Milk-Braised Pork Loin

This tender pork loin simmers in its own succulent sauce, flavored by onions and herbs. It's a perfect weekend cooking project for a special Sunday Dinner. The sauce isn't pretty, but you won't care. Any leftovers are fantastic during the week. Mashed potatoes, polenta, or even rice would be a lovely accompaniment.

Milk-Braised Pork Loin is one of my favorite go-tos for an out-of-the-ordinary Sunday Dinner. In fact, it will likely be Easter Dinner this year, since I just get tired of ham—and this meal has fancy and flavor in spades.

Braising in milk is a technique that was invented by the gods (OK, the Italians) to transform cuts of meat that are typically dry and/or tough into tender, juicy AWESOMENESS. Pork loin is just such a cut of meat. You can usually score a whole pork loin crazy-cheap at wholesale clubs: I cut them into quarters or thirds, then "Food-Saver" them to pull out for just such a meal as this.

Although pork loin is quite the bargain compared to pork tenderloin, it's fraught with its own set of perils—namely, it dries out quickly, then turns grey, tough, and...sad. That's why we carefully, slowly braise it in milk. Not only is the meat tender and flavorful, but the braising liquid is packed with rich, meaty flavor. This gets reduced down until delicious, golden-brown clumps form throughout the sauce.

About curdled sauce...

Yeah, you heard me right. Since the braising liquid is milk, it has the pesky habit of curdling and forming clumps in the presence of acid (e.g., the slightly acidic pork juice) and heat. The finished sauce will have an incredibly complex, meaty, almost nutty flavor that's completely delicious—but it won't win any beauty pageants.

So, if the clumps in the sauce are off-putting to you or your family, simply buzz it with an immersion blender (be careful to avoid splattering) before you serve it, continuing to simmer, if needed, until it's the consistency you like.

Braising the meat

It's really important not to overcook the pork. We are shooting for a braise that lasts until—and ONLY until—the meat reaches an internal temperature of 142° F. The meat will rise to 145° F as it rests. Remember the days when we used to cook pork until it had nary a trace of pink, but had turned grey and adopted the approximate consistency and palatability of a hockey puck? No more. The USDA changed its recommendations about cooking pork a few years ago. Forget about all of those old wives' tales you've heard over the years about cooking the hell out of pork to avoid getting [fill in scary disease here...ok, I kid. It was trichinosis.]. Check out the USDA guidelines and relax. Pinkish pork is good.

 

Serving the Milk-Braised Pork Loin

I like to serve milk-braised pork loin cut into thin-ish slices (e.g., no more than ½"), arranged on a platter and drizzled in sauce. If you're a fan of comfort food, mashed potatoes would be a fantastic addition, as would polenta or even puréed cauliflower. I have eaten the pork over rice, or even with a salad on the side—and a crust of bread to mop up that fantastic sauce.
And there you have it! Yet more proof—in meal form—that PORK ROCKS.

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