Marinated Pork Loin with Fig and Champagne Mustard Sauce

I love pork in the fall—to me, it’s one of the first things I want when the weather begins to cool a little. This loin can be cooked equally well in the oven, on the grill, or in the smoker. I also like to cook a pork loin for Thanksgiving dinner, just in case anyone doesn’t want turkey, and so there will be plenty of leftovers to eat over the busy Thanksgiving weekend.

When my mother and aunts would visit my home in Columbia for the holidays, I’d usually serve dinner at 3:00 p.m.,