Herb-Crusted Pork Loin, Apple Braised with a Cider and Garlic Glaze

I purchased some pork tenderloins at Costco a few weeks ago.  They were on sale and I'd never actually roasted one before.  I got a roasting pan for Christmas and I was looking forward to using it!  I found this recipe online, thought the flavors sounded delicious.  When I opened the package of tenderloins I found that it wasn't actually one tenderloin, but two - I should have know - I bought them at Costco.  I'd already thawed them and thought, what the heck, I'll double the recipe and pawn the leftovers off on my friends (not that that would be too hard).   

A couple notes about the recipe - I found that the cooking time was much shorter, by almost an hour.  My tenderloin was a little smaller than the recipe, but the cooking time was significantly shorter.  My recommendation would be to baste the roast about once every 15 minutes or so after browning.  After 30 minutes, start checking the temperature.  Make sure the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145-150 degrees and be sure to let the roast sit, covered in foil, for about 10 minutes.  Also, the glaze was delicious and I found myself wanting more.  I would double the glaze recipe to be sure there is plenty of glaze.

Herb-Crusted Pork Loin, Apple Braised with a Cider and Garlic Glaze

1 1/2 - 2 lb boneless pork loin

2 tsp butter, melted

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp dried marjoram or sage

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup apple juice

1 onion, washed, un-peeled, quartered

1 rib celery, chopped

1 large firm apple, quartered and seeded, un-peeled

1 1/2 cups apple cider

4-6 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole

Pre-heat oven to 450 F.

Trim most of the visible fat from the pork. Rub melted butter over the pork loin. In a shallow dish, mix together herbs, salt & pepper.

Place pork loin face down in the herb mixture, pressing it in well. Turning pork over, coat with the rest of the spices. Place in a shallow roasting pan, and roast uncovered for approximately 30 minutes, turning pork to brown well on all sides.

Reduce heat to 325 F. Pour apple juice into pan, add onion, celery and apple. Cover with foil. Continue to roast until pork is done and very tender, basting occasionally, for about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest (still covered) for 15 minutes.

Glaze:

Pour 1 1/2 cups of apple cider into a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add garlic cloves and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and simmer until only 1/2 cup remains. Pour in the pan juices from the pork and return to a boil. Reduce until it becomes a sauce consistency of about 3/4 cup volume. Strain and serve with pork.