I stole this recipe from 5 Ingredient Fix: Easy, Elegant, and Irresistible Recipes. This cookbook was written by Claire Robinson who had a show on the Food Network called 5 Ingredient Fix, I loved the concept of this show, 5 ingredients to make a recipe. I don’t remember this pork roast with hard cider gravy being made on the show, it was a nice surprise when I bought the cookbook.
Did you know? Apple cider was a highly popular early American beverage. Cider is made by pressing the juice from apples. Before fermentation, it’s referred to as “sweet” cider. It becomes “hard” cider after fermentation, and can range widely in alcohol content.¹ (see more trivia in the Trivia tab)
Preheat oven to 375 F. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat; when it is hot, add 2 tbsp butter. Season 2 ½ lb trimmed pork loin roast generously with salt and pepper
sear it on all sides in the hot pot until golden brown
remove pork from pot and set aside. Add 1 peeled and sliced onion and 2 cored and sliced Granny Smith apples to the pot, season with salt and pepper
cook until they begin to caramelize
pour in 12 oz bottle hard cider and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot.
Bring to a simmer and nestle the browned pork roast back in the pot. (I don’t have a Dutch oven so I transfer everything to a roasting pan)
Cover with the lid and place in the oven to braise until internal temperature reaches 145 F on a meat thermometer, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the pork roast from the pot and transfer it to a carving board; tent it with foil to keep it warm. Transfer the contents of the pot to a food processor or blender
puree
return the puree to the pot. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, then reduce the heat to low; add more cider if the gravy is too thick. Add 1 tbsp of cold butter, whisking constantly as it melts; remove from the heat when the gravy is smooth and shiny and the butter is completely melted.
slice the pork into 8 slices, 2 per person
serve with gravy over each slice
Pork Roast with Hard Cider Gravy
5 ingredient pork roast with gravy made from hard cider and pureed caramelized onions and apples. An easy main dish that can be served for a weeknight or a Sunday dinner. Sweet cider can be substituted for hard cider.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp (cold) unsalted butter
- 2 ½ lb pork loin roast, trimmed and tied
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced
- 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced
- 12 oz bottle hard cider plus more as needed
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 F.
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Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat; when it is hot, add 2 tbsp butter. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper and sear it on all sides in the hot pot until golden brown; remove and set aside. Add the onion and apples to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and cook until they begin to caramelize; pour in the hard cider and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer and nestle the browned pork roast back in the pot. Cover with the lid and place in the oven to braise until internal temperature reaches 145 F on a meat thermometer, 25 to 30 minutes.
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Remove the pork roast from the pot and transfer it to a carving board; tent it with foil to keep it warm. Transfer the contents of the pot to a food processor or blender and puree; return the puree to the pot. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, then reduce the heat to low; add more cider if the gravy is too thick. Add the remaining tablespoon of cold butter, whisking constantly as it melts; remove from the heat when the gravy is smooth and shiny and the butter is completely melted.
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Slice the pork loin roast and serve it with sauce.
Recipe Notes
I don’t have a Dutch oven so I transfer the roast into a roasting pan prior to putting it in the oven. Still comes out great! If you don’t want to use hard cider, you can use sweet cider instead.