Seasoned Pork Tenderloin.
Because of the nature of the field that I work in I am constantly planning three months to a year out, I spend a lot of time planning, preparing, and testing for events that are months down the road. The reason for this is that when the time comes to do the actual event everything has to work the first time, every time. I don't get do-overs or second chances. Another example of planning ahead are the musicians that I work with, many of them that do holiday performances start planning and rehearsing in July and August. They take the time to organise their set lists and work through the arrangement well in advance of the point of no return. Where am I going with this? I'm trying to point out that the holidays will soon be upon us and now is the time to work through our new holiday recipes. Up until now I haven't discussed practicing recipes, but, with this one and any other recipe that you will be serving to guests try them out ahead of time to make sure you know what you are doing and how it should turn out. This way when you make it for guests you will be equipped to present a dinner that you can be proud of.
Although I've made seasoned pork tenderloin a few times over the spring and summer this is really best suited for the holidays. As you start working through the recipe you will discover a scent that reminds you of fall-winter potpourri, as you take your first bite you might think to yourself "this tastes like Christmas". Marinading the pork tenderloin in the seasoning infuses it with a flavor and scent that will flood you with memories of holidays past.
Now that we have a pro-active attitude toward prepping for the holidays, let's take a look at today's recipe.
Seasoned Pork Tenderloin
Prep time 10 Min. Cook time 60 Min. Serves 8
Ingredients
2 sprays cooking spray
1/2 cup reduced-calorie pancake syrup
1teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2-1/2 pounds lean pork tenderloin, use two 1/1/4 pound pieces
Instructions
In a large zip-lock plastic bag, combine syrup, dry mustard, cloves, ginger, salt, cinnamon and pepper. Trim pork of all visible fat. Add tenderloins to plastic bag, squeeze out air and seal bag; turn to coat tenderloins. Place bag on a plate and refrigerate, turning bag occasionally, overnight.
Preheat oven to 400f. Line a roasting pan with heavy duty aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray.
Place tenderloins in the roasting pan and pour marinade over them. Roast, uncovered, until a meat thermometer inserted in center registers 160f., about 1 hour.
Transfer pork to a cutting board and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice pork and arrange on a serving platter.
This recipe yields about 4 ounces of meat per serving.
If you do your prep work ahead of time and remember to put it in the marinade the night before you will find that this is an easy dinner to make. One thing that you have to be aware of is that early in the cooking process you will notice a slight burning smell. Don't worry, it's not burning, let it cook the full hour. This recipe serves 8 people, if you are cooking for a larger group and plan to double the recipe make sure you adjust the time accordingly and check it with a meat thermometer to make sure it reaches an internal temperature of 160f. As always, if you try this dinner, leave a comment here to let me know how it worked out.
Next week - Grilled Moroccan Chicken or The Last Hoorah.
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