Roasted Pork Loin In Brown Sugar, Budget, Ingredients

$9.12 RECIPE / $1.14 SERVING

Roasted pork loin is one of the simplest (and cheapest) main dishes to prepare.

Simply season this roasted pork loin with salt and pepper, place it in the oven, and leave it to do its thing. The only thing to watch out for is overcooking, which we’ll discuss further below.

If you avoid that one stumbling block, you’ll have a soft, juicy pork loin that creates a delicious main dish that can be served with a variety of sides.

PORK TENDERLOIN VS. PORK LOIN

This recipe is for pork loin, also known as pork loin roast, which is not to be confused with pork tenderloin. Pork loin is a big roast that comes in 3-4 pound chunks.

Pork tenderloin is a smaller muscle that is slightly darker and more tender than pork tenderloin. Here’s a more in-depth look at the differences between pork loin and pork tenderloin.

WHAT ABOUT THE BROWN SUGAR RUB?

This sweet and spicy brown sugar rub will be recognizable if you’ve cooked my Glazed Pork Chops. It’s the right balance of sweet, savory, and spicy, and it’s ridiculously easy to make.

It turns into a glaze when used with direct contact heat in a skillet, but it makes a lovely crust on the surface of the pig when cooked in the dry air of an oven. It’s a winner in any case!

THE KEY TO A DELICIOUS PORK LOIN

Make sure you don’t overcook it. That concludes our discussion. Pork that has been overcooked becomes dry, tough, and resembles a hockey puck.

So, how do you make sure you don’t overcook it? Because every pork loin is different in size and shape, and every oven cooks differently, you’ll need a meat thermometer.

HOW LONG SHOULD PORK LOIN BE COOKED?

Pork (excluding ground pork) should be cooked to a safe internal temperature of 145°F.

After the initial ten minutes at 400oF, the projected time to cook your pork loin following the method below (beginning at 400oF then lowering to 350oF) is around 15 minutes per pound.

Check with your thermometer ten minutes before the predicted time to check if you’re getting near, then every 10-15 minutes until you reach 145oF.

Finally, after removing the pork from the oven, allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. This allows the steam pressure to lower, allowing more moisture to remain in the meat rather than evaporating once it’s cut.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH ROASTED PORK LOIN?

Roasted Pork Loin in brown sugar is one of my favorite classic comfort dishes. I served it with mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli, but it would also be delicious with macaroni and cheese, collard greens, coleslaw, or potato salad.

ROASTED PORK LOIN

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine brown sugar, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a mixing bowl.
2. Place the pork loin fat cap side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a large casserole dish. Begin by sprinkling the brown sugar and spice mixture evenly over the pork loin (no need to get the bottom). The pork loin’s wetness should assist the sugar mixture to adhere to the surface.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the pork loin in the oven. Cook for ten minutes at 400°F, then reduce to 350°F and roast for another 15 minutes per pound of roast, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. To be sure, use a meat thermometer.
4. Allow 10 minutes for the pork loin to rest after roasting before slicing into 12-inch thick slices and serving.

NOTES

*To make this meal less spicy, reduce the cayenne to 1/2 or even 1/4 teaspoons.

NUTRITION

• Serving: 2 slices
• Calories: 475.06 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 7.31 g
• Protein: 48.15 g
• Fat: 24.06 g
• Sodium: 465.2 mg
• Fiber: 0.2 g

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING ROASTED PORK LOIN

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cayenne, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a mixing bowl
   Combine the rub ingredients until they resemble moist sand.
2. This is the 4-pound pork loin that I used. Because the cooking time will vary depending on the size of your pork loin, use a meat thermometer to avoid overcooking or undercooking. A “fat cap” is a coating of fat on one side of a pork loin (it’s on the bottom in the photo above, so you can’t see it).
3. Place the pork loin fat cap side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a casserole dish. Rub the brown sugar rub all over the pork loin’s surface.
4. Roast the pork for 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and continue roasting for another 15 minutes per pound of pork, or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to carryover cooking, the temperature of the roast will continue to rise somewhat after it is removed from the oven. (Don’t worry if the brown sugar on the baking sheet burns; the rub on the pork won’t.) A brief soak in hot, soapy water will remove the burned sugar.)
5. Allow ten minutes for the pork loin to rest before slicing into 12-inch slices and serving.