roast pork loin with Guinness bacon jam

Yes, you read that right.  Guinness bacon jam.  Shallots, molasses, brown sugar and Guinness all cooked together in a happy little pot.  Add in the bacon.  Smile.

This is my St. Patty’s day offering to you.

Though you’ve probably had Guinness in a few ways: in a beer mug, which is perfectly delicious on its own, as part of a black and tan, maybe in chili, or even in cake or a cupcake, I’m guessing that you haven’t had it quite like this.

The jam does take over an hour to prepare, but it can be prepared up to two days in advance and reheated right before you’re ready to eat.  This jam can also be used with chicken, pizzas, or flatbreads.  Or you may just want to eat it with spoon.  No judgements here.

seared pork tenderloin with Guinness-bacon jam

adapted, slightly, from Sur la Table

Guinness bacon jam:
6 ounces thick smoked bacon (I highly recommend Wright Brand bacon. Applewood smoked is nice.)
6 shallots, diced
1 can Guinness (14 ounce)
½ cup molasses
½ cup brown sugar

Cut the bacon crosswise into thin strips. Cook bacon in a large heavy saucepan until crisp. Transfer the bacon out of the grease onto a paper towel.

Turn heat to low. Add the shallots directly to the bacon drippings and stir intermittently. Continue to cook shallots until they’ve reached a very soft texture, about 25 minutes.

Add the beer, molasses and brown sugar to the shallots. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until a thick, almost jammy consistency and is reached, about 1 hour. Stir in reserved bacon.

for the pork loin:
1 Tbsp granulated garlic
1 Tbsp dry mustard
1 Tbsp smoked paprika (pimenton)
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 (~1 ½ pound each) pork tenderloins

Preheat the oven the 400ºF. Mix the dry rub ingredients together (garlic, mustard, paprika, sugar) and rub over the pork loins.

In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of tasteless oil (canola) on high heat and sear the pork on all sides.

Place the seared pork in an oven-safe dish and roast until internal temperature reaches 140ºF*. (The time it takes to reach this temperature will vary depending on the thickness of your tenderloins and your oven, but it’s about 30-35 minutes.) Start checking at about 18 minutes, and continue to check every few minutes thereafter.  Allow to rest for ~5 minutes before slicing.

Slice pork loin and spoon over Guinness bacon jam.

* Let’s talk a bit about cooking pork.  Unless you’re immunocompromised, pork does not need to be cooked until it’s well-done.  In fact, please don’t do that to your pork unless you have to.  Overcooked pork is dry.  Perfectly cooked pork is still a bit pink and very juicy.  Investing in a meat thermometer is a great way to ensure that you’ve reached the perfect temperature.  Besides, if you’re going to spend the money to cook pork, steak or chicken, it really pays to know when it’s done.  It always makes me so angry to know I’ve overcooked something when it could have been so much better.