Pork Tenderloin

Name: Pork Tenderloin
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 3 h 40 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
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

By Lidey Heuck

Published Oct. 5, 2023

Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes, plus marinating and resting
Rating: 5(1,101)
Comments: Read comments

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.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

2pork tenderloins, 1 to 1¼ pounds each
½cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2tablespoons minced garlic (4 large cloves)
1tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1½ teaspoons dried)
1tablespoon honey
1tablespoon Dijon mustard
2teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 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.
Step 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.
Step 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.)
Step 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.

Ratings

5 out of 5

1,101 user ratings

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Comments

Paul Mason1 year ago

I'm sorry, I am done with baking or roasting pork tenderloin. This summer I started using the sous vide method of cooking this cut of meat. Cooking this way produces juicy, moist, evenly cooked tenderloin, edge to edge. Finishing in a cast iron skillet will give you a crisp, browned surface. Once you have had pork cooked this way, it is unimaginable to go back to chancing the dry, stiff result from standard oven baking.

dimmerswitch1 year ago

If you've never cooked pork tenderloin before, note you need to trim off any silver skin on it. We cook it often, it is a fav of my dad's, and even with the best quality tenderloin you will likely need to do it. https://grokker.com/cooking/video/how-to-trim-fat-from-pork-tenderloin/512412a4312b6a421900093f

Bibi1 year ago

Suggestions: Pork will take on marinade quickly, so if you are whipping up a quick dinner, just rub on the marinade and bake. You can skip the pan browning on the stove. The pork: Trader Joe's sells tenderloin singly, and they are good. Remove the silvery tendon-y strip before prepping. Lastly: Cover the dish in the oven for half of the baking. Then remove the foil and watch it sort of brown. Baste. It will remain tender and succulent. Cut in half to test for pinkness while in the pan.

Diane2 days ago

My first experience, really, of cooking a pork loin. This was delicious ! Perfect instructions. Thank you !

Joe in Chicago1 week ago

Wonderful! Extremely juicy with wonderful flavor. I am 1 person so I made one tenderloin and simply halved the recipe. Seriously good.

SeaGal1 week ago

This was easily the best pork tenderloin I’ve cooked. Melt in your mouth tender and not at all dry. I knew I wanted to grill so only used 1/4 cup of olive oil and a bit less salt. I also took the advice of one commenter and used molasses instead of honey. Pulled the meat at 140, about 17 minutes, and let it rest. Since there are only two of us, I’ll slice the rest and use it later for banh mi or salads.

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