This is the best frozen pork loin oven recipe with gravy that you will ever make. No thawing required, just bake right out of the freezer in under an hour to tender with our easy directions below.
Ok so I love to share tips and tricks for busy families in order to eat together at the dinner table every night. I know I am not alone when I say that I often forget to defrost meat the night before and here I am going to explain how to cook frozen pork loin perfectly after experimenting with the temp and time this week.
Years back I had the same issue but thought about it in the morning and made Crockpot frozen pork loin which turned out amazing. Like so good that my family had no idea that it started out rock hard to begin with. This time I wanted to use my oven though.
I will tell you that cooking meat from frozen there are tips you need to follow in order to cook the insides and out evenly. I’ve figured these out over the years and am here to explain what you need to do and explain why as well.
Ingredient Notes
When baked you can fit a decent size, this one was a half frozen pork loin that was just shy of 5 pounds. When there is just the two of us and I want to cook a smaller piece I will use our Instant Pot frozen pork loin recipe instead, which is faster but won’t fit as big of a piece of course.
You are going to want some chicken broth for the liquid necessary to steam the frozen meat to tender. Use a few tbsp to begin with to create a paste with the seasonings below to add flavor to the outside.
The way I season this is with just a few things; garlic powder, some onion powder, dried rosemary, salt and pepper usually do the trick.
Can you add vegetables?
You would have to keep the cook time in mind when choosing this option, but you could. Thick slices of onions or halved russet potatoes would work, set on the sides of the meat but don’t overwhelm the dish with more than half full.
How Long to Cook Frozen Pork Loin in the Oven
Of course there will be some variation when it comes to this but with a piece similar to ours at 5 lbs in size you need about 40 minutes. Keep in mind that each piece is going to be slightly different in thickness but you should check at this point in the center, removed from the heat source.
Do you have to cover it with foil?
Yes, this is one of the necessary tricks I have learned over the years that is vital to creating moist and tender slices. Secure it nice and tight all over the pan so that the steam doesn’t escape. You need the liquid to get trapped creating a moist atmosphere.
How do you know when it is done?
You do NOT want to cook this too long as pork gets dry very fast if it is over 145F degrees. For the most accurate read use a meat thermometer in the center, thickest part, when it is out of the oven to get the best read. Remember that while it rests that it will rise about 5 degrees so you could take out at 140 but no higher than 145 because of this.
How to Make the Gravy
In this case we are going with as easy as possible so I use a packet of dry gravy mix, combined with 1 cup of cold broth or water. You just bubble this over medium heat until thick and serve. You could make homemade gravy while it is resting too if you prefer.
Frozen Pork Loin Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9×13 pan
- 1 aluminum foil non stick
- 1 small dish
Ingredients
- 5 pound frozen pork loin, half pork loin was used
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp rosemary, dried leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 packet brown gravy mix, .87 oz + water or broth to make
Instructions
- Mix together garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary leaves, salt and pepper in small dish. Spoon in a few tbsp of your chicken broth, just enough to create a paste to spread on top of the fat side of your frozen pork loin.
- Preheat oven to 375. Set seasoned loin, with seasoned fat side facing up, into a 9×13 baking pan and pour chicken broth on the sides so it covers the bottom of the pan.
- Spray a piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray and secure tightly over the sides of the pan to prevent steam from escaping.
- Bake 40 minutes per pound or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F. (test with meat thermometer in the center with pan removed from the oven for the most accurate read) Remove from oven and let stand, covered for 10 minutes before slicing.
- While pork loin is standing, prepare gravy according to directions on the back on the stove in a small pan and when meat has rested slice. Serve gravy on top of each piece.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
