Perfecting pork loin: A fruity twist for a juicy roast

Pork loin is ideal for roasting whole. How do you ensure everyone is thrilled with its taste? The key is to keep the meat from becoming dry. Selecting the right piece for roasting is crucial, along with choosing additions to add moisture and flavour. Fruit jam works excellently for this purpose.

The pork loin should be light pink for roasting. If it's too dark, it will be tough and dry; if too pale, it will be too soft. The piece should not be smaller than 1 kilogram. Avoid excessively lean meat, as fat ensures the roast's juiciness. A delicate layer of fat should be well-distributed. Ideally, the middle section is best for roasting. When shopping, pay attention to the producer and choose meat from local suppliers.

Once you have the right piece of boneless pork loin, you'll need some jam, preferably apricot, along with onion and apple. The meat should be sliced into thin pieces without cutting all the way through, allowing you to insert apple and onion pieces into the cuts. Then, rub it with a mixture of apricot jam, oil, and spices. Such additions will ensure the meat remains moist and aromatic during roasting.

This recipe works well when you lack time to marinate the meat. However, if you have time, it's worth marinating the meat in advance. Rub the pork loin with oil and spices and set it aside for a few hours. But often, there's no time for this, so choosing the right additions and frequently basting the pork loin during roasting will suffice.

Ingredients:

• 1 kilogram boneless pork loin,
• 4 tablespoons of peach jam,
• 1 tablespoon of mustard,
• 3 tablespoons of oil,
• 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika,
• 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika,
• 1 teaspoon of salt,
• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper,
• thyme or marjoram to taste,
• 2 medium apples, preferably slightly tart,
• 3 nectarines,
• 1 large onion,
• 1 clove of garlic, optional,
• a sprig of fresh rosemary,
• 1/2 cup of broth or white wine.

Instructions:

1. Clean the pork loin of membranes and thoroughly dry with a paper towel.
2. Make cuts every 1-2 cm (approximately 0.5-1 inch), but don't cut through completely.
3. Peel the apples, remove the cores, and slice thinly. Peel the onion and also slice it into thin half-rings. Cut the nectarines into quarters. Finely chop the garlic.
4. Mix peach jam, oil, mustard, paprika, salt, pepper, and herbs.
5. Place a slice of apple and onion into each cut of the pork loin, and gently tuck a nectarine quarter on top, skin side up.
6. Rub the pork loin with the jam glaze. Place it in a baking dish, arranging the remaining apples and onion around the meat.
7. Pour the broth or white wine at the bottom of the dish.
8. Roast for about 90 minutes at 175 degrees Celsius.
9. Baste the meat with the resulting sauce every 15-20 minutes to ensure it remains juicy.
10. After roasting, remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to distribute evenly.