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Roast Pork Loin with Gravy

Roast pork loin marinated in salt, honey, vinegar, peppercorns, thyme, and ice, then baked and served with a honey‑vinegar gravy.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Pork and chicken match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,417 recipes. Both carry 2-furfurylthiol, which smells coffee, roasted. The science ↓

Roast Pork Loin with Gravy

Oven425°F
Time3–3½ hours

Ingredients

Directions

Brine the pork

  1. Combine salt, honey, vinegar, peppercorns, thyme, and ice.

  2. Pour mixture into a gallon-size zip-top bag and add the roast.

  3. Refrigerate for 3–3½ hours.

  4. Drain roast and pat dry with paper towels.

  5. Coat roast liberally with olive oil.

Roast the pork

  1. Place roast on a roasting rack set in a large roasting pan.

  2. Insert a probe thermometer.

  3. Bake in the center of a 425°F oven until internal temperature reaches 140°F.

  4. Pour drippings from pan and reserve.

  5. Keep roast warm at 200°F.

Make the gravy and serve

  1. Skim fat from drippings and pour 2 tablespoons into a large saucepan.

  2. Heat over medium-high heat.

  3. Add flour and cook, whisking continuously, until mixture turns blond in color.

  4. Add skimmed drippings and chicken broth and bring to a boil.

  5. Cook until slightly thickened.

  6. Reduce heat to low and cook until slightly thinner than desired consistency.

  7. If the gravy gets too thick, add some more chicken broth.

  8. Slice pork as thick or as thin as you like, and drizzle with gravy.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1058Calories
71 gProtein
32 gFat
115 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Pork100g cooked242
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Honey1 tbsp (21g)64
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Thyme1 tsp dried (1.4g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Pork + chickentop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,417 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).

  2. Thyme + olivetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,948 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (apple, fatty).

  3. Olive + chickentop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,888 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid hexyl ester (sweet, green).

  4. Pork + olivetop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together6,716 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).

  5. Honey + apple cider vinegartop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together169 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Boneless pork loin roast
Is the main protein, cooked to a set internal temperature for juiciness.
Salt
Seasons the meat and helps it hold moisture during the brine.
Honey
Adds sweetness and helps the surface brown during roasting.
Apple cider vinegar
Adds acidity and tang to the brine, flavoring the meat.
All-purpose flour
Thickens the gravy when cooked with the drippings as a roux.
Chicken broth
Adds liquid and savory flavor to the gravy, controlling its thickness.

The step that matters

Cook the roux until blond. Flour cooked in fat must be whisked constantly so it cooks evenly without scorching. Cooking it to blond develops a nutty flavor and gives the gravy body once liquid is added.

Swap the thyme

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, honey, apple cider vinegar, olive, flour, chicken):

  1. Garlicfits about as well
  2. Thymethe original
  3. Jalapenofits less well
  4. Gingerfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against pork, honey, apple cider vinegar, olive, flour, chicken. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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