I love slow cooked, chiapas style pork, but I don’t always have 4 hours to wait for dinner.  That’s when I turn to

Mexican Pork Tenderloin

Tenderloin is such a great ingredient because it cooks quickly, but it tastes great.  You can use it in so many wonderful dishes…like this one.

I was actually really surprised at how cheap I can find pork tenderloin in the store.  We were able to buy two-packs of them from the store for about $3.50 a pound.  That meant we had enough pork for two meals for about $12-13.  That was a real shocker given how expensive beef tenderloin.  All in all, not bad.

Not bad at all.

Anyway, this recipe came out of a dinner engagement I had last week.  Most times I’d just grill the tenderloins, maybe give them a little glaze or something.  Not last week!

I was taking dinner over to a friend’s house and I wanted to do something my friends wouldn’t forget.  (For long time readers of the blog, this should imply that I actually had time to plan the meal, something you know rarely, if ever, happens in my house.)  What I decided to do was marinate the pork (technically I brined it) overnight in the fridge before searing it off in a hot pan and then letting the oven finish the job.

Again, long time readers of my blog are probably a little surprised the title of this post is Mexican pork since my first inclination is usually to go Asian.  However, I didn’t have enough sides to do Asian right, but I did have some rice, some avocado, and some refried beans.  Therefore, we were going South of the border with this one.

Mexican Pork Tenderloin Recipe

So, like I said above, all you need to do is mariante the pork.  I went with something simple: salt, pepper, garlic salt, and cumin mixed in with a little olive oil and broth because they all have good flavor.  I didn’t want to use an acid like orange juice or vinegar because I was brining the pork overnight and pork that’s been sitting in acid for a long time just doesn’t turn out right.

You can use my marinade or go with your own, your choice.  Also, if you aren’t going to marinate overnight, feel free to use orange or lime juice or good red wine vinegar in your marinade, but do not let the pork rest in it for more than 30-60 minutes.

 Anyway, here’s my recipe:

You will need:

• 2 (Two) 1-2 pound pork tenderloins
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 dash soy sauce
• 5 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
• 3 tablespoons broth

Put the pork, all of the spices, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and the broth into a bag.  Shake well.  Close the bag and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put the remaining oil in a skillet (do not use cast iron) and get it hot over medium-high heat.  Saute the pork on all sides for 1-2 minutes or until it is nicely browned.

Put the skillet in the oven and cook the pork for 25-30 minutes or until it has an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  Let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes and then slice into 1 inch pieces.

Serve with ancho chili sauce, pico de gallo, and avocado relish.  Enjoy!

Thanks to Robert S. Donovan for the picture.