Apple Glazed Pork Loin

So, it's been decided....my son is heading to Barcelona, Spain next summer.  His high school soccer team is going to play in a tournament there, and since it's such a great opportunity, we decided to let him go.  I have some conflicting feelings about this.  I personally LOVE to travel and believe it's really important to take every opportunity to travel as much as possible.  Seeing new places, meeting new people, and experiencing cultures outside your own are important when you are young.  So for all those reasons I really wanted him to go on this trip.  However, as a mom, I am horribly nervous to let him go...without me!  Traveling overseas in this day and age, in general, just makes me nervous.  Then I start thinking of all the things that could go wrong - like what if he gets hurt or sick while there, what if he looses his passport after he gets there, what if his money gets stolen, what if his phone won't work and he can't call me, etc.  Yeah, I think I will have an ulcer by the time this trip takes place.  Deep breaths....

Since it's fall, I like lots of people out there, am on a bit of an apple kick/fall flavors kick.  While Island Pork Tenderloin is still my favorite pork dish (click here for recipe), I can't make it all the time, so I'm always trying to come up with new dishes.  I saw a picture of apple glazed ribs somewhere, and it inspired me to make this Apple Glazed Pork Loin.  This experiment turned out to be quite delicious!  We all thought it was very good, so this one is a keeper for sure!  It's a perfect fall dish. ♥

Apple Glazed Pork Loin

Rub for pork:
4 tsp chili powder
3 tsp garlic powder
3 tsp onion powder
3 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 
2 1/4 lb pork loin (or 2 smaller ones equaling the same weight)

For glaze:
1/2 cup apple cider
1 tbsp favorite BBQ sauce
1/4 cup apple jelly, melted
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  In a small bowl mix all the spice rub ingredients together.  Transfer 1 tbsp of it to another bowl and set aside.  Rub the spice mix on all sides of your pork loin.  Heat a couple tbsp of vegetable oil in a large, ovenproof skillet (I used my cast iron skillet) on medium-high heat.  Sear the pork on all sides for a couple of minutes on each side.  

Meanwhile, take the tbsp of the spice rub you set aside and add the glaze ingredients to it and whisk to combine.  Remove the pork from the heat, and pour glaze over top.  Place the skillet in the oven to continue cooking - about 25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted diagonally, reaches 140 degrees.  Remove from oven and cover pan with foil, and let it set for 10 minutes before cutting.  Spoon the extra glaze from the pan over the pork when serving.