Pork Tenderloin

Pork Tenderloin

from cooking.nytimes.com
30 min

A family dinner favorite for good reason, pork tenderloin is lean, inexpensive, and cooks quickly. In this simple preparation, the pork is marinated with garlic, mustard, thyme and honey, browned on the stove, then baked until tender and juicy. The honey helps the meat develop a beautiful crust and lends just a hint of sweetness to pan juices, which are delicious spooned over the cooked pork. Consider this marinade a starting point and feel free to use other fresh herbs, such as rosemary, sage or oregano, or add a pinch of your favorite seasoning blend. Pork tenderloins are often sold in packages of two, but you can easily cut this recipe in half; in that case, roast the single tenderloin in the same skillet used to brown it. If your tenderloins weigh less than 1 pound each, you may need to reduce roasting time slightly — begin checking for doneness after 15 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 2 pork tenderloins, 1 to 1 1/4 pounds each
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 large cloves)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried)
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

Directions

  1. 1

    Pat the tenderloins dry with paper towels and place them on a rimmed baking sheet or platter. In a small bowl, whisk together 6 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, thyme, honey, mustard, salt and pepper. Spread the mixture all over the pork, turning to coat, Refrigerate, covered, for at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours. 

  2. 2

    Heat the oven to 375 degrees and remove the pork from the fridge while the oven comes to temperature. In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, carefully lay one of the pork tenderloins in the pan and cook on both sides until nicely browned, 6 to 10 minutes total.  

  3. 3

    Transfer to a large baking dish and repeat with the second tenderloin, adding more oil if the pan looks dry. Bake until an instant-read  thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tenderloins reaches 140 degrees, 18 to 22 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes. (The temperature will rise to 145 degrees as the pork rests.)

  4. 4

    After resting, spoon the pan juices over the tenderloins and cut the pork into thin slices. (The center pieces will be pale pink and the end slices will be more well-done.) Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and serve.