Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin - 20 minute recipe! - A Gouda Life (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook pork tenderloin so it's not tough? ›

We cook our pork to 145°F. This means the pork will be barely pink in the middle, safe to eat, and juicy. If you do not like it pink in the middle, cook it a bit longer, but keep in mind that staying close to 145°F will result in the juiciest, most tender piece of meat.

Sear + Roast

This cooking method is a surefire way to make moist and juicy pork tenderloin without much fuss. Searing the meat first gives it that golden-brown crust before a quick roast in the oven finishes it off. It's an easy, crowd-pleasing meal for any night of the week.

Cook the Story notes that because it is so lean, it is important that pork tenderloin doesn't get the low and slow cooking treatment usually associated with more robust pieces of pork. Instead, it's important that the meat is brought to a safe final temperature of 145 F in a relatively short amount of time.

Brush the grill with vegetable oil. Remove the tenderloin from the bag and place in the center of grate. Discard bag with marinade. Cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, turning every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.

If you're not confident in your cooking skills, there is one foolproof way to guarantee your pork ends up on the tender side, even if you cook it too long: Soak it in a brine or a marinade. According to Hazel, these kinds of preparations always produce the most tender outcomes.

Does pork tenderloin get more tender the longer you cook it? Quite the opposite, actually! Pork tenderloin should be cooked quickly and then left to rest to ensure it stays tender.

Washing beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. We call this cross-contamination.

Should you sear beef tenderloin before cooking it? If roasting a tenderloin in the oven, you'll definitely want to sear it to get a golden brown crust. It doesn't take very long, and is so worth the effort.

However, you do NOT need to add other seasonings before searing. You're going to be cooking the exterior of your meat at very high temperatures, and the other seasonings will simply burn on the surface.

Don't cook pork tenderloin straight from the fridge.

Instead of cooking pork tenderloin straight from the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before you get started. Giving the meat a chance to warm up will ensure more even cooking.

What tenderizes pork the best? ›

Using the gradual, moist heat of a stew pot, pressure cooker, or slow cooker can give you pork so tender that you don't need a knife to eat it. Stewing generally involves cooking the meat for long periods of time at low heat while it's submerged in a mixture of liquid and solid ingredients.

Marinating the tenderloin in a mix of apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, onion powder, and salt makes it even juicier—find the full recipe for Honey-Mustard Pork Tenderloin here. The total time of this easy recipe clocks in at 20–26 minutes, which means it's entirely doable on a weeknight.

With a pork tenderloin: Season the meat, sear all sides in a very hot pan, and then finish in the oven at 350°F (175°C) degrees until the internal temp. hits 145°F (63°C).

You could eat it at a lower temperature, but the magic number is between 200 and 205 degrees. This is the best temperature for pulling the pork apart. Take it out of the oven and let the pork rest. Just like when you cook a steak, you should let any meat rest so you don't lose the juices by cutting into it too early.

Keep in mind that most fresh pork products are leaner than other types of meat you might be familiar with. Because of this, the USDA suggests cooking it to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the same temperature for every variation of pork you might choose from pork tenderloin to shoulder.

Overcooking it.

Tenderloin is lean and one of the most tender cuts around, but the lack of fat means that overcooking it will result in dry, tough meat. Follow this tip: Tenderloin is best served rare or medium-rare, so use a thermometer to make sure it doesn't get cooked past 140°F in the center.

Slicing and Heating: One of the easiest ways is to slice the pork thinly and then reheat it slowly on a low setting, ideally in some kind of sauce or broth. This introduces some extra moisture and can help to tenderize the meat.

Place it in the hot oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 145°F (medium), 20-30 minutes. If roasting for longer than 20 minutes, cover the pork loosely with foil to prevent the top from burning. Remove the tenderloin from the oven.