This post was sponsored by the National Pork Board, however, and opinions expressed are my own.
We recently sat down with Celebrity Chef Richard Inagraham to discuss his new Taste of Now Initiative with the National Pork Board. In this interview, he shared pork recipes with us which got me thinking about Valentine’s day. I mean, what better day to try a pork recipe than a day focused around love. After all, cooking is an act of love. So I put together this Roasted Spicy Pomegranate Pork Loin meal for two.
What I love about the Roast Pork Loin that I purchased, was that it’s something you can enjoy any day of the week. The meat is so versatile and there are so many lean and healthy ways to make it. I was able to make this Roasted Spicy Pomegranate Pork Loin in under a hour and it was easy to serve a small group of people.
I started with very simple ingredients but knew the flavors would pop. I couldn’t get my hands on molasses so I made a substitute. Using honey, brown sugar and granulated sugar, with water, I made my own ingredient that would pull together my marinade. You can do the same if you don’t particularly like the bitterness of molasses or you can just grab a bottle of your own and set it aside. It’s time to slice and dice.
I gathered Chipotle peppers, Garlic, Brown Sugar, Dry Mustard, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Tomato Sauce, a Lemon and pomegranate juice. This was going to make the marinade for the pork and I couldn’t wait to see how everything was about to come together.
Heat was going to be necessary and I really want to pull the flavors out of the pork. So I chopped up 4 chipotle peppers which turned out to give it just the right amount of heat I was anticipating but didn’t burn my taste buds off.
Then you’ll want to mince the garlic before adding it to a hot pan.
The tomato sauce should be reduced over medium heat for a few minutes, then set aside to cool. You really just want to be more of a paste than a liquid. It’s time to get the party started.
Add two tablespoons of the oil to your pan and immediately tossed the garlic in. You want them to tenderize before you added the remaining ingredients.
Next up, add in the peppers but Don’t forget to add in your molasses or it’s substitute.
I heated this up over medium heat until it started to thicken. Give it some time.
Once that starts to sizzle, you can toss in your tomato sauce reduction, dry mustard, brown sugar and a cup of pomegranate juice.
After about 7-10 minutes, I was at the consistency I needed but before I set it aside, I squeezed in half a lemon to cut the heat down some. You can reduce it as much as you want and if you enjoy the high heat, skip the lemon. After that, you can put it to the side and work on the pork.
The roasted pork loin I picked up was pretty thick in size so I knew I wanted to cook it through before smothering it in the marinade. To start, I cut the fat off the meat and ended up cutting it in half so that I could truly manage the chunk. This way, I knew it would cook all the way through. You can choose to slice your meat, or leave it as is. However, taking off the fat is a must.
Some people would just cook the pork as is especially since there’s already a marinade. But for me, there can never be enough seasoning. I had to add a touch of adobo and a few other spices around my kitchen.
Once you’re ready, add some oil to a pan and start to cook the pork through. I covered the pan so all the juices would stay inside and come out evenly. Once it was pretty done, I placed the two pieces on a foil covered pan and poured my marinade over it. So Slather your pork pieces with your very own marinade and put it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. You can choose to re-pour and place it back in the oven for another 5 but I realized that would dry out the pork. So be sure to keep an eye on it. Once it’s ready, slice and serve!
Because I made this for Valentine’s day, I wanted to pair the Roasted Spicy Pomegranate Pork Loin with something sexy but also light. I made a Fresh Berries, Goat Cheese, Arugula Salad with a homemade Strawberry Balsamic dressing. They were the perfect pair!
Visit Pork Be Inspired for more recipe ideas and visit your nearest retailer for pork cuts at a great value.
Win Great Prizes Everyday with #PorkNowSweeps
To celebrate America’s love of pork, the NPB is inviting people to share a simple photo of pork on their fork — as it’s happening now — for the chance to win great prizes. Every single day through April 15, someone will win a coupon good for $10 off fresh pork, in addition to more than $10,000 worth of prizes. Consumers can enter for a chance to win by sharing a photo of the pork dish they’re cooking or enjoying on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #PorkNowSweeps, or by entering on the Pork Be inspired Facebook page. More than $10,000 worth of prizes celebrate a love of pork now– from the hottest cookbooks and kitchen gear to an all-expenses-paid trip to Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, a catered Houston-inspired game day spread, and more. To join the ‘Taste of Now’ conversation, like their Facebook, and follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest @PorkBeInspired. For recipes, visit their website or YouTube channel.
