Roast Pork Loin Wrapped in Bacon aka "Little Piggy"

Last night I decided to try my very first pork loin, I have always feared the pork loin because it is usually cooked to obliteration and then has to be served with some sort of sauce to rehydrate it. Dry pork covered in sauce is not a very appetising thought when planning the dinner menu, but when the hubby came home the other day with a pork loin log about a yard long apparently my choices were made for me, the time had come to tackle the pork. This turned out to be a fantastic dinner not only because it tasted great, but the fact that I had such a good time applying my pie baking skills to pork (who would have thought pies and pork have a connection). The pork was cooked perfectly and the basket of bacon turned out to be a beautiful little piece of piggy art. There is something innately satisfying about wrapping a big piece of meat in a beautiful cocoon of thickly sliced wonderfully smokey bacon and then watching (and smelling) the bacon go from a drab to gorgeously golden and crisp, it still makes me smile with satisfaction. It was definitely an evening meal that seemed more special than I originally intended, for this I am most happy.

For your perfect Piggy;
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 TB finely chopped fresh sage
3 TB maple syrup (Grade A )
16 bacon slices (or enough to basket weave the pork, close to 2 pounds)
1 TB cider vinegar

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Pat pork dry and remove any strings, then transfer to a roasting pan. I placed my piggy on a roasting rack to make sure it didn't sit in the fat, but you can do as you deem the tastiest.
3. Stir together chopped garlic, sage, and 1 tablespoon syrup in a small bowl and rub all over pork.
4. Lay bacon slices crosswise over loin, overlapping slightly, and tuck ends of bacon underneath loin.
5. Roast pork until thermometer registers 140°F, about 1 1/4 hours.
6. Stir together 1 tablespoon syrup and vinegar until combined. Brush vinegar mixture over bacon slices and continue to roast pork until thermometer registers 150°F, about 10 minutes more. This seems to be a weird combination, but it does something heavenly to the bacon that I cannot explain. Try it, seriously.
7. Remove from oven and let stand in pan 15 minutes. I would recommend an electric knife if you have one, I didn't so I used a serrated knife and the bacon was broken up a bit when cut into, but the flavor was still great!

Buon Appetito!