Juicy Beer-Braised Pork Loin With Carrots and Onions

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 02/3/22
Glazed Pork Loin Roast in pan

Diana Rattray

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 2 hrs
Total: 2 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 8 servings

This is a spirited, flavorful pork loin that you make with dark beer, vegetables, and seasonings. You will first brown the roast and then bake it in the oven. The vegetables, beer, and drippings will then be used to make a wonderful sauce to serve over the sliced pork loin and accompaniments. This pork loin roast makes a fabulous meal with mashed potatoes and a side vegetable or a green salad.

Braising is slow cooking with a small amount of liquid at a fairly low temperature. It is the preferred cooking method for lean cuts of meat and those that can be tough or dry when cooked more quickly at a higher temperature. This makes it an ideal process for making pork loin roast tender and keeping it juicy.

The liquid used to braise can be anything from plain water to broth, apple juice, or—as in this case—beer. A dark beer such as a porter or stout will give extra flavor to the roast and sauce. These beers are usually lower in hops, which have a bitter flavor. It is best to avoid very hop-forward beers such as an IPA.

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Ingredients

  • 1 (5-pound) pork loin roast

  • 3 cups coarsely chopped onion

  • 4 to 6 carrots, peeled and diced

  • 12 ounces dark beer

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 4 whole cloves

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a large Dutch oven or oven-safe roasting pan, coat the bottom with vegetable oil and bring the temperature up to high. Brown the pork loin roast in the hot oil on all sides. Remove the pork roast from the pan. Drain all but 3 tablespoons of fat from pan.

  3. In the pan, sauté onions and carrots in the pan drippings until softened. Stir in beer, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and whole cloves.

  4. Return the pork to the pan or Dutch oven and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 F for 2 hours or until the pork is tender. Check with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the roast. It should be at least 145 F.

  5. Place the pork loin on a serving platter and keep it warm.

  6. Pour the cooking liquid from pan into a large bowl; skim off fat and remove the bay leaf.

  7. Place the liquid with the vegetables into a blender; cover and process at low speed until smooth. Or press through sieve or process in a food processor in batches.

  8. Pour the processed beer sauce into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring often.

  9. Slice the pork roast. Spoon the sauce over the sliced pork to serve.

    Use Caution When Blending Hot Ingredients

    Steam expands quickly in a blender, and can cause ingredients to splatter everywhere or cause burns. To prevent this, fill the blender only one-third of the way up, vent the top, and cover with a folded kitchen towel while blending.

Cover and refrigerate any leftover pork roast. You can also refrigerate leftover sauce and reheat it in the microwave to serve.

You may have seen older guidelines about the safe temperature for cooking pork roast. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) updated safety recommendations for pork in 2011 to lower the target temperature to 145 F. At this temperature, the pork loin might be a little pink in the middle, but it is safe. As a bonus, it won't be overcooked and dried out.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
615 Calories
25g Fat
14g Carbs
77g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 615
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 25g 32%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 227mg 76%
Sodium 687mg 30%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 2g 9%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 77g
Vitamin C 6mg 29%
Calcium 54mg 4%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 1238mg 26%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)