Putting a roast on the table makes even a simple meal seem like solid, old-fashioned home cooking. Pork loin, bone-in, boneless or tenderloin, offers versatile roasting solutions for a leisurely weekend dinner or a more tightly-scheduled weekday family supper. Even whole boneless cuts adapt to stove-top skillet cooking methods, with an oven finish. Save more time by cutting pork loin into chops, medallions or paillards, for a greater range of tasty skillet variations.
Pork Loin Roast
Bone-in or boneless, a pork loin roast can present some challenges for stove top cooking in a skillet. The high heat that can be generated in this shallow pan gives outer surfaces an excellent browning but is unlikely to penetrate the full depth of the meat. Transfer browned meat to a roasting pan and finish cooking in the oven. Alternatively, use the more easily modified heat of your electric skillet to brown, then braise a full pork loin roast, adding vegetables, fruit juice, wine or a savory sauce for moist, covered skillet cooking.
Pork Tenderloin
Skillet browning can give whole boneless pork tenderloin a flavorful outer surface, sealing in juices and lowering overall cooking time. Using a skillet with an oven-proof handle makes roasting a tenderloin a one-pan procedure. Brown the tenderloin on all sides, season and finish cooking briefly in the oven. You can roast a browned tenderloin for as little as 15 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Add a braising liquid and a cover, set the oven to 425 degrees, and enjoy a finished tenderloin in approximately 30 minutes. Deep browning keeps meat juicy, while oven-time assures that heat will penetrate to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit without drying meat out.
Loin Chops
Both bone-in loin chops and boneless chops, sometimes called medallions, are excellent candidates for full stove-top cooking in a skillet. Whether you have your butcher cut down the loin or do it yourself, you will reduce overall cooking time by starting with smaller pieces of meat. Inch-thick bone-in chops can be browned over medium-high heat, then simmered in a simple sauce within 15 to 20 minutes. Thinner or boneless chops take even less time.
Paillards
Stove-top skillet cooking is perfect for pork paillards, scallops or cutlets. Cut from boneless loin or tenderloin and pounded paper-thin, lightly floured or breaded pork paillards can be sauteed in butter or oil within a few minutes.