The pork loin is a versatile cut of meat that can go from a casual meal for 1 or two to an elegant centerpiece for an important guest (if you’re into that sort of thing, you know – with the candles and wine and …. that stuff.)

I am am providing links here to a few different sites with some radically different uses of this cut to showcase the versatility of the meat. None of these require special instructions to the butcher, but some of them might be enhanced with a little pre-planning. Generally, when our butcher cuts the loin, he does the loin as a cut and the ribs as a cut. If you want, you can get that as one large cut you trim to make extra meaty ribs or whatever suits your needs, just be specific on the cut sheet!

Pork Fajitas

The first contender here might be unexpected – it is Pork Fajitas and is a good use for that smaller loin cut. This recipe calls for browning the pork in small / thin slices but I would suggest a slight modification – try grilling it after coating it with salt and oil on a hot grill to sear the outside, then shift to indirect heat to finish. After that – follow the rest of the direction. Either way, it is a nice summer choice to go with a lime beer.

Crispy Fried Pork Cutlets

Another quick and easy one here is the crispy fried pork cutlet. Now to be completely honest here, this is not on my go to list. I think a good loin should be a roast or even the fajita before going here, but if you are into fried pork, this is an easy option and tasty. I suggest some garlic and pepper in the breading, but that’s totally optional, feel free to miss out on how much better your food would be with it and tell me later you wish you had done it.

Stuffed Pork Loin Roast

Next on the list is a bit more of a formal approach, but the author says it is “Tender, juicy, smoky, delicious, spectacular looking, and fast. Could you ask for anything more?”

Over at AmazingRibs.com, they walk you through a very good primer on how to make a stuffed pork loin roast. They use a smoker, but you can adapt the recipe to your oven if you need to. I really like this site and recommend you take some time to poke around the good resources. It is very well done and makes me hungry every time I visit!

There are so many ways to cook up a good loin that I cannot possibly link them here, but if you want an adventure in cooking, visit Pinterest and search Pork Tenderloin Recipes. (I made it easy, click this link)

I do suggest at least once doing a garlic rosemary approach and experiment away – just keep in mind this is a leaner cut of meat so you need to treat it accordingly and not over cook it or dry it out.