Sarasota's Hickory Orange Roasted Pork Loin

"This is a easy put together dish. The oranges, onions and fennel roast on the bottom and the sweet smoky hickory bacon gets crispy on top and offers great flavor to the pork. I serve a orange butter on the side, which goes great with the pork as well as the caramelized onions and fennel. This dish is wonderful with a side of a nutty wild and white rice blend."
 
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photo by LifeIsGood photo by LifeIsGood
photo by LifeIsGood
Ready In:
1hr 15mins
Ingredients:
15
Serves:
6-8
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ingredients

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directions

  • Butter -- I make this ahead and refrigerate. A day or so in advance is fine. In a small bowl, mix the semi-soft butter, thyme, orange juice and zest and mix well. I just serve this on the side which is great on both the pork or on the vegetables.
  • Don't worry if you don't use all the butter with this dish. Save it and use on roasted asparagus, green beans, fish, scallops, chicken, just about anything. It is wonderful.
  • Pork -- Season the pork well with salt & pepper and rub in the seasoning.
  • The Glue - Mix the marmalade and garlic together and brush over the pork.
  • Bacon - Top the pork with bacon slices horizontally tucking the ends under the loin. It will take between 8-12 slices depending on the size of your pork loin.
  • Roast -- In a foil lined roasting pan, add the pork, and again, make sure to tuck the bacon slices under.
  • Vegetables and Citrus -- In a large bowl, add the olive oil, salt, pepper, orange slices, onions and fennel. Toss well and add around the pork and top with the thyme sprigs.
  • Cook -- Start off in a 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Then reduce to 350 degrees, middle rack. It will take approximately 1-1/4 hours (again depending on the size) to roast. You want the bacon crispy and an internal temperature of 155 for me. Remove cover and let it rest, it will continue to cook. One time, my bacon was not quite as crisp as I liked it (I used a bit thicker cut of bacon), so I put in under the broiler for just a minute or two. To keep the vegetables warm, just keep them in the roasting pan, put back in the oven and turn the oven off. They will stay warm as your pork rests before slicing.
  • Serve -- Plate on a large platter, slice (the bacon will give you automatic guidelines for slicing) and then surround the pork with the roasted vegetables and fruit. And don't forget your Orange Thyme Butter which is great with this. Add some nutty rice and you have a fantastic meal.
  • NOTE: This can also be done with a tenderloin, but you will need to pan sear it before finishing in the oven as the cooking of the tenderloin is much less, and you want to make sure that your bacon is crisp and done.

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Reviews

  1. F A B U L O U S ! Wow, what a delicious recipe. I loved the hint of orange and thyme on this pork roast. The addition of bacon sent it over-the-top. I wasn't sure if I would like the fennel/orange/onion mixture, but thought it was fantastic. I found that I liked the orange thyme butter better on my broccoli than I did on the pork. Next time, I'll make it and save for a yummy veggie flavoring! Two tips about the bacon: 1. Next time I will not tuck it under the roast, since that part didn't get crispy ; 2. Once the roast is out of the oven, before putting foil over it & letting it rest, I will take the bacon off so it will stay nice and crisp! This is a fantastic recipe, Sarasota. One that I will repeat for sure! P.S. I also made a gravy using the juices and a little water mixed with flour. :)
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p>Growing up in Michigan, I spent my summers at my cottage in the Northern part up by Traverscity. On a lake, big garden which had all the vegetables you could imagine. My mom taught school, so summers were our vacation time. Gramps and I fished all the time so fresh fish was always on the menu, perch, blue gill, walleye and small and large mouth bass. At age 5 I learned how to clean my own fish and by 10 I was making dinner, canning vegetables and fruits, making pies and fresh breads. Apples fresh picked every fall, strawberries in June and July, Cherries at the Cherry Festival in Traverscity. So fresh foods always were a big part. Mom worked as a teacher during the year so dinner was more traditional with pot roasts, meatloaf, etc, but it seemed we always had fresh fruits and vegetables as part of the meal. Mom also didn't use as many spices as I do, but times were different back then. <br /> <br />So ... My motto is ... There is NO Right and NO Wrong with cooking. So many people thing they have to follow a recipe. But NO ... a recipe is a method and directions to help and teach someone. Cooking is about personal tastes and flavors. I love garlic ... and another person may not. I like heat ... but you may not. Recipes are building blocks, NOT text ground in stone. Use them to make and build on. Even my recipes I don't follow most times --They are a base. That is what cooking is to me. A base of layer upon layer of flavors. <br /> <br />I still dislike using canned soups or packaged gravies/seasoning ... but I admit, I do use them. I have a few recipes that use them. But I try to strive to teach people to use fresh ingredients, they are first ... so much healthier for you ... and second, in the end less expensive. But we all have our moments including me. <br /> <br />So, lets see ... In the past, I have worked as a hostess, bartender, waitress, then a short order cook, salad girl in the kitchen, sort of assistant chef, head chef, co owner of a restaurant ... now a consultant to a catering company/restaurant, I cater myself and I'm a personal chef for a elderly lady. I work doing data entry during the day, and now and then try to have fun which is not very often due to my job(s). <br /> <br />I have a 21 year old who at times is going on 12, aren't they all. Was married and now single and just trying to enjoy life one day at a time. I'm writing a cookbook ... name is still in the works but it is dedicated to those people who never learned, to cook. Single Moms, Dads, or Just Busy Parents. Those individuals that think you can't make a great dinner for not a lot of money. You can entertain on a budget and I want people to know that gourmet tasting food doesn't have to be from a can of soup or a box, and healthy food doesn't come from a drive through. There are some really good meals that people can make which are healthy and will save money but taste amazing. So I guess that is my current goal. We all take short cuts and I have no problem with that - I do it too. I volunteer and make food for the homeless every couple of months, donating my time and money. I usually make soup for them and many times get donations from a local grocery stores, Sams Club, Walmart etc, with broth, and vegetables. It makes my cost very little and well worth every minute I spend. Like anyone, life is always trying to figure things out and do the best we can and have fun some how along the way.</p>
 
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