Roasted Pork Loin with Miso and Asian Pear Glaze

If you haven’t decided what entrée to make for the Holiday Dinner, here’s a simple and scrumptious recipe for you.  Honestly, I’m not a big fan of turkey.  They often turn out to be on the 'dry' side rather than juicy and moist.  With that said, I still have to fine tune a turkey recipe.  But I’ll save that task for next year.  This Christmas, I’m totally all over the Oink! Oh, I mean pork.   



This Roasted Pork Loin with Miso and Asian Pear Glaze recipe is wonderful.  Not only that it’s super easy to make, it’s also very favorful.  The meat will turn out tender, juicy and moist.  Want to join me into the kitchen?  Come check it out.

First, we need to hold the pig hostage!  Tie it up so that it does not run away.  Well, actually, the kitchen twine helps the pork loin to stay in its beautiful shape after roasting.  Whatever the case is, tie it up!



Up next, keep the pig happy!  We will need some flavorful marinate to do that.  The red miso paste in this recipe is one of the star ingredients.  You might notice from my recipe below that I didn’t use a lot of salt in the marinate because both the miso paste and soy sauce will add saltiness to the meat.



Now, give that pig a mask and a massage!  Smear the marinate onto the pork loin and put it into a ziploc bag and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.  Gotta keep the pig cool!



To make this pig even happier, feed it with some Asian pears!  These pears are crisp, sweet and juicy.  Very different than the skinnier, mushy, green and red version you normally see in the markets.  If you haven’t try these Asian pears before, you need to hung them down and give them a try.  They are delicious as is, and really work wonderfully in this recipe by adding some natural sweetness to the glaze. 



When you are ready to roast, tuck the pig in along with the Aisan pears, onions and chicken stocks.  Let the pig get its beauty sleep in the oven.  Well, more like a nap, I should say.  I have a 3 1/2 pound pork loin and took me 60 minutes to cook.  Make sure a meat thermometer reads 145 degree F when inserted at the thickest part of the meat. 



The whole house smells wonderful when it’s roasting.  When it’s ready to get out of the oven, I couldn’t help but inhaled deeply before I take the whole dish out.  It’s amazing how scrumptious it is.  See how beautiful the pig turns out after its beauty nap?



Let the loin rest on the chopping board covered with a foil for at least 3 minutes.  Now, the pig is happy, relax and satisfy.  You can untie it and serve.  It’s not going anywhere except to your tummy.  And you’ll be one happy camper, or kidnapper.



I reduce the sauce a little and add another tablespoon of miso paste to finish off the glaze/gravy.  These pork loin are wonderful over rice, noodle, or mash potatoes, whatever you prefer.  After I finished my plate, I wanted my beauty nap too!



I’m sharing this recipe with Kitchen PLAY this month.  The National Pork Board is also sponsoring a delicious giveaway at Kitchen PLAY.  All qualifying bloggers in each course will be entered to win a National Pork Board prize.  If you’re joining in the fun, please review the complete contest rules before entering.  Good luck!








Roasted Pork Loin with Miso and Asian Pear Glaze
(Printable Recipe)


Ingredients:

3 ½ pound pork loin
1 large Asian Pear (Korean Pear), cored and cut into small chunks
1 small onion, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon red miso paste

Marinate ingredients:

1/4 cup red miso paste
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Shao Hsing Rice Cooking Wine
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and split in half
2-inch fresh ginger root, peeled and cut into small chunks
3 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon white ground pepper

In the bowl of a small food processor, ground all the marinate ingredients until it’s a smooth paste.
Tide the pork with a kitchen twine so the pork remain its shape after baking. Place the pork in a large zip log bag with marinate paste. Squeeze out excess air in the bag and close the zip. Move the pork and marinate around so all surface of the pork is covered with marinates. Place the bag in a container and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven at 350 degree F. Place pork loin along with all marinate onto a large glass baking dish (mine is 8 by 10 by 2-inch). Arrange Asian pear and onion on the sides of the pork. Pour chicken stocks onto the pork. Bake for 60 to 70 minute or until a meat thermometer reads 145 degree F in the thickest part of the loin.

Remove loin onto a cutting board and cover with foil to rest for at least 3 minutes. Meanwhile, transfer sauces, pears and onion from baking dish to a small sauce pan and cook on high heat. Reduce the liquid by 1/2. Stir in a tablespoon of red miso paste, to taste. Then, puree reduced stock, pear and onion until smooth.

Cut pork loin into desired thickness, about 1/2 to 3/4-inch. Drizzle gravy/glaze over pork and serve over rice.