There was a sale on pork tenderloin, at my local grocery store. Lucky for me, I was there when they still had plenty in stock (and I had room in the freezer). I have only had pork tenderloin once before and I was excited to try my hand at making one. So immediately, I searched the web for information about how to cook this tender, lean meat. The main thing I read was that this meat had a tendency to become very dry and that it doesn’t take long to cook. The majority of the websites mentioned that bringing the internal temperature of the meat to 145F and letting the meat rest, was the best way to cook a pork tenderloin. Great, so I have a tentative game plan, now how do I season it? Again, many sources say that any marinades, dry rubs and brining methods work really well on this cut of meat. Great! That opens many doors.
Well, I had guests coming over for an early Christmas dinner night. He is an old friend and I got the feeling, that I should make him something sweet and spicy. So, I decided to adapt my Honey Spiced Chicken recipe to a pork tenderloin. It turned out great and really moist! I hope you give it a try!
Ingredients For Rub:
1 whole pork tenderloin
2 tablespoon of garlic powder
2 tablespoons of chili powder
1 tablespoon of onion powder
1 tablespoon of coriander powder
1 tablespoon of cumin powder
1/2 tablespoon of Mexican Hot Chili Powder
Ingredients for Glaze:
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
Directions:
- Combine all the spices for the rub and coat both pieces of pork tenderloin.
- Allow tenderloin to marinate for at least 3-4 hours (I marinated my pork tenderloin overnight in the refrigerator)
- Bring tenderloin to room temperature (Important!)
- Heat oven to 350F
- Place Pork tenderloin on baking tray that can be broiled
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the tenderloin is 125 F.
- Turn on the broiler and glaze the tenderloin with a coat of glaze.
- Broil tenderloin for about 2 minutes and then glaze that side again. (total two coats)
- Turn over tenderloin and give that size two coats of glaze.
- Remove from oven (internal temperature should be about 145-150F)
- Allow tenderloin to rest for at least 10 minutes
- Cut into slices and serve!
Picture captured after one side of tenderloin was already consumed!
Samina Cooks 