Roast Pork Loin with Balsamic, Dijon & Thyme
Full of flavor, this Roast Pork Loin with Balsamic, Dijon & Thyme is simple and versatile. Prepare this roast pork loin recipe in the oven or on the grill, and you’ll have a delicious dinner, perfect for any season.
Full of flavor, this Roast Pork Loin with Balsamic, Dijon & Thyme is simple and versatile. Prepare this roast pork loin recipe in the oven or on the grill, and you’ll have a delicious dinner, perfect for any season.
Note: This post first appeared September 29, 2013 as part of the Simple Sunday Series and has been updated with improved kitchen notes, recipe annotation, photography and video. I hope you enjoy this favorite from my kitchen!
I almost did it again. Talk about the weather, that is. I suppose it’s hard to resist – I know I’m not the only one who can’t help but think about the change in the seasons, the chill in the air, blah blah blah. (There I go again. Sorry.)
So here’s the thing. Right now, we’ve got the best of all worlds when it comes to the weather. Mornings are crisp, when you just want to snuggle deeper under the covers, the tip of your nose a wee bit frosty, as it peeks through the sheets. You start out with a sweater and a cup of hot coffee, then find yourself in a tank top by mid day. Venturing outside you bake under a warm sun, as if summer had never left. But as soon as the day begins to fade, the taste of fall creeps in, and you crave a simple, hearty dinner. Like this Roast Pork Loin with Balsamic, Dijon & Thyme, for example.
The question then becomes, should I roast or should I grill? Well, the lovely thing about a pork loin roast is that either way will work.
Is the chill in the air a little raw? Feeling the need to throw a roast in the oven without the need to babysit by the kitchen? Then slather up a pork loin with a paste of balsamic, Dijon mustard and thyme, and let it roast away. Or is the sun calling you outdoors to enjoy the final days of grill season? Then let it sear on the grates, and spend some time coaxing the roast to caramelized perfection while you soak in the last of the warm sun. The choice is yours.
And I promise to not talk about the weather the next time we meet.
If you enjoyed this Roast Pork Loin with Balsamic, Dijon & Thyme, be sure to check out these other recipes that feature balsamic vinegar:
Cranberry Balsamic Crusted Chateaubriand
Baby Back Ribs with Blueberry Balsamic Barbecue Sauce
Maple-planked Barramundi with White Balsamic-maple Glaze
Grilled Balsamic Asparagus
Grilled Balsamic-garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin
Roast Pork Loin with Balsamic, Dijon & Thyme
Ingredients
- 1 boneless pork loin roast 2 to 2.5 lbs
- 6 cloves garlic mashed and finely minced
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for oven preparation
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme or 4 thyme sprigs leaves removed
Instructions
- Pat the pork loin dry with paper towels.
- Whisk together the garlic, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme in a small bowl and smother all over the pork loin. Let it sit for at least 20 minutes (or longer in the refrigerator) as you preheat your oven or grill.
Oven preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in deep sided sauté or roasting pan. Sear on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Place in oven and roast for 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the pork loin roast is about 145 degrees F. Allow 3 minutes of rest time before slicing.
Grill preparation:
- Preheat the grill to medium high heat. If desired, use a cast iron pan, but you can also prepare this directly on the grill grates. Sear the pork loin on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Continue to grill, rotating periodically, for about 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the pork loin roast is about 145° F. Allow 3 minutes of rest time before slicing.
Video
Nutrition
Comments
COOKBOOK
do you think I could marinate this overnight?
Absolutely! And it will taste even better since it had some time to marinate overnight.
Wonderful! Marvelous! This will be a new standard recipe at our home. I used more garlic and Zaterains Creole Mustard (a New Orleans German whole grain mustard). The best I can advise is to try this… Thank you!
I also marinated for about 2 hours…
So happy you enjoyed it, Kyle, and that it will be a part of your menus in the future!!
This was sooooooo good! I am making it again tonight! Maybe with some broccoli and scalloped potatoes. Thanks for the easy but jammed full or flavor recipe! Going on my Favorite Eats Pinterest board for sure!
Suggestion: put the oven preparation before the instructions so I don’t accidentally add the sauce before searing. Its like starting at step 3 back to 1, a little confusing.
Appreciate your suggestion, Mitch! However, the sauce is necessary to marinate the meat, so it must be done earlier in the recipe.
Delicious! Fast, easy, my whole family loved it. I will be making this again!
I’m so pleased that your family loved the roast, Kerri!! Thank you!
I love this and so does my family so flavorful. I am making this again tonight but with porksteaks baked in my cast iron skillet with mashed taters and seasoned green beans thanks for the awesome recipe God Bless
Hi Sierra, I’m so pleased that you and your family loves this recipe! Love how you’re making them with mashed taters and green beans – SO good! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know! :)
This is my go to recipe for pork loin! I was wondering if you think it would would on a rotisserie instead of searing and roasting as to free up the oven? Thank you!
Hi Stephanie! I’m so glad you love this recipe! I love the idea of cooking it on a rotisserie — I’ve never tried it, but I think it would turn out great!! If you give it a shot, please let me know how it turns out, I’d love to know :)
This sounds delicious! I was looking for a recipe to accompany polenta, and this is perfect! Can’t wait to try it.
Polenta is a great pairing to this pork loin, Leslie! Hope you enjoy it!!
Marinating now to cook for our Easter dinner tonight, can’t wait to taste it! The marinade was amazing by itself, really enjoy the vinegar, mustard, and garlic tang it gives when mixed together. My husband is the cook in the family and now that he is at sea, trying to teach myself and this is my first attempt.
I hope the pork loin turned out to your liking, Stephanie! This is a great recipe to get started in the kitchen – the marinade makes it easy! I hope you had a wonderful Easter :)
We’ve been trying to find recipes for the slow cooker since my fiance and I are so busy these days. I adapted this to our slow cooker and only added chicken stock and a pinch or two of crushed read pepper and a couple of bay leaves. Cooked on low all day and it was DELICIOUS! I didn’t even need to sear it first. Thanks!
Hi Kristin! This is a very belated reply to your comment, but I wanted to thank you so much! So glad to know it works well in the slow cooker – I’m totally trying this next time!
Trying this roght now even thought mine is not pork but beef and it’s not whole it’s already sliced and I tried to do it on the stove yesterday and it took soo long and it wasn’t as soft as I expected it to be. So I’m trusting u. I’ll let u know how it turns out. ;). Do you pinterest? btw
Made this for dinner today. I allowed the pork loin to sit, covered in fridge for four hours….with mixture all over it.
Cooked for about an hour (2.25 lb boneless loin)
Let the roast rest for a bit…then served! Oh my gosh! I was so surprised at how the flavor of the balsamic mixture really penetrated the entire roast! Excellent!
Might try it on a roasted chicken!
Hi Marge! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Love the idea of trying it with a roast chicken – I’m going to have to try it, too :)
I will brine it first equal parts sugar and kosher salt. Everything else good. Brining locks in moisture.
Made this dish last night and it was divine! The entire family loved it! In fact, my daughter had thirds!!! Definately a hit! Can’t wait to make again! Thank you!
That’s SO nice to hear, Michelle! Thirds!? Yay! Thank you for coming back to let me know :)
This was amazing! So easy too. Marinate for a few hours, sear it and cook 35 mins/lb @325 in a convection oven! Perfection! Served it with garlic mashed and broccoli :-)
So glad you enjoyed it, Sara!! :)
I just made this pork tenderloin for Sunday night dinner and it came out great. I followed the recipe exactly and used dried thyme instead of fresh thyme. It was super quick and easy. I will definitely make it again. Thanks!
Made this for my family last night and it was fantastic! For the person who questioned the size (tenderloin versus loin) all you have to do is adjust the cooking time and use a meat thermometer.
As to other questioners, you marinade the meat for a while and then sear it and put the pan straight into the oven. Easy peasy!
certainly like your web site however you need to test
the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling problems and I to
find it very bothersome to inform the truth on the other hand I will certainly come back again.
Another question — do you cover the pork as it cooks? Many of us aren’t meat cooks, but want to learn. thanks.
How do you apply the balsamic mixture? This is a huge hole in the recipe steps. I inferred what to do, but some might not be able to. Thanks. Otherwise, great recipe!
Looks amazing! Can I let this marinate all day when I’m at work or would that be too long?
Yes! You can absolutely marinate the meat, and it will taste even better :) Good luck!
Pls specify if roast should be pork tenderloin or pork loin. Huge difference. Your picture looks like a tenderloin. Most pork loin roasts do not come in 2lb size but most tenderloins do. Which is correct? Thanks.
I substituted the balsamic vinegar with raspberry vinegar and it was AWESOME!
That roast looks so tasty and caramelized with goodness. I can’t wait to fire up the grill. I bet whole seed mustard would be fabulous in this recipe too. Yum!
I love this! So perfect for Sunday Supper! Definitely saving this for the weekend!
Love these flavors, a perfect fall meal!
Oh My! This really does look amazing.
Thanks so much, Kalyn!
I love the simplicity of this dish and the flavors…and yes the weather is as you describe and perfect for a meal like this. Forget supper, I want it now!
You know how I feel about simple dishes, Barbara :) When friends ask, this is the food we like best, day in and day out, no matter the weather!