This is my favorite way to make pork roast: APPLE CIDER BRINED PORK ROAST 3 cups apple cider 3 cups water 1 bay leaf 1/4 cup salt 1 tbls black peppercorns 1 tbls coriander seeds 1 2 lb. Pork loin, trimmed 2 cups cider 1 � tsp chopped fresh rosemary 1 � tsp chopped fresh sage 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper Combine the first 6 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat, cool, and pour into a Ziploc bag or container big enough to hold the pork loin. Add pork, seal and let marinate 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350, bring 2 cups cider to a boil over medium high heat. Boil until cider is thickened and reduced to � cup, about 15 minutes. Set aside. Remove pork from bag or container and discard brine. Place pork on broiler pan or baking dish and lightly coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining herbs and bake about 1 hour, until pork is done, basting twice with the reduced cider in the last 20 minutes of baking. Remove from oven, baste with remaining cider reduction. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Serves 8 200 calories per 4 oz. Serving, 6 grams fat Annie

I really like this recipe. I have never been a huge fan of fennel but it really makes it in this dish. I cooked my meat a little bit longer then what she called for and it was still very tender and moist. Excellent vegetables too! Roast Loin of Pork with Fennel Copyright 2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, All rights reserved This recipe is available for a limited time only. Why? Recipe Summary Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Inactive Prep Time: 45 minutes Yield: 6 servings 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 1/4 cup Dijon mustard 1 (3-pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed and tied 3 small fennel bulbs, tops removed 8 carrots, peeled, and thickly sliced diagonally 10 small potatoes (red or white-skinned), cut in quarters 2 yellow onions, thickly sliced 4 tablespoons good olive oil 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. With a mortar and pestle, or in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, grind together the garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and thyme leaves. Add the mustard. Spread the mixture over the loin of pork and allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the fennel bulbs in thick wedges, cutting through the core. Toss the fennel, carrots, potatoes, and onions in a bowl with the olive oil, melted butter, salt, and pepper to taste. Place the vegetables in a large roasting pan and cook for 30 minutes. Add the pork loin to the pan and continue to cook for another 30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the pork reads exactly 138 degrees. Remove the meat from the pan and return the vegetables to the oven to keep cooking. Cover the meat with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Remove the strings from the meat and slice it thickly. Arrange the meat and vegetables on a platter. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Linda - thanks for your prompt reply - and your method sounds simple (and tasty!) I have cooked a pork roast once or twice, but find that I keep opening the oven to check the internal temp, and that probably delays the whole cooking process. I am trying to put together a decent (simple) meal as a weeknight alternative to the 'quick' dishes I usually fall back on since invariably I am trying to put dinner on the table in between carpooling sessions. Tonight I have a window of opportunity between 6:15 and 7:30 to have a family (of four) dinner. I also have an oven that I can program to start while I am out (leaving the house at 5 for the first round, due back home at 6:15, before DS heads out to practice at 7:30.) The package says 'pork boneless rib roast' Is this interchangeable with a loin? Also - I did to a google search prior to posting here, with conflicting information re: roasting times and temps - some sites say 20 minutes a pound at 350 degrees - and others advise much longer -- sigh I found this recipe too, which says about 1 1/2 hours - which is why I turned to the experienced cooks on this forum, because I am confused! Here is a link that might be useful: rib roast recipe

I did similar before the holidays. A big fat boneless loin, not tenderloin or boneless shoulder. (I usually buy bone-in shoulder). It jumped in my cart. Made it work. Dry rub brine overnight. Lots of smoked and sweet paprika, etc....I had to cut it in half it was so long. Usually use the dutch oven but had to use the turkey roaster. Preheat400, two good size onions coarse chopped with a bottle of hard cider a houseguest left behind that we don't care for. Foil covered, slightly tented so not touching the loins, heat down to 250 for 5 hours, check internal temp at 4 hours looking for aprox 160-165, uncover for an hour at 350 to give a sear and check for a tender pull. May need more time. I was perfect. It was a prep ahead for holiday tamales so I froze the bulk of it. We had a meal that night, then tacos, and some sandwiches. Still have two nice chunks frozen for tacos. *ended up a bit more than 5 hours, then an hour uncovered. Rested an hour then used the pan gravy to make a bbq sauce. Mine had minor fats but yes, a bit of bacon will help, inside or out or some poked with a fork link sausage inside.