Brown Sugar Pecan Glazed Pork Tenderloin

During the weeks and final days leading up to the holidays, I like to make several large meals – recently I cooked up a lovely Cracked Peppercorn and Herb Rubbed Garlic Roast Beef. Later in the week, I’ve planned a ham for Sunday Supper. Why? For our little family of three (although two of the three are grown men with healthy appetites), these wonderful recipes feed us well, with plenty of deliciously prepared meats leftover. The leftover meats are carefully wrapped in foil, then sealed in freezer bags for added protection. Once frozen, I can save and use the hunks of meat later in to create a variety of finger sandwiches or other appetizers – be it for a New Year’s Eve Party or as part of a Super Bowl Spread. At $8.00 per pound on average for deli roasted meats, using leftovers saves big time on the pocket book without sacrificing quality.

I have several recipes for Canapes that call for Roasted Pork Tenderloin. So why not try a new “main” pork recipe and save the rest for holiday canapes? Works for me. What about you?

The Brown Sugar and Pecan mixture will slowly become a wonderful, candy caramelized glaze. It’s sweet and salty and oh so delicious. Perfect pairing with the moist, tender pork roast.

Brown Sugar Pecan Glazed Pork Tenderloin
3 1/2 pound pork loin roast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3/4 cup roughly chopped raw pecans

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Trim the fat from the roast, leaving only a quarter inch of fat on top that will melt away, creating a nice golden under crust while basting the meat in its flavorful goodness.

Season the pork loin with salt and pepper. Place pork on a roasting rack over a shallow foil-lined rimmed baking pan. (Easy clean up). Roast pork in a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes. (It doesn’t hurt to brush the rack with a little olive oil to prevent pork from sticking and to help with the clean up there as well).

While the pork is cooking, combine the brown sugar and Dijon mustard into a paste. Fold the chopped pecans into the paste and set aside until ready to use. (To chop pecans, work in small batches. Lay pecans in a single layer on a chopping board. Chop with a hand-held food chopper – about 5 or 6 “wacks” should give you nicely chopped pecans. My food chopper is from Pampered Chef – had it for years and love it!)

After pork loin has roasted in the oven for 30 minutes, remove the loin from oven. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Spread prepared baste evenly over the of the top of the pork loin and return to oven.

Baste the roast about every 15 minutes, scooping up the glaze and nuts that fall off back over the top of the roast.

Continue to roast pork loin until the internal temperature reaches between 145 to 160 degrees on a meat thermometer. (That’s about 20 to 25 minutes per pound). The pork will still have a little pink at 145 degrees, which is safe to eat. At 160 degrees, the pork is well-done.

If the glaze starts to burn, simply cover loosely with foil and continue to cook.

Remove pork from oven, tent and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

This wonderful pork tenderloin goes particularly well with steamed Green Beans, Rice Pilaf and if you are feeling rather ambitious, home baked dinner rolls. Yum!