Description
The perfect easy-but-impressive holiday main. Try it for Christmas!
Ingredients
- ¼ cups Olive Oil
- 3 Tablespoons Softened Butter, Divided
- 2 Tablespoons Coarse Salt (it Sounds Like A Lot, But It’s Not!)
- 2 Tablespoons Grainy Mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme Leaves (Or 1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme)
- 1 Tablespoon Coarse Sugar (or Brown Sugar)
- 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 2-½ pounds Boneless Pork Loin Roast
Preparation
Preheat oven to 475ºF and pour olive oil in the bottom of a small roasting pan or baking dish, large enough to fit the roast but not much larger.
In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the butter with salt, mustard, thyme, sugar, and garlic to form a paste. Place pork roast in the baking dish and rub all over with the garlic mixture, covering the top and ends of the pork.
Roast pork for 15 minutes at 475ºF then reduce heat to 300ºF and roast for 15 minutes more (leave the pork in the oven during this time, just adjust the temperature at the 15-minute mark).
Remove pork and test temperature using a digital or other meat thermometer right at the center of the pork. When pork reaches 140ºF internally, remove from oven. If it needs more time to cook, continue to cook at 300ºF, checking the temperature every 5 minutes or so.
When pork has reached 140-145ºF, remove from oven and place on a plate or carving board to rest, covered in foil (pork is safe to eat in the 145-155ºF range, and will continue to cook slightly as it rests out of the oven). While pork rests, whisk remaining tablespoon of butter into the pan drippings.
Carve pork as desired and return to the baking sheet with the juices and spices. Serve with extra thyme leaves on top. Enjoy!
