I have been meaning to post this dish for a while, but the end of summer lazys got hold of me. There are so many reason to like this dish:
- Pork tenderloins are relatively cheap (and always seem to be on sale)
- The leftovers are great
- It is a snap to make
I rolled my tenderloins in a spice rub we got at the Taste of Chicago event that we went to in DC. Any store-bought spice rub should work, or you can improvise and make your own rub. All you really need is some brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. I am sure there are other bonus flavors you could add in, but this is a solid foundation to start with. Whatever you do, just make sure you use a lot of it. I thought I went a little overboard with the rub, but it turned out great. There is a lot of meat, so you need a decent amount of rub.
The tenderloins I got were a little to big to fit into a pan for browning on the stove, so I cut them in half… they still came out fine. Tenderloins are partly covered in a whitish membrane called the silver skin. Try to remove as much of this as possible, even though it’s kind of tricky to do. The most important thing to remember: Don’t overcook the pork! The USDA guidelines call for cooking pork way too long. The tenderloin should still be a little rosy in the center, you don’t want it to all be a chalky gray.
Roast Pork Tenderloin
From: Cook’s Illustrated
Ingredients:
- 2 pork tenderloins (12-ounces each), silver skin removed
- Table salt and ground black pepper (or some tasty rub)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Directions:
- Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Pat the tenderloins dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper (or your dry rub of choice).
- Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the tenderloins on all sides, reducing the heat if the fat begins to smoke, about 10 minutes. Transfer the tenderloins to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
- Roast the tenderloins until the thickest part registers 135 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping the tenderloins over halfway through the roasting time.
- Transfer the tenderloins to a carving board, cover with foil, and let rest until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes, before slicing into 1/4-inch-thick pieces.
Good point Lydia! I usually do, I must have just been in a rush to get this up. I will go try to find a link and add it.
This is a terrific recipe, but you really should credit your source. (It’s cut-and-pasted from Cook’s Illustrated.)
Your blog is so well done and professional. You should check out the website http://www.behindtheburner.com for tips and tricks on all things culinary.
Holly