Our Family's Favorite Meals: Pork Loin/Pork Chops

Last week I shared one of our family’s favorite meals, tacos. I thought it would be fun to continue sharing our favorite meals each week.

Some of you know (a few of you lived this), but some of you may not know that when I was growing up we raised hogs. I think the most we ever had was about 500. I loved playing with the babies, and my mom would sometimes put me in a pin with the little ones while they shoveled out the buildings.

When people would say that the pigs were stinky, I would argue and say that they smelled like perfume. I guess I was a true hog farmers daughter. My grandma used to say that they smelled like money.

We quit raising hogs back in the later 1980’s, and they no longer smell like perfume to me when I drive past a hog farm these days. However, living on a hog farm gave me an understanding of how meat ended up on our table. While I loved the pigs, I understood that they had to eventually go to market. Yet, this didn’t turn me into a vegetarian (no offense to those of you that are). No, I still enjoy bacon, ham, and a good pork chop.

Which leads me to one of our family’s favorite meals, pork chops or pork loin.

I recently served a pork loin with broccoli, baked sweet potatoes (or regular baked potatoes), and apple slices. Most of the meals I make are designed to be eaten by my son with allergies as well as the rest of the family. This meal is free of the top 8 allergens and we all enjoyed it.

Pork isn’t cheap, no meat is, but I was able to fix this meal for right around $10 to feed my family of 7. I grew the sweet potatoes in my garden and, if we were eating this meal in the summer, everything but the meat would have come from our garden. We would also have grilled the pork if it had been summer. Since it is winter, I used a broiler pan.

This meal is definitely more frugal than eating out and much healthier than fast food. What’s your favorite way to eat pork loin/chops?

Save Print

Baked Pork Loin

Ingredients

Pork Loin
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Brush or rub olive oil over the surface of the meat.
Season with salt and pepper.
Place meat on a broiler pan filled with 1 cup of water in the bottom pan.
Bake the meat until the internal temperature is at least 170 degrees.
Allow meat to rest for 5 minutes then slice and serve.

Notes

Pork is considered done when the internal temperature is 170 degrees. How long that takes depends on the size of the loin. The pork loin I cooked took over an hour.

I always bake it until it is about 180 degrees whether that is right or wrong. It just makes me feel better. :)

This post contains an affiliate link. Thanks for supporting this site.

Rachel Espino

You have my mouth watering….
- http://www.blessingsoverflowing.com/ Jackie
  
  I was getting hungry when I was typing up this post.
Melody

Hi Jackie…That looks delicious…well, except for the pork (I am a vegetarian but it is by choice and also forced as I am allergic to the proteins in all meat except beef which I never eat) I have alot of food allergies too so I feel for your son, it is so hard!!
But, I have a question for you…How do you store your potatoes to keep them over the winter well? I have tried a couple of ways and they end up sprouty and going bad?
- http://www.blessingsoverflowing.com/ Jackie
  
  Hi, Melody. Are you able to eat proteins in beans and legumes? I don’t often hear of meat allergies. I am curious as to why you “could” eat beef but not other meats. I wonder if the proteins are enough different.
  
  Anyway, What I do with my home grown potatoes is to wash them off outside and then let them dry in the sun for a day. That hardens them and makes them better able to be stored. Then, I store them in my basement in milk crates.
  
  I haven’t had any trouble with sweet potatoes and I have grown them 3 years now. Last year was the first year I great regular potatoes and we didn’t have many for storing. We ate them before I would have known how well they stored. I hope this answers your question. Do you garden?
  - Melody
    
    Thanks for replying…I have a condition called EE it is kind of rare, Eocinophillic Esophagitis diagnosed after many years of problems and endoscopies..I had allergy testing and the worst allergy was of all things lettuce (almost anaphalactic)…The places where they put the meats those shots got so sore and made open wounds I had to have them treated to heal…The beef did not react strong at all and we felt that it could be because I do not eat it that and it was not in my system to react?? In previous years I just thought that the reason I could not swallow meat right was because it was dry etc… And then I would always cough alot after eating it!! But, even though I have had numerous tests done I still deal with swelling of the throat so much…It is very frustrating…I have many foods on the no list including the meats, peas, green beans, squash, carrot, peaches ;( I can eat beans and legumes…I must say eating is very frustrating!!
    I will have to try that method for potatoes this year…We do have a garden…not a a very big one though…I cannot wait to get garden fresh tomatoes!! Thanks again!
    - http://www.blessingsoverflowing.com/ Jackie
      
      Wow, Melody! It sounds like you have been through a lot. I can imagine you do get frustrated trying to find things to eat. I will pray for you. I can’t wait for fresh tomatoes either.