Bourbon-Roasted Pork Loin | Everyday Dorie

The idea of a bourbon-roasted pork loin did not excite me until I tested the recipe. It passed with flying color. In fact, the dish is spectacular. First off, what can go wrong if you use American premier native whisky distilled from a fermented mash of grain, yeast and water (much like making sourdough bread) from Kentucky?

The specific guidelines that distillers must follow in order to label it bourbon on the bottle set the standard. Bourbon must be aged for at least two years. In addition, Bourbon must be aged in brand-new barrels made of white oak and charred on the inside. As a result, oak imparts flavors of vanilla, caramel, toast, smoke, coconut, coffee and mocha. Furthermore, nothing can be added that might enhance flavor, add sweetness or alter color, except water. I get it: Bourbon is an outstanding, high-quality flavor-bomb for certain food.

Kentucky’s long spirit-infused history and its growing food reputation is not a coincidence. Now I really understand why Dorie got inspired to pair bourbon with pork loin after a weekend in Louisville. Although I don’t drink bourbon, but my tastebuds appreciate the wonderful flavor it brings.

The fact is I don’t eat pork on a regular basis; my shopping knowledge in pork loin is rather limited. I have to say, if Dorie hasn’t pointed out that pork loin roast is not tenderloin, I’d have made a major mistake. Rather, the roast is a thicker cut, which allows for shallow crosshatch cuts on its top layer of fat. (I had to ask the butcher for the specific cut.) It looks awesome once roasted and charred. The roast takes about 45 to 55 minutes in a 400°F oven, uncovered.

Besides the must-have ingredient of bourbon, there are the foundation ingredients of onions and apples, which partner well with pork. I use more than what the recipe calls for. For my family, there’s never enough of the unctuous roasted onions and caramelized apples to go around.

Finally, a great dish requires everything to come together as a whole. At the same time, there shouldn’t be any weak players. Besides the Kentucky bourbon, other valuable players include the grainy mustard from France, honey, brown sugar and Sriracha. Together they make up the wet rub which smells and tastes fantastic. As it turns out, the balance of flavor between sweetness and heat of the bourbon-roasted pork loin is remarkably spoton. This is not surprising given all the wonderful stuff you rub on, and surround the loin with.

They are many unexpected yet exciting recipes like the bourbon-roasted pork loin from Everyday Dorie. I’ve throughly enjoyed the journey to cook along with our friends at Cook-the-book-Fridays. Hard to see this chapter coming to an end without feeling the sadness and nostalgia. I’ll miss this space!