Apple-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin Roast

We love meat. We love bacon. It's just so salty and sweet and oh, so delicious (even when it isn't perfectly crispy and even when it's a smidgen burnt). You just can't go wrong with bacon in my book. :)

Last week while Brent's parents were in town visiting, we made a pork fried "rice" dish (using cauliflower), Health-Bent's Orange Chicken, our Slow Cooker Chili, PaleOMG's Honey Ginger Apple Pulled Pork, etc. One of the items that remained was a pound of pork loin roast (we had bought a 3 lb roast but only needed 2 lbs for the recipe). So, two nights ago, I set out to cook it before it went bad in our fridge.

Anyways, I was rummaging through the fridge and pantry for inspiration. I came across bacon and apples. Bingo! Ultimately, this recipe needs some tinkering. The overall flavor was good, but next time I'll sauté the onions and use a few more spices. I'll be sure to post the improved recipe once I've done it. :)

Ingredients

• 1 1-lb pork loin roast
• 2 small granny smith apples, cored and chopped
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 6-8 slices of bacon, uncooked
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, crushed (just press down with the flat of a knife to crack them open)
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• coconut oil, bacon fat, or whatever you prefer to grease the roasting pan/baking dish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Season the roast with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
3. Cut a pocket into the center of the roast.
4. Stuff the pocket with about half of the chopped apples, chopped onion, and crushed garlic cloves.
5. Wrap the roast with the slices of bacon. (I wrapped four across the bottom and up the sides, and then four across the top and down the sides.)
6. Grease the roasting pan or baking dish.
7. Bake the roast for 30 minutes.
8. Add the remaining apples, onion and garlic to the dish, distributing them as evenly as possible around the roast.
9. Bake for another 30 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through.
10. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Full disclosure: the 1 lb roast smelled a little funny and there were a few greenish spots on the fat. A lot of people I know would have just tossed the whole thing. I hate wasting food, so I salvaged it. How? Check out my post of safety tips on dealing with these kinds of things.