Rubbed Pork Loin with Apricot Glaze and Sauerkraut

Ingredients

• 0.5 cup apricot preserves divided
• 0.3 teaspoon pepper black freshly ground
• 2 pound pork loin boneless trimmed
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1 teaspoon olive oil 
• 1 cup onion sliced
• 0.8 teaspoon salt 
• 2 cups sauerkraut drained
• 2 teaspoons sugar 
• 0.5 cup water 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• baking pan
• kitchen thermometer

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 42
2. Combine garlic powder, cumin, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl; rub spice mixture evenly over pork.
3. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add pork to pan; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides.
5. Transfer pork to an 11 x 7inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
6. Add onion and sugar to pan; saut 3 minutes or until onion is lightly browned.
7. Add drained sauerkraut to pan; saut 1 minute. Arrange sauerkraut mixture around pork in baking dish.
8. Brush pork with one third of apricot preserves.
9. Pour 1/2 cup water over sauerkraut mixture.
10. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.
11. Brush pork with one-third of apricot preserves; bake for 10 minutes.
12. Brush pork with remaining apricot preserves; bake for 10 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in center of pork registers 160 (slightly pink).
13. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
14. Serve with onion mixture.
15. Beer note: While the German purity law may not permit fruit in beer, a German dish like this is enhanced by an apricot microbrew, like Dogfish Head's Aprihop ($50 per 12-ounce bottle), released each spring. The apricot flavor in this pale ale is fresh but subtle, balanced with plenty of dry, hoppy bitterness to contrast the sweet apricot-glazed pork. Jeffery Lindenmuth