Oven-Roasted Pork Loin
Buzhenyna, Ukraine’s answer to cold roast pork, is the best case we know for owning a meat thermometer: with one, the loin comes out juicy rather than dry. We stud the meat generously with garlic and marinate it overnight, so the hands-on work takes about twenty minutes. Serve it warm with sides, or chill it and slice it thin for sandwiches.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 h 15 min
- Rest
- 13 h 15 min
- Total
- 14 h 50 min
- Servings
- 10
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 250 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Boneless pork leg works too; roast it 20–30 minutes longer and go by the same internal temperature.
Makes: about 1 kg cooked pork, 10 servings
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Stud with garlic
Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Cut the garlic into thin slivers. Make 15–20 deep slits in the meat with a narrow knife and push a sliver of garlic into each one.
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Step 2: Rub and marinate
Mix the salt, pepper, paprika, crumbled bay leaves, mustard and oil. Rub it evenly all over the pork, wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate for 12 hours, or up to 24.
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Step 3: Take the chill off
An hour before roasting, take the pork out of the fridge so it cooks evenly, without a cold centre. Heat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
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Step 4: Roast in foil
Unwrap the pork, wrap it in a double layer of foil, fat side up, and set it on a baking tray. Roast for 60 minutes.
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Step 5: Brown the crust
Carefully open the foil, raise the oven to 200 °C (400 °F) and roast for another 15 minutes until the surface is golden brown. Push a thermometer into the thickest part: you want 63–65 °C (145–149 °F). If it’s lower, give it another 5–10 minutes.
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Step 6: Rest before slicing
Loosely cover with foil again and rest for 15 minutes so the juices settle. Slice while warm, or chill it completely first for thinner, neater slices.
Tips & variations
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Tip
At 63–65 °C the pork is safe and stays tender, with a faint blush of pink. If you prefer it fully pale, take it to 68–70 °C, though it will be a little drier.
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Swap
Boneless pork leg works too; roast it 20–30 minutes longer and go by the same internal temperature.
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Variation
For a glossy crust, mix 1 tbsp honey with 1 tbsp mustard and brush it over the meat when you open the foil.
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Storage
Wrapped tightly, it keeps for 5 days in the fridge. We don’t recommend freezing, as it turns watery once thawed.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 10 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 250 kcal | 2,500 kcal |
| Protein | 24 g | 240 g |
| Fat | 17 g | 170 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1 g | 10 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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