Rosemary-Scented Pork Loin
photo by ElizabethKnicely
- Ready In:
- 2hrs 30mins
- Ingredients:
- 13
- Serves:
-
16
ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 16 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic cloves
- 1 (8 lb) boneless pork loin, patted dry, at room temperature
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced (snip with scissors)
- 16 dried apricots (or similar amount of your favorite dried fruit)
- 1⁄3 cup dried cranberries
- 1⁄4 cup apple jelly
- 1⁄4 cup port wine
- 1⁄2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons apple jelly
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
directions
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add whole garlic cloves and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; reserve oil.
- Turn pork loin fat-side down. Slit lengthwise, almost but not quite all the way through, to form a long pocket, leaving a 1/2-inch border of un-slit meat at each end. Brush cavity with some of the reserved garlic cooking oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and 1 Tb. of the rosemary. Line cavity with sauteed garlic and apricots; sprinkle in cranberries. Tie loin together with kitchen twine or heavy-duty string at 1 1/2-inch intervals.
- Brush with remaining oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Set roast, fat-side up, diagonally or curved (so it fits) on a large, lipped cookie sheet or jellyroll pan. Warm 1/4 cup apple jelly along with the minced garlic and remaining rosemary. Brush mixture onto meat.
- Roast until a meat thermometer stuck into the center registers 125 to 130 degrees. (Start checking at about 1 1/2 hours.) Remove from oven; raise oven temperature to 400 degrees. Brush loin with pan drippings, return to oven, and continue to roast until the loin is golden brown and a meat thermometer stuck into the center registers 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), about 20 minutes longer. For even more attractive coloring, broil until spotty brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Let roast rest 15 to 20 minutes; transfer to a carving board. Stir juices around pan to loosen brown bits. Pour through a strainer into a small pan, and stir in port, chicken broth and remaining 2 Tbs. of jelly; bring to a simmer. Mix cornstarch with a couple of tablespoons of cold water; whisk into sauce. Simmer until lightly thickened. Slice pork and serve with a little sauce.
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Reviews
-
This was ok, although I felt that the pork was a little dry at the end of cooking and no one liked the sauce that you were supposed to drizzle over the pork. I will make this again, without the salt and I will reduce the cook time slightly. Thank you for an interesting pork for my dinner tonight. Made for Photo Tag Spring 2013.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I am a native Californian, born in the Los
Angeles area, college in far northern California and now living in southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area.
I love kids and animals. I am an active volunteer at my two teenage daughters' high school as well as a Girl Scout leader. We have two guinea pigs, one Dalmatian, one cockatiel, and one quarter-horse to keep us busy. I had a career as a marketing writer before I became a full-time mom and volunteer, but I still write all the time as well as participate in a monthly book club.
I stay active and have Jazzercized for over 25 years on a regular basis. I also am trying to do some yoga now and ride horses for fun.
I have loved getting involved in the RecipeZaar games and learning how to post the photos. I am currently playing on the Zaar World Tour and it is lots of fun!
Have been a sports fan since childhood and definitely have enjoyed getting to know about hockey since we have a very successful NHL franchise in our area: Go Sharks!
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