasoning. Browned on all sides in olive oil and then removed to a plate. Used some chicken broth to deglaze the pan (sorry, no measurements...maybe 2/3 cup? No more than that). Added some maple syrup and brown mustard and stirred well, then put the meat back in and cooked on high pressure for 3 minutes, natural pressure release. Removed meat to a clean plate to rest. Put instant pot back on saute. When juices/sauce are simmering I added some water (1/3 cup maybe?) mixed with a bit spoonful of corn starch (sorry! I never measure stuff, lol). Whisked that in slowly and let thicken a little. Turned off the pot. 

Sliced meat, then drizzled the sauce over the slices on the serving plate. DH LOVED it. Everyone ended up stealing more sauce and dipping their homemade red skin potato fries in it, lol. 

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On 11/15/2020 at 8:43 AM, Wilma said:

I love pork lions (we *always* think it's hilarious) smoked, thin sliced, and put in a taco. Flour or corn shells, shredded cabbage and carrots, optional BBQ sauce, and a little bit of cheese. You will not be sad if you make pork lion tacos.

Funny you say that. We have left over pork loin from last night, and I'd already planned on making tacos with it for my dinner tonight! I'm making some ground beef taco meat for everyone else, but for me, I'm thinking corn tortillas (I have the little ones) heated up in cast iron skillet until getting a few brown spots, shredded lettuce (or I might have a blend of kale and carrots in the fridge I think!), pork loin, and since the pork loin was cooked in a sweet sauce, doing some goat cheese on top. maybe even a few blueberries! 

(lunch was same pork loin on salad greens with blueberries, goat cheese, and a mustard vinegrette)

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On 11/11/2020 at 8:56 PM, IfIOnly said:

We like this oven baked one, but the sauce always sticks and burns to the pan. Such a waste! We like to spoon the sauce on our meat, if possible. I find pork chops and loin pretty bland. https://www.spendwithpennies.com/balsamic-pork-loin/

 

For 1.5hrs of baking time, I would have baked for half that time covered and then baste every 15 mins after that. My kids prefer overly moist to dry.

I don’t like pork loin for cooking so I made pork floss with them. I just season to taste. It kind of looks like dehydrated shredded pulled pork.

5AF20305-691C-4833-91D7-72DEDE9B4525.jpeg

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