Apricot Glazed Pork Loin Roast

The perfect balance of sweet, savory, and smoky.

My wife found this recipe last year in a cookbook called Best-Loved Holiday Recipes published by Meredith Corporation.  We had volunteered to host the staff Christmas party and she decided she wanted to try something new.  So she he pulled out this cookbook for the first time ever and thumbed through the pages until she came across this recipe.  When she said she wanted to try it I was a little worried because it was only a couple of days before the party, we were responsible for providing the meat, and I am not a big fan of cooking anything for the first time for an event.  But I have to say, it turned out amazing.  The first couple of times we made this dish we did it in the oven.  That's the way the recipe was written and my wife enjoyed cooking it in the oven.  Only when she suggested doing it on the grill did I jump at the chance to take this pork loin roast to the next level.  Smoke adds one more layer of flavor to an already incredible piece of meat. Honestly, the rub is what I like most about this recipe.  It makes the whole house smell like the holidays and it works perfectly with the apricot glaze.

Internal temp should read 135 degrees

Rub Recipe
One 3-pound boneless pork loin roast
One and a half teaspoons ground cumin
Half teaspoon garlic salt
Half teaspoon ground cinnamon
Half teaspoon ground ginger
Quarter teaspoon ground cloves

The Glaze
One cup of apricot preserves and three tablespoons of white wine vinegar.

Mix together all of the spices and rub generously over the entire pork loin.  Wrap it up in plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.  Bring your grill temp up to 325 degrees, add a couple of chunks of hickory, remove the plastic wrap, put the pork loin on the grill, and let it cook over indirect heat until the internal temp. reads 135 degrees.  Should take about an hour or so.  

With about ten minutes left until the pork loin reads 135 degrees, preheat your oven to 325.  In a small sauce pan cook the apricot preserves and vinegar over medium heat until the preserves are melted, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat.  With the pork loin now off the grill, place the meat on a broiler pan and brush generously with the glaze.  Roast it in the oven for about 15 minutes.  Remove it from the oven and let it rest for about 15 or 20 minutes.  Slice it, brush on the rest of the glaze, and serve.    






      

Thanksgiving on the Grill

War Damn Eagle!!!

Thanksgiving in our house is always pretty low key.  We very rarely travel, instead staying home to spend time together, just the five of us.  There are two parts to our Thanksgiving; we always cook a big meal together on Thanksgiving Day and then our focus shifts to the Iron Bowl on Saturday.  As Auburn fans, our house went crazy after that game, the remnants of toilet paper in our oak tree the only remaining evidence of our celebrations. Our win over that other team was one for the history books and was just about the only thing anyone wanted to talk about this past week.  

The other thing everyone wants to talk about after Thanksgiving is food.  I always love listening to people talk about the different dishes they served because many times the recipe is an old family recipe that's been made every Thanksgiving for years.  Ours is the same but this year we decided to change it up a little and cook all of those family recipes on the grill.  From the pecan and pumpkin pie to the cornbread, sweet potato casserole, and apricot glazed pork loin roast, we cooked it all with wood.  

When talking with folks this past week about cooking Thanksgiving on the grill everyone had the same question, "How?"  I'll tell you the same thing I told them, anything you'd cook in the oven you can cook on the grill.  It's all about temperature control.  As long as you know your grill well enough to know how to control the temperature, you can cook almost anything on the grill.

Grills have vents that control air flow which, in turn, control the temperature.  The more air you give the fire, the higher the temperature.  Whether you're cooking on a horizontal cooker, a kettle grill like a Weber, or a Kamado style cooker, they all have a vent to let air in and a vent to let air out and you can find the right combination of openings to keep the temperature wherever you need it to be.  Now, I understand that keeping the temperature constant for an extended period of time like eight or ten hours is easier on some cookers and really tough on others, but for dishes that require an hour or less, cook it on the grill!

In order to keep accurate control of the temperature, the most important piece of equipment you need is a good quality, digital thermometer with a sensor that sits at grate level.  This way you always know what is going on inside your grill without opening the lid.  I can't say enough about how much having a good thermometer will change the way you grill.

It all takes practice.  Nobody gets it right the first time.  Not even the second.  I still screw up food all the time but I learn from my mistakes and move on.  But having the right tools and knowing your grill can allow you to do some amazing things cooking with wood.  Don't be afraid to get creative. 

 Remember, if you'd cook it in the oven, you can cook it on the grill!