Apple-Maple Roasted Pork Loin

My uncle Grover (aka Genro Roshi in the Zen Community), was in San Diego a few weeks ago leading a Street Retreat downtown. My uncle has lead Street Retreats all over the world. He and his adventurous groups leave their identities, possessions, and families behind for a fews days and live homeless on the streets. If you want to learn more, check out this blog that was written about the San Diego Retreat and the accompanying video of Genro Roshi talking about the Bearing Witness Retreats.

We had dinner with Grover after the Street Retreat. We wanted to serve him something really delicious and comforting, although we knew he would enjoy any home cooked meal we put in front of him. Since Fall is officially here we decided to make one of our favorite fall dishes that was generously given to us by Kim Eber. This is what Kim shared about the recipe: “My brother is an amazing cook and whenever I am feeling down I make this recipe. It instantly makes me think of my family and the warmth that goes along with that.”

The five of us ate every last bite of this dish, so keep that in mind. This main course is truly wonderful and comforting. Enjoy!

Note: 500 degrees in a less than spotless oven might set off your smoke alarm!  Anywhere between 350 and 425 seems to work fine with pork tenderlion.

Apple-Maple Roasted Pork Loin

Feeds 6

Come fall in Central New York, there’s nothing that clears your head better than a motorcycle ride through the countryside bustin’ with apple orchards and flamin’ with red sugar-maple trees So it just comes naturally for us to combine apples, maple syrup, and barbecue.

The Pork

2 loins

The Rub

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

The Sauce

1/4 cup butter

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

Pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper

1 pound McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, and diced

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

3/4 cup good BBQ sauce

1/4 cup water

The Garnish

3 tablespoons sliced scallion

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees – or grill (I use the grill as it is much easier t clean up!) Mix up all the ingredients for the rub, and massage it all over the pork. Grill the pork until desired doneness has been reached.

Throw together the sauce while the pork is roasting. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Toss in the garlic and jalapenos with a pinch of salt and pepper, cooking til soft. Dump in the apples and give them a stir. Cook til soft but not mushy, 8-10 minutes. Add the maple syrup, cinnamon,allspice, BBQ sauce, and water, and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Keep warm.

Take the roast out of the oven or off the grill and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice the meat. Pour any meat juices that ooze out while carving into the sauce and stir it up a bit. Ladle some sauce onto each chop and sprinkle with scallions. Serve ’em up and pass the remaining sauce at the table.

I usually serve this over homemade mashed potatoes. It’s a crowd pleaser.