Nuggets Along the Trail: Paula's Pork Loin

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Paula's Pork Loin

Way back when Jesse and Lucy announced their engagement, we had this delicious pork loin at Marv&Paula's. It was a hit with all of us. Now, Paula's recipe likely doesn't say "Paula's Pork Loin," but if I tell kids we're having pork loin for supper they look at me like I have two heads. Hence, the name. Designate this delicious meal as Paula's Pork Loin, and their eyes light up. That, they know. And I'm so glad she served us this meal, because it's a little out of my experience and I don't think I would've ever tried it cold turkey. It intimidated me a little at first (yeah I'm a wimp) but I'm glad I stuck it out and tried it anyway. It's not hard at all... and omy so delicious. We have it often, and leftovers don't last long.

Ok so I found the recipe as Paula gave it to me - it's officially called Rubbed & Grilled Pork Loin. And the original recipe calls for grilling the loin over indirect heat for 70-90 minutes; the recipe as I got it from Paula is how I do it and is what I'll share here. I prefer Paula's method. Obviously.

Ingredients

One 4# boneless pork loin

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons onion salt

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

Brush oil over all sides of loin. Set aside. Meanwhile, stir together dry rub seasonings. Rub over pork to cover. Marinade 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat grill to about 400d. Sear loin a few minutes on each side, just enough to make nice grill marks and cook the outside (so the juices stay inside). Transfer to a baking dish (9x13); bake in 300d oven for about an hour to an hour and a half, until internal temperature on an oven thermometer reads 145d F. Remove from oven; slice and serve immediately. Or, slice and wrap in foil; keep warm in roaster set at 150-200d. This recipe makes 10 servings.

As you can see, I do two loins to ensure leftovers for my family. Omy the carrying on if there aren't leftovers.

So this is first thing in the morning - ready to sit in the seasonings all day.

And this is after it's been grilled and baked. There is some juice, but not much; I think the moistness of this roast is what makes it so good. After it's sliced, pour the juice back over it.

And this is a slice ready to be devoured, covered in delicious Root Beer Sauce. Root Beer Sauce? Root Beer, really? Really. Another one of those recipes I wouldn't have tried to make except that I had it first at Marv & Paula's. It has some zip but not too much. Some of our kids like Sweet Baby Ray's, and some like our standard homemade barbeque sauce; hey, whatever works. It's all good.