I am a very happy person right now. Here is why.
* Rub 1-1.5 lb. pork tenderloin with salt, pepper and beef bouillon (I use Better Than Bouillon paste; the regular stuff might do).
* Sear on high heat for ~30 seconds per side in olive oil. I cook with olive oil out of habit; other oils or even butter might work as well. Definitely don’t make the mistake of cooking with extra virgin.
* Transfer to a baking dish just coated with cream and a little water, cover with foil and cook in the oven at 260-275.
* Cook mushrooms in the frying pan to pick up all the good stuff that the tenderloin left behind. Transfer to the baking dish once they’re crispy.
* Let the tenderloin cook for about an hour and a half.
* At the end, prepare some crusty bread the way a good restaurant does. Cut off a thick chunk and then cut slices into the chunk that reach almost but not quite through. At the end the slices, which you can tear off, will be crispy on the surface and warm inside.
The usual problem with pork is how thoroughly you have to cook the meat. Pan frying pork does not work because by the time it is safe to eat the meat is dry, it’s chewy and the fat, which ought to be the best part, is an unchewable gristle.
I knew about slow cooking from my wife’s recipe for chicken in cream sauce, but I have never seen a cut of meat transformed like this. The meat came out tender enough to cut with a fork, fat and all. The mushrooms were coated in a seasoned mix of oil, juices and cream curd asking to be spread on the bread. Yum.
***
Meanwhile, Erie Brewing should stop calling their Big Red a wee heavy ale until they mix in some peat-smoked barley malt. It has the alcohol to be a wee heavy, but so does an appletini.
***Update***
If you are going to try this recipe, follow the advice of many commenters and deglaze the pan with some booze before cooking the mushrooms. Naturally I recommend beer.
Colonel Danite
This is definitely not kosher but it does sound delicious.
Cain
Pics or it didn’t happen.
Since we’re talking about food, I’ve been trying to do something with chicken wings you get at costco or sam clubs or whatever. Mostly, I want to indianize it a bit because when I was in Bangalore one time they had this chicken appetizer dish that was out of this world. It went so well with beer (too bad all they have at indian restaurants is lager. That always fucks me up.. )
I think I’ve come up with something, but I’m going to be trying it tomorrow and hope that it comes out well. But try this, as it also comes from the pubs of bangalore:
Masala Peanuts
* 1 1/3C of unsalted roasted peanuts.
* 4 TB of finely chopped cilantro
* 1/4 C of finely chopped onions.
* 1 tsp of chaat masala
* juice of 1/2 a small lemon
* salt to taste
* pepper to taste
* 2 TB of finely chopped green chillies (I use thai, but you could get away with jalepenos)
In a pan, heat the peanuts in medium heat, add chopped onions and green chillis, and fry for about a minute or so and then add teh chaat masala and then fry again for another 1 minute. Add salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and then add the juice of a lemon (you could use lime too if you have it)
serve while still warm. Good stuff with a light beer like a heifwezien or (bleah) lager. :D
The amounts are approximations so you’ll need to adjust to taste. I don’t generally measure. If you want to add some heat, you can add some chilli powder.
cain
Tim F.
Cain, I will bring up your question with my friend Sameer. He makes a phenomenal Bombay street dish that I can’t even describe.
Kitty
Pork is a lot safer now. I cook my roasts to about 160º (still a little pink in the middle) and pork chops about 3-5 minutes per side depending on thickness. Here’s a link: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/trichinae/docs/fact_sheet.htm ENJOY!!
LiberalTarian
Yeah, get yourself a Polder meat thermometer. Never over cook meet again! This looks like a good one, but they have other models too … You can set the alarm for the temperature you want, and when it goes off, you know cooking is done! Good Eats had a show on gadgets a while back, and I went out and got one. Mine only has one probe though, dang it. :)
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
OK, I have to try that! I have some tenderloins, but I need mushrooms for pasta sauce anyway, so the bike and I will take a trip through the ice and snow tomorrow.
But this stovetop recipe (yes, it’s Martha, but it’s surprisingly simple) produces a pretty tender piece of meat. I usually use yogurt instead of cream, and ease up on the mustard a bit. With the pan juices, it’s an awesome sauce.
Robert M.
De-lurking for just a second, here… Sear + roast is, bar none, the best way to prepare large cuts of meat, and pork tenderloin is one of my favorites. I also heartily approve of seasoning roasts with a rub; I use a combination of cumin, chili powder, garlic salt, and brown sugar. Next time try deglazing the pan with a dash of broth or wine before cooking the mushrooms. (c:
Steve in Sacto
You can do pork tenderloin on the BBQ in this same method as well. Sear each side over direct heat for +/- 1 minute them move it to indirect heat, cover the BBQ and cook until internal temp is 135 degrees. Use oak or hickory wood chucks (or smoking chips) and the result is smoky, moist, flavorful and outstanding.
zmullls
You may want to consider brining.
When I do pork chops, I try to remember (before I dash out in the morning) to fill a holding vessel with water, kosher salt and a little maple syrup. After stirring I let the pork soak in that all night.
It really helps maintain the tenderness when cooking. With tenderloin it’s not so much of a problem, of course, but it couldn’t hurt.
Left Coast Tom
I add paprika (Hungarian hot) to the list of things I rub pork tenderloin with.
jharp
"The usual problem with pork is how thoroughly you have to cook the meat. "
You are mistaken. It is not true, Trigonosis ? is virtually gone.
Pork loins are safe and delicious cooked medium rare. Please update as I’d hate to see your readers misled.
eastriver
Appletinis are ungodly and not right.
The pork sounds tasty. I would also suggest many of the rubs mentioned above.
Be sure to keep some of the fat from the pork. Don’t buy, or let your butcher cut, too lean of a cut. The fat is where the flavor is. Too-lean pork only tastes like what you put on it.
Pork also likes sweetness. I like to do a tenderloin with either a red currant or orange marmalade glaze. Serve with garlicky potatoes.
h e a v e n
Left Coast Tom
Sorry for messing up the paragraph break, but the block quote didn’t render correctly…
I address both those issues by roasting it with a couple slices of bacon draped over the top. I remove the bacon about 15 minutes before it’s done to let the top get some direct heat.
John Cole
Couple years ago I offered to buy a cute girl a drink after I had already had 3-4 scotches, and she told me she would like an appletini. I said “never mind” and walked away.
John Cole
In fact, now that I think about it, I wonder what has done more damage to our society- a generation of appletini drinkers or eight years of George Bush. It is a tougher call than you may think.
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
So I guess there’s no such thing as "whiskey goggles". Good show, John!
Randy Paul
What may be one of the best airline meals I have ever had was when I was flying from Seattle to JFK and got upgraded to first class. I had pork loin sauteed with cherries. Out of this world.
Keith
At least it ain’t a Bellini-tini.
And +1 on the "it’s OK to cook pork to rare in this day & age" camp…unless you live in a 3rd world country or are calling wild boar "pork". But for my money, the best pork is slow-roasted pork butt (I rub it with that red Hawaiian salt for effect) cooked for about 5 hours
joeyess
Don’t eat the fat, people. Baaaaaad!
Goddamn. Gives me the piss shivers just to think about it.
h8gop
260 – 275 degrees? seems a little low?
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
Oh, no — pork fat is gooooooood! And sweet.
And 260F is above the danger zone, but conducive to creating really tender meat. Cook’s Illustrated recently showed how you can roast even very lean, very tough eye of round to melt-on-the-fork succulence by putting it in the oven for about 1-2 hours at 225F, until the internal temperature reaches 115-125F, then TURNING OFF THE OVEN and letting the residual heat cook the roast to medium rare or medium-rare in less than an hour.
I’ve tried it, and it really does make tough beef incredibly tender and tasty. And I didn’t die.
John Casey
The country went to hell when some bozo decided that anything you put in a martini glass is a somethingtini.
TenguPhule
I have no doubt many of them voted for him.
Which begs the question, which came first, the idiots or their King?
Tattoosydney
Yum, Tim, your pork sounds like a winner
I’m slow braising a slab of pork belly – you dunk the pork belly in boiling water for five minutes, then pan fry the skin side in oil for ten minutes (after you have dried it well so it doesn’t spit everywhere – leaving it uncovered overnight in the fridge at this stage works very well).
Then throw it in a big pot with cloves of garlic, some soy sauce, some fish sauce, maybe some rosemary and a huge huge glug of white wine and simmer very very gently for about three hours…
If you want you can fry the skin side in a frying pan again at the end to puff up the skin and make it crispy…
Fall apart, melty, fatty, meaty, crunchy Saturday night goodness. I think I am going to serve with some rice, shredded spring onions and chilli and some peanuts mixed through the rice…
Tattoosydney
And with that, suddenly it’s late afternoon here, which means drinking time has started…
I can see a Pimms and Lemonade which has my name on it…
bago
Where am I going to find four terabytes of cilantro?
Fern
@John Casey:
Likely true, thought I must say that I recently had a lychee "martini", that while not actually a martini, was mighty tasty.
Are_we_there_yet
My favorite pork loin recipe h/t to allrecipes.com
2 Tbs steak seasoning rub (I just use a store brand rub)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (It is VERY important to use high quality vinegar. I use Mazzetti.)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
Dissolve the steak rub in the vinegar, then add in the olive oil. Put the pork in a resealable bag and add the marinade. Marinate for 2 hours to overnight. (If you forget to plan ahead and only marinate for 30 minutes it will still taste great.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pork in a glass baking dish and bake for about 1 hour basting occasionally.
Delicious and easy to make.
MikeJ
Don’t just do the puzzle, flip up towards the front of the Sunday magazine section and read Diagnosis.
moe99
Once you have tasted Mac N Jack’s African Amber, there are no other beers. Unfortunately the creators do not bottle it, so your options, east of Washington state, are limited.
ninerdave
@John Cole:
Cole, they have them on Tap at Harvey’s in the Castro in San Francisco. So….you decide.
Random thoughts below!
Me: my wife and I loved Harvey’s but I stuck to the beer and Jack Shots. She was/is a wino.
Actually, one of the bartenders there Jack is a kick to talk to, especially if you like Metal (the music). He’s hung with Priest, Rush, etc…you name it.
For the SF old locals… Harvey’s was the old Elephant Walk.
Great Burgers and food to this day!!
ninerdave
@ Tim F.
Tim, you must deglaze that pan with either the booze you are going to drink with dinner, some other booze or at least stock.
While the mushrooms will eventually give up their water, starting with a deglaze of another liquid to desolve the "good bits" in a flavorful base is the way to do it. Emeril is right in that you build flavors upon flavors. So, don’t let that good stuff go to waste with just the mushroom water! Add some flavor to those bits too!.
Also.
Since I know you are involved with chemistry, know that some flavors are activated in water, some in alcohol. That’s what a lot of people deglaze in wine (or beer, or booze).
Obligatory Pailin also..
dewberry
Pork is one protein (using a little Top Chef lingo) that all members of my family like, so I cook it fairly often.
Tenderloin in apricot-mustard glaze is delicious.
But often for Saturday, I’ll slowcook a pork shoulder and turn it into pulled pork. I make my own North Carolina-style vinegar bbq sauce and it is utterly delicious. Even though I’m in Texas, I freely admit to loving that sauce.
passerby
Yummm. I’m going to try this. How long @275 did you go?
The cream is a new twist for me. One of the things I love about p. tenderloin is that it slices nicely the next day, eaten cold.
I find it too easy to ruin (dry out)a pork tenderloin so, when I want my roasted pork fix I usually go with a Boston butt, studded/stuffed with garlic and rubbed with rosemary,S/P. Roast covered until the last 15 min. Uncover to brown it off.
And though not for daily consumption, the fat is where the flavor’s at!
making me hungry.
Michael D.
Crispy shrooms????
And I will say it: I ignore warnings about pork. I don’t cook it as well as most people or as well as is considered safe by da man! I always buy good quality pork and I always cook it medium. I probably have worms in my brain.
That said, I am going to try this recipe exactly as you describe. Sounds tasty. I have never had crispy mushrooms!
skohayes
As one who has been working with pigs the last 28 years, I can confidently state that over the last decade or so, the pork breeders have been going for a leaner and leaner hog to satisfy customers.
Unfortunately, they went too far and since many people still think you have to cook the hell out of pork (see the diary) to prevent trichinosis, it usually results in dry, inedible meat.
Fortunately, we’re now seeing a return to a hog with a little more marbling in the meat, to help flavor and keep the meat juicier, even when overcooked.
And thanks to all who corrected the diarist on his overcooking, and the wonderful recipes.
cleek
i just take a tenderloin, throw a bunch of Essence on it, roll in panko, sear in a pan then roast at 400 till done. mm mm pork
EL
John, you are worrying needlessly. Get yourself a good digital instant read thermometer, and cook your pork to 145 to 150 F and it will be tender and juicy.
Zmulls is absolutely right as well, brining will help if you feel you must cook it to a higher temperature. I also agree with Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse, as I’ve rarely been disappointed by a Cooks Illustrated recipe. I use their pork loin recipe frequently, the one that requires you to take the pork out of the oven, let it sit half an hour, then put it back.
That said, your recipe sounds delicious.
joe from Lowell
The searing-then-roasting technique works really well for salmon, too. I like to rub it with crushed red pepper and curry.
Cain
@Tim F.:
Awesome…! Sorry for my late response, we have a dinner party today and it’s been keeping me busy for the past week. Indian food for appetizers and regular american for the main course.
cain
Cain
@Tim F.:
The bombay street dish might be some kind of "chaat" dish. I’ve made a couple of those. In fact one of ourdishes is "ragattis patties" which is absolute yum and is sold on the streets of Bombay. Bombay’s special is pao bhajji which is really good with beer. It’s when you eat bread with a curry based dish.
cain
LiberalTarian
Re cooking pork fully–dude, you trust industrial meat producing operations inspected by the USDA with the health of your loved ones???
Now, maybe there are never infected rats near CAFO pig lots, and so there would never be a chance, but when my folks raised pigs I saw several small critters go into the pen that didn’t make it back out again.
And, it is easy enough to prevent.
You don’t have to cook it to death, like most people do, just until the juices run clear or it reaches a consistent internal temp of 145.
Be cautious. There are some things you don’t want to find out you were wrong about.
crack
Try pickled pork. Alton brown has a recipe. It’s great, I’d recommend cutting the cubes to 1.5 inches instead of 2.
jill
Pork tenderloin can be cooked in 20 mins or less. Pork can be eaten medium. You don’t have to cook pork well done any more. This recipe sounds like it would work better with a pork loin, not a pork tenderloin which is always tender.
Roger
Peated malt has no place in a wee heavy. Peated malt is for (some) scotch whisky, not scotch ale. Smokey notes should come from the yeast, not the malt! Smokiness is not even necessary for an awesome scottish ale, in my professional opinion.
The tenderloin sounds awesome, though.
dave
Here’s another one for pork tenderloin.
slice tenderloin 1/2" thick and press slices to 1/4"
bread slices in mixture of:
1/2 c seasoned bread crumbs
3 tbl parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
place in medium hot fry pan with a bit of olive oil
chop 1 medium onion or
1 bunch green onions
mince 2 cloves garlic
turn pork at 8 minutes and add onions and garlic
cook another 6 to 8 minutes.
serve with rice made with chicken stock and vegetable of your choice.
This is quick to make and even my kids will eat it.