I fixed dinner the other night for my Mom’s birthday so I figured I better wow the crowd with something special and this was the result. I love a good mix of sweet and tang. I’ve always been a lover of mustard. I can remember as a kid coming home from half-day kindergarten and dipping a raw hot dog into a jar of mustard for a snack. Ah, the good ol’ days of the 80s. When kids ate Spam, and hot dogs, and played outside until the street lights came on, and rode bikes without helmets. Let’s have a moment of silence for the lost days of the good ol’ 80s….
I figured since it was my Mom’s birthday and all I needed to whip up something extra fancy, or at least fancy for me. I cooked this pork tenderloin according to the package direction and added on the mustard maple glaze at the very end. This glaze is perfection, I promise you. Even my oldest son said this was the best thing I’ve ever cooked. Now, I may beg to differ with him, but at least it was approved all around.
The mixture of whole grain mustard, pure maple syrup and apple cider vinegar makes THE PERFECT sweet and tangy glaze, but the secret ingredient is the bacon fat. Don’t be afraid of the bacon fat, seriously. Forget what they preached in the 80s! I served this with Parmesan potatoes and asparagus. All I needed was candles and they would have never known they weren’t at a 5 star restaurant. Okay, maybe the cat begging by the table may have given it away, but you get where I’m going with this.
Mustard Maple Glazed Pork Loin
Ingredients
- 1 pork loin
- 1/3 cup whole grain mustard
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
- 1/4 tsp. pink Himalayan salt
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
- 3 tbsp. bacon fat
Instructions
- Cook the pork loin according to package directions.
- While the pork loin is cooking, add the remaining glaze ingredients to a small/medium sauce pan and heat on low, stirring occasionally.
- After the pork loin is cooked through, remove from oven and generously brush the mustard maple glaze onto the pork loin.
- Place back into oven for about 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and slice for serving.
- Brush glaze once more over sliced pork loin and serve.
- Pair with your favorite side dish and vegetable.
Jennifer is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Wanderlust and Wellness since 2016. She creates easy, approachable gluten-free recipes for the everyday home cook; because cooking gluten-free doesn’t mean food has to be complicated or tasteless.
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