Feeding your family Pork Loin is a great way to add variety to your weekly menu. Pork Loin is affordable, easy to prepare, and very tasty and healthy for the whole family. You can prepare it in simple ways or in ways that will impress special guests.
If you don’t have much time to prepare the pork loin, the crock pot is a great method of preparation and will result in a sweet, juicy pork loin that will shred very easily. This method is great for making barbeque pork for sandwiches or salads. Simply place the pork loin in the crock pot with a liquid of some sort (water, juice, salsa, barbeque sauce, or any variety of things) and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
If you don’t want to cook your meat in the crock pot, cooking it in the oven is a great alternative to grilling and will give your pork loin a wonderful flavor and juicy tender texture. The best and fastest way to prepare a pork loin in the oven is to broil it. Place the top rack in the oven about 8-10 inches away from the broiling top unit. Cover a broiling or roasting pan with aluminum foil and place the broiling rack into it. This will aid in reducing cleanup time and hassle. After cooking, you can just throw the foil away, and your pan will be clean!
Prepare your pork loin by drizzling it with extra virgin olive oil and covering in flavorings, whether it be spices, a dry rub, herbs, citrus juice, or a mustard or barbeque sauce. Place the pork on the broiling rack and leave the oven door open just a crack. Watch the pork loin carefully, and flip it often. Broil until the inner temperature of the pork reaches 160˚F. Use a meat thermometer at the thickest part of the loin, and follow the directions for the thermometer.
Once the meat gets close to the internal temperature, take it out of the oven and create a tent with aluminum foil over the top to let it rest. This will allow all the juices to settle in the meat so they will not escape once the meat is sliced. After letting the meat rest for a few minutes, slice it into 3/4 inch to one inch slices and serve with a green vegetable or salad and a starch. Many fruits such as figs, apricots, apples, cranberries, and peaches pair well with pork and can be served with it or spread over the meat in the form of a preserves in order to amp up the flavor of the dish.
For recipes and flavoring ideas, go to www.allrecipes.com or www.recipesource.com and search for pork loin recipes.
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