Pork tenderloin recipes

[perry]

Anyone have a good recipe they care to share for cooking a pork tenderloin? Bought one at the store (2.5lbs) because they were on sale, but don't really know what to do other than baking it until the thermometer says 160.

[mozart]

Pork tenderloin is difficult (at least for me), because it gets dry so easily. I usually cover it with dry rubs, such as a blackening mixture, a simple, Mediterranean-style herb mixture, or a dried mushroom (preferably porcini) rub, and then sear it in a pan. I like the inside a bit pinkish (145 to 150 degrees, certainly not more; the temperature will rise a bit while the meat is resting). I also marinate it occasionally, but avoid acidic marinades (they tend to make the meat mushy). I prefer fruity concoctions with plums and such. Brining is also a good choice; keeps the meat juicy. Sorry for not giving you detailed descriptions, but I usually just whip together what I happen have at home. Best - MM

[zachster]

Last time I made one I cooked it on my rotisserie with a lemon, butter and rosemary baste -- it came out juicy and tender. If your oven or BBQ has a rotisserie, or if you have a countertop model (I use an old Farberware "open hearth"), this is the way to go.

[ratcheer]

Pork tenderloin is super easy, for me. I like to wrap them in aluminum foil with almost any type of flavoring sauce. If it goes with pork, its hard to go wrong. Then cook according to the directions on the tenderloin package. When the cook time is up, open the foil and cook another 10 minutes or so to let it brown a little.

BBQ sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Some chicken broth, wine, or beer and herbs (try Herbs de Provence)

You can also put in some sliced onions or carrots (or both). Or, if using teriyaki sauce, maybe pineapple slices.

Tim

[ltlsuz]

Perry - I think you read my mind. :w00t:

The hubby and I were just having this discussion in the store, they were on sale, but we didn't know what to do with it. :frown:

Thanks for the great suggestions guys, I'm gonna have to try them.
Susie

[Prince]

Poke it with a knife, and insert cloves of garlic. Marinate in a red wine, slice up red onions on top and bake it until the internal temp is 160.

[SmoovD]

If you want to solve the dryness of a pork tenderloin just brine the meat. Actually, pork and poultry always deserve a good soak in a salty brine. Keeps them moist and tasty.

Daniel

[DMac]

I've used this marinade from Emeril before with great success:

1 cup apple juice
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon brandy
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (3 to 3 1/4-pound) pork loin, trimmed
1 teaspoon Essence
To make the marinade, in a bowl, combine the apple juice, brandy, brown sugar, mustard, oil, 1 teaspoon of the salt, 12 teaspoon of the pepper, the cinnamon, allspice, and cayenne and whisk well to combine and dissolve the sugar.

I've never used the Essence, and I usually double the cayenne. Marinate for a few hours up to a day, and smoke/grill/bake until 170.

Oh, and if the allspice is overwhelming in the marinade, don't worry, it won't come through in the final product. I don't recommend using this marinade as a glaze, however.

[RichGem]

Need:
1 large boneless pork roast or 2 large tenderloins.
¾ cup honey
6 Tablespoons brown sugar
6 Tablespoons cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 ½ tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground black pepper


Do:
Rinse meat then pierce all over with a fork. Mix all other ingredients and reserve 1/3 cu.
Marinade meat overnight in mixture.
When ready to cook, pour off most of the marinade liquid and cook as usual. Five minutes before cooked, pour reserved marinade over meat and finish cooking.

[Scotto]

If you cook it to 160 you are going to be one sorry camper. Remove it from heat at 135-140 and let it rest ten minutes to get to 145-150. It should still be pink and juicy, believe me.

Awesome grilled with a rub, great seared in a pan and then thrown into a hot oven, or even sliced into medallions and pan-seared. Great, easy cut of meat.

[DMac]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichinosis

This is something you definitely don't want to get. Granted, the chances are very slim here in the developed world. This is just a paranoid med student talking.

[DMac]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichinosis

This is something you definitely don't want to get. Granted, the chances are very slim here in the developed world. This is just a paranoid med student talking.

I forgot to mention, I cry a little bit inside every time someone orders a steak past medium rare, and I love sushi more than the next guy, but I don't mess around with undercooked pork and fowl.

[judge]

mushroom ragout and pork tenderloin (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_25334,00.html?rsrc=search)
made it many a times, great for a group of friends and a good wine

delicious

[mozart]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichinosis

This is something you definitely don't want to get. Granted, the chances are very slim here in the developed world. This is just a paranoid med student talking.

If you can't be sure that pork is free of trichinella, I would get it from a different butcher or not buy it at all. In my mind, there is nothing worse than dry, overcooked meat. Best - MM

[mano]

To get pork tenderloin that's fully cooked but moist on the inside and nicely crusted on the outside heat a large saute pan on the cook top and put some olive oil in it. At high heat, sear the outside of the tenderloin for a few minutes on all sides. Get it brown, crisp and caramelized but don't over cook!. Then put it in the oven at 325 until you get an internal temp of around 145. Take it out, loosely tent with foil until the internal temp reaches 160.

[Scotto]

Guys, trichinosis is a thing of the past in the US given what pigs are fed, unless you are raising your own swine. Besides, it is killed at 140 degrees. Do yourself a favor and enjoy pork that isn't overcooked.

[_JP_]

Guys, trichinosis is a thing of the past in the US given what pigs are fed, unless you are raising your own swine. Besides, it is killed at 140 degrees. Do yourself a favor and enjoy pork that isn't overcooked.

+1

Another way to cook it is to marinate it with your favorite Italian dressing for a day. Pierce it deeply with a fork so that the dressing can penetrate.

[bmwe28m5]

Pork goes in the crock pot for 8 hours on low, in a nice rosemary, lemon thyme and salt brine (or whatever). After 8 hours, it should be well cooked but should nearly fall apart when you take it out because it is so tender. I usually get some cooking string and tie it up like a prime rib. After cooking, it goes on a high temp grill for however long it takes to get it seared and is taken off to set for 5 minutes.

Do this with ribs too. Youll never have a more juicy and tender pork meal.

[Tanksfurnutin]

This is one of my favorite pork tenderloin recipes. This is a very lite dinner and healthy.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/108103

Like Scotto said, what ever you do, don't cook it to 160 you will ruin the tenderloin. If you are going to cook it that high just throw a shoe in the oven. Because that is what it is going to taste like.

[perry]

I cooked it until 160! I used some Penzey's Old World (http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysoldworld.html) spice mixture as the rub, wrapped it in foil, and baked at 325. It came out pretty good :thumbup1: I didn't think it was too tough at all, but I'm pretty sure we've cooked tenderloins far too done in the past so this was a great improvement.

This one gets me started, maybe I'll get more fancy on the next.

[Ogion]

I cooked three tenderloins last weekend (I chose them over a butt since the tenderloin cooks faster):

Set smoker to 220F (if you have an electric)
Season the tenderloins generously - I used Dinosaur BBQ Cajun Foreplay
Cook for 3 hours with smoke
Wrap in foil and cook another 2 to 3 hours
Let them cool down a bit before unwrapping.
Pull the pork and enjoy with your favorite sauce!

[SilkySmooth]

You could try using a flavor injector and your favorite sauce or marinade. Wrap the loin in foil and cook until 150 F.

[ouch]

Did I hear correctly? Is someone cooking their pork tenderloin for 8 hours?

Long, slow cooking is a wonderful technique for rendering chewier cuts of meat palatable. But just as you wouldn't stew a filet mignon or braise a porterhouse, tenderloins love a quick trip at high heat.

How quick? Throw your tenderloin into the icebox for about 20 minutes to firm it up. Slice razor thin with a sujihiki or yanagi (okay, a carving knife if you must) and stir fry in a flaming hot wok for as little as ten seconds.

If you don't listen to me, at least listen to Scotto. Our people have been perfecting pork recipes for, well, never mind. :crying:

[bmwe28m5]

Did I hear correctly? Is someone cooking their pork tenderloin for 8 hours?

Long, slow cooking is a wonderful technique for rendering chewier cuts of meat palatable. But just as you wouldn't stew a filet mignon or braise a porterhouse, tenderloins love a quick trip at high heat.

How quick? Throw your tenderloin into the icebox for about 20 minutes to firm it up. Slice razor thin with a sujihiki or yanagi (okay, a carving knife if you must) and stir fry in a flaming hot wok for as little as ten seconds.

If you don't listen to me, at least listen to Scotto. Our people have been perfecting pork recipes for, well, never mind. :crying:

You are confusing the method with different ones by talking beef tenderloin when we are talking strictly pork tenderloin. Two different meats and pork can handle slow cooking quite well. The crock pot is an excellent method and its not too uncommon to slow cook pork tenderloin. The crock pot method of cooking pork tenderloin produces a different product than cooking with a grill. Same goes for oven cooking, as it produces a different taste and texture.

I agree, cooking beef tenderloin in a crock pot is not the proper method, I usually fire up 25,000BTUs and put a butterfly cut beef tenderloin steak on for as little time as possible.

Im not quite sure exactly who your "people" are, but Im happy with my method and so are the others who have tried it.

[Scotto]

I only eat Kosher pork tenderloins, Jay. :wink:

[Dennis]

Late on this... Pork tenderloin can be tricky because it cooks pretty quickly and goes from perfect done to yuck pretty quickly. My favorite way to do pork tenderloin is to cut it into medallions about 1 inch thick, flatten slightly with the broad side of your chef knife and sear them in a hot skillet, about 2 min a side. You then make a pan sauce in the skillet. This is the Cook's Illustrated method (there are a pile of variations and sauces on their website). Barbara Kafka also has several good recipes in her Roasting cookbook which I highly recommend in general.

Dennis

[trioxin245]

You are eating the filet mignon of pork, so the less messing and overcooking the better. We had it last night and I let it sit in a marinade of olive oil, red wine vinegar, basil, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper. I don't pierce it all. Sear the hell out of it on all sides in a very hot pan (cast iron is excellent for this, you can go straight to the oven with it; be careful with final cooking time as the pan will contribute to the final cooking time). Put it into a preheated 425 degree oven until around 135 to 140 degrees internal temperature. I've cooked enough of them to know that when the juices have begun to slightly burn in the pan, it's ready. Do not overcook, or as stated above you will be disappointed.

[ouch]

I only eat Kosher pork tenderloins, Jay. :wink:

I save those for Yom Kippur. :thumbup:

[ouch]

Just to make sure we're all talking about the same thing, here are pics of pork loin and pork tenderloin with human hands to provide some degree of scale.

The two cuts require different cooking times and/or methods. Pork tenderloin is the equivalent cut of filet mignon.

[boboakalfb]

I think 150 is what you want to shoot for. As previously stated pull it off about 140 and let it rest for 10 minutes. You don't want it overcooked. This is a pretty good recipe from Weber.

Weber Recipe (http://www.weber.com/bbq/pub/recipe/view.aspx?c=pork&r=72)

[mozart]

Guys, to be really honest, tenderloins should be banned from kitchens. It's pretty much the blandest, most boring type of meat out there. That's why one needs these rubs and brines to impart some flavor to them. What good is that? It's a waste of money. I do cook it myself occasionally, but I really don't expect any miracles. Best - MM

[ouch]

Hmmm. I smell a favorite cut of steak thread in the works (or favorite cut of pork). :thumbup1:

[perry]

Just to make sure we're all talking about the same thing, here are pics of pork loin and pork tenderloin with human hands to provide some degree of scale.

I had the first one. Actually turned out to be two of them but I couldn't tell that because they were vacuum sealed. Cut open the bag when I was ready to cook, and "what's this?!"

This was $2.50/lb on sale, and the pork loin went on sale afterwards for $1.79/lb. I was disappointed in the price drop because I didn't realize the difference until I saw the loin in the store.

You guys have given me lots of ideas to try in the future :thumbup1:

[Handy]

This my favorite receipe for "Smoked" Pork Tenderloin. I've cooked this about four times now and each time it just gets better and better.



1 tablespoon of ground all spice (15ml)
1 tablespoon of brown sugar (15ml)
1 tablespoon of onion powder (15ml)
1 1/2 teaspoon of celery salt (7.5ml)
1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (5ml)
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (5ml)
1 teaspoon of dried thyme (5ml)
2 x 14 ounce pork tenderloins 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil (10ml)
2 handfuls of wood chips
1 handful of wood chips, soaked in water for 30 minutes
Basting Liquid
1 cup of chicken stock (250ml)
2 tablespoons of Canola oil (30ml)
1 tablespoon of cider vinegar (15ml)
2 tablespoons of Maple Syrup (30ml)

Combine all of the spices into a bowl and mix well. Separate 1/3 of this mixture and set it aside for use later. Coat the tenderloins with 1 teaspoon of oil each. Massage the remaining 2/3 of the spices into the pork tenderloins being sure to coat them evenly.

Place the tenderloins into a sealable plastic bag and leave in the fridge to marinate for 4 hours to overnight.

Remove the tenderloins from the fridge 30 minutes prior to barbecuing.

Prepare the smoker. Turn the barbecue onto high heat. With a fork, poke several holes into the bottom of a tin pie plate. Squeeze the excess water from the wet chips and place them into the pie plate. Add the dry chips and mix. Place the plate directly on top of the heat source - below the grill grate.

Place the tenderloins onto grill on high heat and sear the outside, turning until their exterior is well charred. This will take approximately 3 minutes per side. Reduce the heat under the smoke package and turn the heat off everywhere else. Move the tenderloins over to sit on the grate over top of the burners that are off. Close the lid and allow to smoke for 1 1/2 hours.

Prepare your mop. In a small saucepan, combine the 1/3 of the spice mixture from the rub that was set aside with the other mop ingredients. Place over heat and warm this mixture. Use it to baste the tenderloins 2- 3 times during the smoking process - after 30 minutes, after 50 minutes, and again after 1 hour and 15 minutes.

The tenderloins are ready when their internal temperature has reached 160 degrees F. Cover the meat with foil and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 4 Servings

[bmwe28m5]

Just to make sure we're all talking about the same thing, here are pics of pork loin and pork tenderloin with human hands to provide some degree of scale.

The two cuts require different cooking times and/or methods. Pork tenderloin is the equivalent cut of filet mignon.

I completely understand the differences between the cuts and the differences of the muscle fibres and the fat content therein. Im just saying give super slow cooking a shot with the tenderloin (not pork loin). And tastes are not universal.

[ouch]

I completely understand the differences between the cuts and the differences of the muscle fibres and the fat content therein. Im just saying give super slow cooking a shot with the tenderloin (not pork loin). And tastes are not universal.

I'll be sure to give your method a try next time around. :thumbup1: