Pork Loin with Balsamic Sauce

I normally use a pork tenderloin with this recipe, but the pork loin I had in the freezer worked just as well. It's just bigger, that's all.



If you're not familiar with the taste of Balsamic vinegar, I'm not sure how to describe it. It is used often in European cooking and I got acquainted with it first as a part of a dipping sauce for French bread. It has a unique flavor but it's not super-over-powering.

Because I had this pork loin in the freezer and wanted to use it for this recipe, I cut it in half. So what you see here is a 3.28 pound loin, of which I used about 1.5 pounds. The rest of it went back into the freezer to be used for this recipe again soon.

1.5 pound pork loin or pork tenderloin
1 C water
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1/2 C brown gravy mix (or 2 packets)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1/4 onion, cut into slices or rings
1/2 C fresh mushrooms, sliced
2-3 Tbsp vegetable oil

Mix the water, vinegar, sugar, garlic, soy and gravy mix in a small bowl and set aside.

Remove as much of the "silver fat" from the loin as you can. The silver fat, as I call it, is chewy, so if you leave it on, it can make your meat a little on the tougher side. Then slice your loin into approximately 1/2 inch slices. (Like slices of bread.)

Brown the pork slices in the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Brown it on all sides, and when you're almost done with that, add in the onions.



When the pork is brown on all sides, pour the bowl of other ingredients over the top, along with the mushrooms and lower the heat to a low simmer. It will thicken to a sauce in about 15 minutes. No need to stir and fuss over it. Go about getting the rest of your meal ready, but you can give it a stir now and then if you want.

This plate has 4 slices of pork on it, with some of the sauce, alongside a baked potato and a green salad. And yes, those are fresh chives right out of the garden. Our first chives of the season!