Apple Maple Dijon Pork Roast

Need a new main course recipe for the upcoming holidays? This Apple Maple Dijon Pork Roast will work perfectly as a holiday main course or your family weekend dinner. Apples and maple syrup work in tandem to create those cozy fall flavors you’re craving, while the Dijon balances those sweet notes with a delightful tangy kick.

So, where do the apples come in? The pork loin is actually baked atop a pile of sweet apples, so their natural flavor is infused into the meat as it cooks. You will also get a nice hint of apple flavor if you make the pan drippings gravy! So, quite literally from top to bottom, this pork loin roast is full of flavor!

When you use the pan drippings here, you’re infusing even more of that apple, vegetable, and wet rub flavors into the gravy to create the best compliment to the pork roast. After all, you’ll end up having all of those pan drippings no matter what. Why toss them out when they can be used to make the BEST gravy you’ve ever had?

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

Boneless Pork Loin – A cut that’s anywhere between 3-4 lbs. is preferred. You can adjust the cooking time accordingly if the cut is bigger or smaller. You’ll also want one that has some marbling, is pinkish red in color, and has no dark spots on the fat.

Sweet Apples – Gala, Honeycrisp, or Fuji apples are all great. I don’t recommend using tart Granny Smith apples.

Dijon Mustard – Do NOT substitute this with plain yellow mustard. Dijon mustard has a bolder, spicier, and more complex taste but it’s also smoother and more aromatic.

Gluten free substitution – to make this recipe gluten free, all you need to substitute is the all purpose flour with gluten free all purpose flour!

How Much Meat to Estimate Per Person

It’s always important to keep in mind that pork loin is a thick, wide cut of meat. A full sized pork loin can weigh up to 10 lbs. In this recipe, I use pork loins that are 3-4 lbs., which is typically what you’ll find at your local grocery store. Need to feed a large crowd? Try asking the butcher to cut you a larger sized pork loin.

The best way to estimate how much meat you’ll need is to average it out at about 1/2 lb. per person. For example, a 4 lb. pork loin will feed about 8 people. This is also dependent on the sides you’re serving. If you plate your pork roast with a hearty side alongside some vegetables, you should have a pretty filling serving size with just 1/2 lb.

How To Make Pork Loin Roast

Start off by preheating your oven to 425°F and greasing a roasting pan with cooking oil. You can use a large cast iron skillet or use a roasting pan that comfortable fits the pork roast but not too large.

Core and chop apples, onion, and celery and create a bed of fruits and veggies at the bottom of the roasting pan. To give the pork a nice lift off the bottom of the pan, chop the vegetable into larger pieces.

Score the fat cap on the pork so the wet rub can really sink into the meat. Scoring the fat will help the wet rub flavor get into the meat while you also keep the fat cat. Fat cap is important to have on a lean cut of meat like pork because as it cooks, the fats will melt into the meat and it will provide moisture and flavor for the meat. To score the fat cap: just use a sharp knife to make several slices through the fat cap to create a diamond pattern. Don’t cut too deep, just to slice through the fat.

Whisk together the ingredients for the wet rub and slather the mixture generously all over the pork loin. Make sure to evenly coat it on all the sides.

Roasting the pork:

Place the rubbed pork loin on top of the bed of veggies and apples. For the best way to track the temperature of the meat, insert a digital thermometer probe into the side of the pork towards the center.

Roast the pork loin for 15 minutes at 425°F. Then, lower the temperature to 350°F and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. It should take anywhere from 60-80 minutes to cook completely. Don’t try to speed up the cooking process because pork loin should be cooked at lower temperature for longer period of time.

Remember to let it rest! Once the temperature reaches 145°F, remove the pork loin from both the oven and roasting pan immediately. Remember that meats continue to cook as they rest a few more degrees and keeping it inside a hot pan will cook it even longer. Pork is a lean meat that can get tough if overcooked, so it’s important not to overcook it!

Place pork loin into a serving dish so it can catch the juices and tent it loosely with a sheet of foil. Let it rest for about 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving. Now this is a great time to make the pan dripping gravy!

Make the gravy:

Strain the pan drippings through a fine mesh strainer and gently press on the veggies to release remaining juices. Discard the veggies because you’ve gotten all out of them you needed.

Prepare the ingredients for the gravy before starting to cook because it comes together very quick. Melt butter in the skillet and add flour. Whisk until blended and smooth and slowly start pouring in the stock mixture. Keep whisking slowly as the gravy thickens and make sure to taste it to see how much more seasoning you need to add. Remember that pan drippings will have seasoning, so don’t add seasoning to the gravy until you taste it.

When is pork done cooking?

Pork loin is done cooking when the internal temperature reaches 145°F. You don’t want to let it keep cooking past that, otherwise you’ll end up with dry and chewy meat.

It’s always best to tell when the meat is done by the temperature and not the cooking time. Every piece of meat is different and will between the oven and the meat, cook times vary.

Serving Suggestions

I enjoy plating my Apple Maple Dijon Pork Roast with veggies and heartier sides!

Some of my favorite veggie side dishes to accompany this entrée include Honey Roasted Carrots, Brussels Sprouts Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette, and Green Bean Casserole.

As for heartier and more filling side dishes, I always end up using tried and true recipes like Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole, or Stuffing.

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Originally published on October 31, 2014.