What to Make When Pork Loin Is on Sale

Four ingredients, an overnight marinade, and a slow roast in a hot oven reveals how wonderfully juicy, tender, and flavorful pork loin can be. Because there are so few ingredients, the quality of them is vitally important. Make sure you buy a good quality balsamic vinegar; cheaper vinegars can be biting and sharp, not rich and bright.

Searing pork loin and then roasting it results in a juicy, tender loin with crispy, flavor-packed crust. In this recipe, the flavor comes from a variety of spices you likely have on hand (cayenne pepper, dried oregano, ground mustard, and garlic). For a one-dish meal, the whole roast is surrounded by carrots, bell peppers, celery, and onions. Everything is cooked until tender or to proper temperature. It's comforting and crowd-pleasing, with a hint of mouth-warming spice.

Consider this your classic pork loin recipe. It's also one of the most budget-friendly ones, too. With just five ingredients (plus salt and pepper), you can turn a boneless pork loin roast into a company-worthy dinner, or meat for a variety of dinners for the week (sandwiches, tacos, and more). Don't want to buy a whole bottle of wine for the half cup that's listed? Just use chicken broth.

If you catch pork loin on sale near the holidays, grab it for this celebration-worthy main dish. "This simple, 1-hour roast is our favorite Christmas dish and voted most likely to be served if the President were to drop in for dinner- LOL! I love serving this entree because it causes me NO stress and everyone raves over it," wrote recipe creator goodfood4ursoul. They add you should make another batch of the cranberry glaze to serve with the pork.

Fresh herbs are a bit more costly — and they go bad faster than dried varieties, of course — so if you're going to save money on a pork loin, spoil yourself with the splurge on fresh herbs for this special recipe. A brown sugar brine blunts the bright, herbaceous topping. Tangy goat cheese is a great complement to warm and crunchy walnuts. This is a really special dish, so share it with company proudly.

Savory and delicious, the mushroom gravy on this tender pork loin comes together with just a handful of dried herbs, white wine, and chicken broth. The wine provides a brightness to the gravy that you won't get by doubling the chicken broth, but if you don't want the cost of a whole bottle, consider just using all chicken broth.

Shouldn't apple butter be reserved for biscuits or oatmeal? Sure — but this recipe will convince you it should go with pork loin, too. The apple butter is combined with warm spices like cinnamon and cloves and a bit of brown sugar for a unique dinner main.

"Wow phenomenal. It made the tenderest juiciest most flavourful pork loin I've ever had," wrote reviewer Artcitcwoman. "I added extra garlic because I am a garlic fiend!" Some reviewers say the rosemary isn't necessary. If you cut it, you'll save yourself a few dollars, and those reviewers suggest your recipe won't suffer for it.

This pork loin recipe proves the necessity of a well-stocked spice drawer. Buying spices is a bit of an investment, but once you have them, you can use them to add flavor to all types of dishes. Here, they're combined with a few high-impact ingredients like mustard and bouillon cubes for a simple, classic pork loin roast.

"Juicy, tender pork covered in a pan gravy that is packed with flavor. Great to serve to guests! My mother-in-law who can't cook demanded I teach her how to make this! Substitute chicken stock for pork stock in the gravy, if you wish," writes recipe creator France C.

"This pan-roasted pork loin uses lots of spices and an Asian-inspired marinade for a truly flavorful cut of meat," writes creator Chef John. He suggests you use it for a Vietnamese bahn mi sandwich, but it would work well in tacos, atop nachos, or just alongside a vegetable and grain for a simple dinner.

If you spot a sale on pork loin while you're eyeing chops or steaks for a barbeque, go ahead and garb the pork loin. You can turn it into thick pork loin chops that grill beautifully for your backyard cook-out. "Tangy, a little sweet, very moist and very easy to prepare -- you're going to love these grilled chops. They turn out wonderfully tasty with an awesome array of flavors. You might want to throw an extra chop on the grill for leftovers, because you will have a craving for it the next day -- guaranteed," writes recipes creator ScorpioGG.