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Archive for the ‘Pork’ Category

Chili-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Glaze

Posted in Main Dish, Meat, Pork, tagged , , , , , on February 21, 2013 | 1 Comment »

chili-rubbed pork tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is a dish that I always seem to forget about, but then when I do remember to include it in my meal plan and discover a delicious recipe like this one, I wonder how I can forget about this great protein option. This version includes a spicy rub and a sweet-spicy glaze, and it is very much a keeper.

Not only is this pork full of flavor, it is also easy enough to prepare on a weeknight. You do have to plan ahead, as it requires at least 2 hours of marinating time with the spice rub, but other than that it comes together really easily.

This meal was a big hit with the kids too- I just removed a little of the outer meat with the spice rub before serving it to them so it wouldn’t be overly spicy. Julia loved the apricot glaze, and I couldn’t believe how much pork she ate on the two nights I served this for dinner. William is learning how to eat finger foods, and he seemed to enjoy his tiny bites of pork, too. He’s slowly reaching the stage where he can eat whatever it is we’re having for dinner, and I can’t wait until we’re fully there. Dinner preparations will be so much easier (although I’m sure I’ll still be cutting food into tiny bite-sized pieces for quite some time!).

This chili-rubbed pork with apricot glaze would be a wonderful meal to serve to company. It’s tasty enough to impress, but also easy enough that you won’t have to spend all day in the kitchen. Serve it with a vegetable and either mashed potatoes or brown rice, and enjoy!

Chili-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Glaze

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 (1-pound each) pork tenderloins, trimmed of fat

For the Spice Rub:

  • 1 tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 tbsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. ground black pepper

For the Apricot Glaze:

  • 1 cup apricot jam
  • 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
  • Juice of 1 medium lime

Directions:

  1. Combine the spice rub ingredients in a small bowl. Rub over the pork tenderloins. Lightly spray a foil-lined 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place the tenderloins in the dish, cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.
  2. Prior to cooking the pork, melt the apricot jam in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining glaze ingredients. Place half of the glaze in a serving bowl and set aside to serve with the pork tenderloins later.
  3. Roasting Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the pork tenderloins in the foil-lined pan for 15 minutes. Brush with the apricot glaze remaining in the pan. Bake for 15 more minutes. Again, brush with glaze. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until the pork reaches 160 degrees F. Remove the pork from the oven, tent with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
  4. Grilling Instructions: Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Grill the pork tenderloins for 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 160 degrees F. When approximately 4 minutes of cooking time remains, brush pork with the apricot glaze remaining in the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, turn the pork tenderloins and brush glaze on the other side. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove pork from the grill, tent with foil, and let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
  5. Serve the sliced pork with the reserved apricot glaze.

Source: Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.

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Honey Hoisin Pork Tenderloin

Posted in Main Dish, Meat, Pork, tagged , , on February 5, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Honey Hoisin Pork Tenderloin

This recipe has been in my binder of favorite recipes for years, and I’ve made it countless times. In fact, when I went to look up the recipe recently, I was sure I had shared it on the blog, but was surprised to discover I had not. So sorry for causing you to miss out on this meal, until now.

I love pork tenderloin because it’s easy to prepare, and it always turns out moist and flavorful. To make this honey hoisin version, you marinate the pork in a sweet-savory mixture of hoisin sauce, honey, green onions, and garlic. Only half an hour of marinating time is required, which is great if you’re like me and tend to forget to plan ahead for those sorts of things. Next, the pork is quickly browned in a skillet and then tranferred to the oven to finish cooking. If you have an oven-safe skillet, you can do the browning and baking all in one pan and save yourself some dish washing.

There are a number of ways that I like to round out this meal. It goes great with either mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, or even brown rice. For a vegetable side dish, I’ve served the pork with a green salad, broccoli, or green beans. Pretty much anything goes, and the leftovers are delicious, too!

Honey Hoisin Pork Tenderloin

Printable Recipe

Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • 2 tbsp. sliced green onions
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. hot water
  • 1 (1 pound) pork tenderloin
  • Cooking spray

Directions:

  1. Combine soy sauce, hoisin, honey, green onions, garlic, and hot water in a small bowl. Pour ¼ cup of the honey mixture into a large zip-top plastic bag; reserve remaining honey mixture. Add pork to the bag; seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning the bag occasionally.
  2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray the pan with cooking spray. Remove the pork from the bag and discard the marinade. Place the pork in the skillet and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes. Transfer the pork to a baking dish and brush on 1 tablespoon of the reserved honey mixture. Bake for 20-35 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F.
  3. Remove the pork from the oven and let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Cut across the grain into thin slices. Serve drizzled with the remaining honey mixture.

Source: Slightly adapted from Cooking Light, October 2005.

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Honey Ginger Pork Tenderloin

Posted in Main Dish, Meat, Pork, tagged on April 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

If there’s a choice between pork chops and pork tenderloin in our house, the tenderloin almost always wins. Pork tenderloin stays much more moist- or maybe it’s just me who can’t cook a pork chop without drying it out?- and it’s so easy to prepare either with a simple marinade or dry rub.

In this recipe, the pork is marinated in a delicious combination of honey, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and a few other seasonings. The recipe calls for marinating the pork for at least 8 hours. Unfortunately, I didn’t read that part until about 3 hours before dinner time so my marinating time was much shorter. Even so, the pork was really flavorful, and I’m sure it would have been even better with a longer soak in the marinade.

One year ago:  Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

Honey Ginger Pork Tenderloin

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • 2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. freshly minced ginger root
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tbsp. ketchup
  • 1/8 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 pork tenderloin (3/4-1 lb.)

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients except the pork. Place the pork in a shallow dish or ziplock bag and pour the marinade over the top. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to one day, turning occasionally.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Transfer the pork to the skillet, reserving the marinade. Brown the pork on all sides and then transfer to an oven-safe baking dish (or, brown the meat in an oven-safe skillet). Pour a little of the reserved marinade over the pork and bake in oven until pork registers 155 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. The baking time will depend on the size of the pork tenderloin, between 25-40 minutes. After removing from the oven, let pork rest for 10 minutes before slicing. (The internal temperature of the pork will continue to rise to 160 while it rests.)

Source: Adapted from Elly Says Opa!, originally from Gourmet.

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Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Loin

Posted in Easy Weeknight Meals, Main Dish, Meat, Pork, tagged , , on January 31, 2011 | 5 Comments »

Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Loin

This pork tenderloin is a great fall or winter dish. Served with a vegetable and mashed potatoes, or this healthy sweet potato casserole, it makes a comforting and nutritious meal. The pork is quick and easy to put together and turns out tender and flavorful thanks to a spice rub. The flavor of the pork is further enhanced with a sweet and spicy glaze.  (The recipe below uses half the amount of glaze as in the original recipe. This is what I’ll follow the next time I make this pork, because there was a bit too much glaze for my tastes when I followed the full recipe.)

Perfect for entertaining or a family meal at home, Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Loin is sure to become a new favorite in your home too.

Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Loin

Printable Recipe

Makes about 8 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 pork tenderloins (2 1/2 lbs. total)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (about 3-4 cloves)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon. Coat the pork with the spice rub. Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium high heat. Brown the pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. Transfer the pork to a foil-lined 9 x 13-inch baking pan.*
  2. Stir together the brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat on top of each tenderloin. Roast in the middle of the oven until a thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 155 degrees, about 35 minutes. Let pork stand in the pan at room temperature for 10 minutes (the temperature should rise to 160 while standing). Slice on the diagonal and serve.

*Note: Alternatively, you can brown the pork in an ovenproof skillet and then just transfer the skillet with the pork to the oven.

Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

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