A roast pork loin can be a delicious dinner, but not if it comes out of the oven with so-so flavor and dry, tough meat. Rubbing the roast with sugar and salt and letting it rest for at least an hour gave the roast a flavorful crust and seasoned it throughout so it came out of the oven juicy and tender. To add even more flavor to our roast, we butterflied the loin and applied a spice rub to the inside before rolling it back up and rubbing the outside with our salt rub. This gave our meat bold flavor throughout; plus, we were able to use the same flavors to make a quick glaze: After searing the roast in a skillet, we added maple syrup and more of the warm spices to the pan so the glaze would pick up the flavorful fond. We used the glaze to coat the pork as it roasted. Finally, while the pork rested, we added a little chicken broth and vinegar to the glaze to make a luscious sauce to serve alongside our pork.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Cayenne pepper
- 1 (2½-to 3-pound) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- Combine sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1½ teaspoons pepper in bowl. In separate bowl, microwave 1 tablespoon oil, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and pinch cayenne until fragrant, about 30 seconds; let cool slightly.
- With roast fat side up, cut horizontally through meat, one-third of way up from bottom, stopping ½ inch from edge. Open roast and press flat; 1 side will be twice as thick. Continue cutting thicker side of roast in half, stopping ½ inch from edge. Open roast, cover with plastic wrap, and gently pound flat.
- Rub cooled oil mixture on cut surface of meat, leaving ½-inch border on all sides. Starting from short side, roll roast into tight cylinder and tie with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Rub roast with sugar mixture, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine maple syrup, remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and pinch cayenne in bowl. Pat pork dry with paper towels. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown roast on all sides, about 6 minutes; transfer to plate. Pour off fat from skillet.
- Add maple syrup mixture to now-empty skillet and cook over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Off heat, return roast to skillet along with any accumulated juices and turn to coat. Turn roast fat side up, transfer skillet to oven, and roast until pork registers 140 degrees, 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning roast to coat with glaze twice during roasting.
- Carefully remove skillet from oven (skillet handle will be hot). Transfer pork to carving board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, being careful of hot skillet handle, skim foam from surface of pan juices using large spoon. Transfer skillet to stovetop, whisk in broth and vinegar, and simmer over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard twine, slice pork into ½-inch-thick slices and serve with glaze.