Beer Braised Pork Loin with warm red cabbage

We just celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary.  We got married in Hawaii with our 5 kids, his mom and step-dad, and two good friends.  It is hard to believe so much time has gone by.  This kids all grew up and moved away, we've been through our share of experiences, some good, some not so good.  But I can honestly say, it has been the happiest 11 1/2 years of my life.

I love you honey.

My trusty cast iron pan adds nice color to the meat, then slips in the oven for roasting. 

We celebrated with this delicious pork roast.  It was a cinch to make, and it had lots of left-overs for lunch and open faced sandwiches for dinner later.  The warm cabbage-apple salad was also delicious, but there weren't any left-overs of that.  It was a wonderful dinner.

Beer Marinated Pork Roast
adapted from Bon Appetit, March 2013

Ingredients

• 2lb. pork loin roast
• 1/4 cup lager
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, divided
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 medium red cabbage, cored, cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Preparation

• Place pork in a large resealable plastic bag. Whisk lager, soy sauce, brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon vinegar in a small bowl; pour into bag with pork and seal. Chill, turning occasionally, for at least 4 and up to 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400°. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Remove pork from marinade, allowing any excess to drip off (reserve marinade). Cook pork, turning, until browned on all sides, 8-10 minutes.
• Transfer skillet to oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of pork registers 140°, 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let rest for at least 10 minutes. Pour reserved marinade into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until slightly thickened, 5-8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in another large skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage, apple, bay leaves, and 1 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until cabbage is softened, 15-20 minutes. Add remaining 1 teaspoon vinegar and toss to combine.
• Slice pork and serve with cabbage mixture and sauce.
  
  April 1, 2013     Daylight 13 hours, 39 minutes, 26 sec.    Temp. H 37/ L 7°F