Ingredients
- 2 vanilla beans - split and scraped
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups high-quality bourbon
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- 1 pork loin, trimmed of fat (about five to six pounds)
- ½ cup sweet apple cider
Preparation
- Combine vanilla beans, pure vanilla extract, orange zest, cracked pepper, brown sugar, cider vinegar, apple cider and bay leaves in a saucepan.
- Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly until sugar melts.
- Remove from heat and add bourbon. Cool marinade completely.
- Pour over pork loin in a glass casserole disk or large glass bowl. Refrigerate for 48 hours, turning every 12 hours.
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
- Remove pork from marinade. Then transfer marinade to saucepan to reduce volume by one third. Reserve to use in pecan gravy.
- Place pork in a roasting pan and bake for 45 minutes to one hour or until thermostat reads 165 degrees. Let rest five minutes before slicing, serve with pecan gravy and sour cream mashed sweet potatoes.
Makes 12 to 14 servings.
