W4DW- Christy's Not So Famous Pork Loin

A Note From A Kansas Farm Mom: I am so excited to have one of my favorite pig farmer's wife is sharing a recipe with you this week.  Christy and I were friends before kids and well even before her husband.  I even  introduced her to her husband Michael and to this day they both still speak to me.  We have helped one another get through some difficult pregnancies and other trying times over the years.  She and Michael are truly friends we can count on!

I love her Pork Loin that she makes and I am sure your family will as well.  Here is her version of a wonderful Pork Loin in her own words.

Christy’s Not-So-Famous Pork Loin

On November 8^th I’ll officially have been a hog farmer’s wife for nine years… thanks to the author of this blog and a blind date.  Yep, that’s me up there, Princess Porkchop aka Christy Springer, wife of Michael, mom to Mason (7) and Cooper (4).

Hogfarmer hubby is a 3^rd generation farmer.  We grow corn, wheat, soybeans and lots of pigs.  Our farm is truly a family farm as it involves his mom, dad, grandma, granddad, aunt, uncle and cousin.  I did not grow up on a farm.  I did drive past a lot of ranches and farms growing up in Greenwood County though!  Does that count? 

As you can imagine, we have lots of pork in our freezer and I’m always looking for new and creative ways to cook “the other white meat”.

The first time I served this was at a “Lunch & Learn” for our employees.  After getting thumbs up from a bunch of hard-working hungry hog farm guys, I knew it was a keeper.

This is one of those recipes that makes you looked like you slaved away in the kitchen all day!

Three ingredients, you can’t beat that!

Go ahead and preheat the oven to 400º.

Rinse the loin under cool water and pat it dry with a paper towel.  It’s not that it’s dirty, I just feel better after a bath so I figured it would too.

Rub olive oil over the whole loin.  You can use a brush but I prefer to moisturize my hands while cooking. 

Grab your favorite rub and work it into all sides and crevices of your loin (hmmm… that sentence sounds a little kinky).

Get your mind out of the gutter and let’s continue.

Lookin’ good, lookin’ good. 

Now at this point in the game you could either:

1.    Cover it with plastic wrap/foil and stick in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight.

2.    Place it on a foil-lined sheet pan and just get her in the oven ‘cause momma’s getting hungry!  (I should have saved myself a step here and already had my sheet pan lined with foil.  I love doing dishes… said me never.)

See this gadget?  This is my best friend when I cook pork.

Moist pork good, dry pork bleh!

It’s a digital meat thermometer and they come in every size, shape and dollar amount.  I like the ones where you can manually program your favorite temperatures into them.  I also really like the wireless ones so that I can hear it beep while I’m scrubbing the hogfarmer’s clothes on the washboard!

Disclaimer:  Don’t be shocked but I am not a professional photographer and let’s just pretend that my oven is sparkling clean and there is not a top oven rack blocking your view.

Cook at 400º for 45 minutes.

Reduce oven temp to 325º.

Turn the loin over and cook until the internal temp of the pork is 145º.

Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and let it rest for 3 minutes.

Pork can be safely cooked to medium rare at a final internal cooked temperature of 145ºF as measured by a food thermometer, followed by a three-minute rest time.  Ground pork, like all ground meats, should be cooked to 160ºF.  For more details, visit www.PorkBeInspired.com.

Now slice and listen for the ooh’s and aah’s. 

This is when the hogfarmer usually proclaims his undying love for me. 

This is when it gets really quiet in the house for about 5 minutes.

My job here is done.  Now where are those bon-bons? 

Here’s a link to the two sides that I served with it.

I love this green bean recipe as it reminds me of my Grandma Erma’s green beans. 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-homestyle-green-beans/detail.aspx

Please don’t judge me ‘cause I used instant mashed taters. 

http://hungryjackpotatoes.com/recipes/entry/garlic-mashed-potatoes-with-crunchy-onions/

Hogs & Kisses from Kansas!

From KFM:
If you are still looking for more pork but don't want to cook, be sure to check out the Kansas Pork Association's Blog In Pursuit of Pork.  They have traveled around the state reviewing restaurant's and their pork offerings.

Also, on the Kansas Pork Association's web page you can find the recipe from the Morris and Bohrn Families for Pork Chop and Cajun Sausage Picante. Be sure to take a look around the site and learn a little about pig production in Kansas.

Have a great week everyone!

This recipe linked to:
Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop #80 
Melt in Your Mouth Monday Recipe Blog Hop