Brown Sugar Glazed Pork

Brown Sugar Glazed Pork

The combination of brown sugar, garlic, and seasonings gives an ordinary pork loin a punch of sweet yet savory flavor in easy Brown Sugar Glazed Pork.

Jump to Recipe

Pork is such a great meat to work with because it is pretty easy to cook, and very versatile. My recipe for Brown Sugar Glazed Pork originally came from one of those little recipe turn-style stands at a Publix store years ago. Since then, we have modified it a bit. Partly to our tastes and partly when we were out of something so had to improvise.

Brown sugar with some garlic and spices really adds a sweet yet savory taste to a regular pork loin. And cooking it on the stovetop is quick and easy, with very little cleanup involved.

I like to make some sauteed veggies as a side with this. The leftover glaze from the pork tastes really good on the vegetables! It’s also great with some homemade mashed potatoes.

One-pan meals are the best. I don’t like cleaning dishes, and this doesn’t make much of a mess.

Step by Step

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 tbsp paprika
  • 1/2 tbsp pepper
  • 1/2 tbsp salt
  • 1/4 tbsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tbsp cilantro
  • 1/4 tbsp dill
  • 1/4 tbsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 pork tenderloin
  • 2 tbsp butter

Preparation

Start by using a garlic press to crush 3 cloves of garlic and put it in a medium mixing bowl. If you don’t have a garlic press, you can dice it up by hand as well. Add your brown sugar and seasonings to the bowl with the garlic and stir it up until it’s well blended.

Brown sugar with seasonings and a wire whisk in a glass bowl on a granite countertop

Open your pork loin and slice it at a slight angle into pieces that are about 1 inch thick. The number of pieces you have will depend on the size of pork you have. So focus more on making them all fairly even in size so they cook the same.

Place each piece of pork into the brown sugar mixture. Press it down so that the mixture really sticks to the meat. Flip it over and do the same for the other side as well. Make sure that the pork has a decent amount of brown sugar on it.

Transfer it to a large frying pan while you continue with each piece. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and set the heat to medium. Swirl it around to make sure that the butter coats the entire pan. Cook the pork for about 5-6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Make sure to flip it at least once.

The pork will shrink a little as it cooks, and the brown sugar will start to make a glaze in the pan. This is what I use to then coat the pork when I serve it. Use any leftover glaze to go on top of some vegetables such as some baby carrots.

Brown Sugar Glazed Pork

Recipe

Originally Published On: July 24, 2017

Last Updated On: March 15, 2020

Brown Sugar Glazed Pork

Brown Sugar Glazed Pork

The combination of brown sugar, garlic, and seasonings gives an ordinary pork loin a punch of sweet yet savory flavor in this easy dinner.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course:
Main Dish
Cuisine:
American
Keyword:
brown sugar
|
one pan
|
pork
Servings: 4
5 from 4 votes

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 tbsp paprika
  • 1/2 tbsp pepper
  • 1/2 tbsp salt
  • 1/4 tbsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tbsp cilantro
  • 1/4 tbsp dill
  • 1/4 tbsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 pork tenderloin
  • 2 tbsp butter

Instructions

  • In a medium mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar with the rest of the seasonings
  • Cut the pork tenderloin into 1-inch slices
  • Place each piece of pork in the bowl and press into the mixture on both sides
  • In a large frying pan, over medium heat, melt the butter and swirl to coat
  • Add the pork and cook 5 – 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through
Click the buttons below to share and print this recipe
Pin Recipe Print Recipe
Nutrition Facts
Brown Sugar Glazed Pork
Amount Per Serving
Calories 762 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 9g45%
Cholesterol 310mg103%
Sodium 1179mg49%
Potassium 1885mg54%
Carbohydrates 42g14%
Sugar 40g44%
Protein 94g188%
Vitamin A 745IU15%
Vitamin C 0.7mg1%
Calcium 69mg7%
Iron 5mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

48 thoughts on “Brown Sugar Glazed Pork”

  1. We only eat chicken and pork (meat wise) so new recipes are always welcomed. I like that it simple and fairly quick to make – thanks for sharing, this will be part of this week’s new meals!

  2. Cole Nemeth Lifestyle Blogger

    I actually don’t eat pork, but I feel like this would taste good on chicken or tofu, too! Thanks for sharing!

  3. I am always looking for ways to spruce up old recipes. Adding a brown sugar glaze to pork might be just what I am looking for.

  4. 5 stars
    This recipe looks super yummy. I do not eat pork that often because it’s almost never available where I live, but I sure will try your recipe if I find some soon. Thanks for sharing this. It’s so easy to make too. And as mentioned above, I am curious about how this will turn out if I use chicken instead of pork. Definitely worth a try!

    1. If pork is hard to find, then you could try with chicken. I haven’t done it yet, so not sure exactly how it would work, but it’s worth a shot! The glaze is delicious, so I hope you can get pork soon or that it works well with chicken.

  5. 5 stars
    My mouth is just salivating at looking at this! I think this would be a hit with my family! I think I have all the ingredients at the moment so I will be definitely giving this a go!

  6. Mmmmm! I’m always looking for new ways to cook pork (pork loin esp) because it’s the only meat my girls don’t mind eating leftover in their school lunches! They will LOVE this, I’m sure, and I love the idea of what to do with the leftover glaze, too! 🙂

  7. I love how clear the pictures you take are and how well this is written! Appreciate the effort! I’m a vegetarian but this recipe seems quite widely loved by meat eaters!

  8. These are very delicious here. I would love to try out this pork. I’m not sure my daughter would do the pork, but I would love to try it. Just have to make better proportions for me.

    1. I know what you mean about the proportions, one pork loin is more than my family will eat in an evening since my boys are still so young. But it does reheat pretty well, so it can be lunch the next day, too!

    1. This is the hardest part of food blogging! I make the recipes a few weeks before I post to have time to edit photos and write it up, so by the time I go to write it I want the meal again!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating