Garlic and Herb Crusted Pork Loin

Roasted pork loins have been made and blogged about over and over here at Cooking On A Budget. I have oven roasted, rotisserie roasted, grilled and even done an Asian style in the slow cooker. All of the recipes have been delicious and successful.

Cooking on a budget means you may have limited funds available but it in no way implies that you sacrifice on taste. This Garlic and Herb Crusted Pork Loin is no exception as it is downright succulent and juicy. Not to mention the fact that the herb crust greatly enhances the taste and overall flavor of the roast. It's simply divine. This meal is one that you will be proud to serve your family and just as proud to serve guests as the look of it when it comes out of the oven, (not to mention the aroma while roasting) looks like something you would get at a fine dining restaurant.



The bitter cold and snow has kept me pretty much indoors for a while now. Thankfully my husband has been the one to don layers of clothing to make the trek to the grocery store. Yesterday he came home with a prize. Our local store had whole pork loins on sale for a mere $1.00 per pound and advertised that they would cut them to order. What we got was a five pound bone-in pork loin roast and seven pork chops which have made their way into the freezer. I know, I know I say don't freeze proteins but who could possibly pass up this deal?

Even if you are feeding a family of four or six you get two fabulous meals from a deal like this. A pork roast dinner and then a pork chop meal. So the protein for each meal cost $4.70. The per person break down for four is $1.17 or for six,78¢ for the protein.

Now the inspiration for this came from the fact that I didn't want to really duplicate another roast recipe exactly so I turned to my collection of cookbooks. My favorite collection from Williams-Sonoma did not steer me wrong. They had a recipe for standing rib roast for which I adapted to make it friendly for the pork loin.

• 5 lb. bone-in Pork Loin Roast
• 2 carrots - rough chop
• 2 stalks celery - rough chop
• 1/3 large onion - rough chop
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup Dijon Mustard
• 1 tbsp. prepared horseradish (not pureed)
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs - slightly crushed
• 4 -5 garlic cloves - minced (mine were large so I used 4)
• 2 1/2 - 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves - minced
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. black pepper 

Preheat your oven to 325°.

1. Salt and pepper the outside of the pork roast.
2. Using a zip baggie slightly crush the panko bread crumbs and place in a bowl.
3. Mince the garlic and the fresh rosemary.
4. To the breadcrumb add the fresh rosemary and garlic and the 2 teaspoons each of salt and black pepper along with the olive oil. Mix with your hands or a spoon.
5. In a small bowl combine the mustard and horseradish and mix well.
6. Rub the entire roast with the mustard mixture.
7. Then begin encrusting the whole top of the roast with the panko mixture.
8. Using a roasting pan with a rack, add the rough chopped onion, celery and carrot to the pan along with the chicken broth. Place the rack on top of the vegetables.
9. Carefully place the roast on the rack.
10. Roast in a preheated 325° oven for approximately 25-30 minutes per pound uncovered. The ending temperature for pork for safety should be 145°.

Pork is best when roasted slowly and for a good length of time but please do not overcook it to death. Check your meat with an instant read thermometer which I believe is a must in every kitchen. Most grocery stores even sell them now. I visited another site and was aghast at the suggestion to cook the pork to 155-160 degrees. Good lord you don't want shoe leather!

You do want the pork fully cooked and a nice golden crust on the outside. The vegetables will help with flavoring the gravy which is why I always use the mirepoix when roasting. This roast took about 5 hours to cook at 325°.