0 Maple mustard glazed pork loin

That is the slab of pork basting in its glorious mighty maple mustard marinade.

My first time handling pork. I dislike the idea of consuming mammals (although from a humane perspective one might argue the slaughter of chickens isn't any better than that of pigs and cows) so this recipe is mainly for the family. The pork loin is a long, thick set of muscles running along the pig's back. It gives many different types of cuts like tenderloin and sirloin (same applies to beef), each cut with its own properties. E.g. tenderloin is the portion closest to the spine and is the leanest cut. I thought that a sweet sauce would pair well with roast pork (think char siu). I didn't have honey, so the mighty maple stepped in.

Maple Mustard Glazed Pork Loin

Yield: 1 slab pork loin (serves 3-4)

Ingredients

1/2 lb pork loin, trimmed of fat

Marinade

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp soy sauce

Directions
1. Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl and spread over pork loin.
2. Let sit in the fridge for 6-8 h.
3. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
3. Remove pork loin from fridge. Scrape of excess marinade and save it. Roast, fat side up (so that the meat won't dry out)30-40 min. Ideally the internal temperature should reach 160 degrees but I did not have a meat thermometer to check.
4. Meanwhile, dilute the reserve marinade with 1/4 cup water and boil to form a reduction.
5. Once pork is done, remove from oven and let cool slightly. Slice into 1 cm thick slices (or thicker/thinner according to preference).
6. Spoon reduction over sliced roast loin and serve.

As I did not try the pork, I cannot give an accurate description of its taste. Nevertheless I did taste the marinade and truthfully, it was a bit to "mapley" for me despite drastically cutting the amount from the original recipe. I think honey would work better as it has a milder, less assertive flavour. However, the family members begged to differ. So, to each their own taste buds!

This sauce should work for other types of meat too like chicken breast. One day I should try that out (with honey).