Brown Sugar Pecan Glazed Pork Loin

Brown Sugar Pecan Glazed Pork Loin

We purchased a beautiful pork loin roast for dinner the other night and when thinking of a new way to prepare it, Spouse suggested maybe some kind of pecan crust. My mind immediately went to the thought: Have we done that on Rock Recipes yet? Thinking no and that it would be a good idea to try as a new recipe, I couldn't get rid of another thought, that pecans would be fantastic in one of our most popular roast pork recipes, a very simple brown sugar and Dijon mustard glazed roast.

Giving in to the compulsion to try it, I was not disappointed in the least! The pecans toasted up beautifully in the time that the pork took to cook to juicy perfection and were an absolutely delectable addition to the simple glaze. We served it with some cornbread stuffing and baked cauliflower for a terrific Fall meal.

Here's a link to the stuffing recipe: Apple Pecan Cornbread Stuffing

Brown Sugar Pecan Glazed Pork Loin

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

Such an easy recipe to create a sweet, savory and crunchy glaze on a juicy pork loin roast.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: About 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on actual size of the roast
Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes, approximately.
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients

• 3 1/2 pound pork loin roast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup roughly chopped unroasted pecans

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Trim the fat from the roast, leaving only a quarter inch of fat on top at the most.
3. Season the pork loin with salt and pepper and open roast on a rack in a 425 degree F oven for 1/2 hour.
4. Combine the brown sugar and dijon mustard into a paste and fold the chopped pecans into it.
5. Remove the roast from the oven after 30 minutes and reduce the heat to 375 degrees F.
6. Spread the prepared paste evenly over the top of the roast and return to the oven.
7. Baste the roast about every 15 minutes, scooping up the glaze and nuts that fall off back over the top of the roast.
8. Continue to roast until the internal temperature of the roast hits between 145 to 160 degrees F on a meat thermometer.
9. NOTE: This roast was cooked to 160 degrees which is about right for well done. The US Dept of Agriculture revised the safe cooking temperature of pork loin to 145 degrees a couple of years ago but at that temperature the meat will still be a little pink which is perfectly fine but many people will not prefer it pink.
10. Let the roast rest for 10 minutes after you take it out of the oven before carving and serving.