I hate to brag, but I married the Grill Master. (I’m sorry, but I snagged him and you didn’t. Fortunately, there’s hope for you. Read on.) There have always been a few things that I don’t even bother to cook inside since I love the grilled version so much more – and pork tenderloin was one of those. But one day, we were taking dinner to friends who had just had a baby (we know lotsandlotsandlots of new babies!), and I was planning to send these sweet potatoes and pork tenderloin. Grilled pork tenderloin. But Jay’s schedule changed, and suddenly I was responsible for cooking the pork inside.
And then…it came out super good…like, rivals-the-grill good! I used a dry rub recipe from Tasty Kitchen that we’ve used on the grill, and this stovetop-and-oven technique from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, and the pork tenderloin was tender and juicy with a yummy seared crust. So, while I’m always happy to just take care of the sides while Jay mans the grill, it’s nice to be able to pull off a quick roasted version of one of my favorite meals.
The rub is a blend of salt, pepper, brown sugar, chili powder, some herbs, garlic and onion, and cayenne. My three-year-old stirred it up for me and helped to sprinkle it on the pork (note: I used a pack of 2 pork tenderloins and put the rub on one and just salt and pepper on the other, since it was going to be part of a future stir-fry and I wanted it to be more simply flavored…so I made a half-batch of the rub this time). If you have time, 30-60 minutes in the fridge will help the pork absorb some of the flavor from the rub, but it’s not mandatory.
Best quote from my assistant: “My feet are a little seasoning-y.” Having help in the kitchen is not without pitfalls.
The pork tenderloin gets browned in a little oil on all sides and then finishes in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Get thee a meat thermometer – you’re looking for 140 degrees, since it will come up to 145 as it rests (if it’s close, in the 135-140 range, I usually go ahead and take it out). My smaller tenderloin took about 10 minutes, and the larger one took 12. I put potatoes in the oven ahead of the pork (I just prick them with a knife a few times and rub on a little olive oil and kosher salt, and bake them on a foil-lined pan for an hour-ish), so they finished about the same time.
See how the spice-rubbed tenderloin gets a nice brown crust?
I needed a quick green veggie – and I’m not here to pretend steamed broccoli is something to jump up and down about, but this version from Melissa d’Arabian isn’t much extra effort and infuses a ton of flavor! It’s just garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, and a drizzle of olive oil in the water.
Your pork tenderloin can rest while the broccoli cooks (this helps the meat retain its juices when you slice it into these lovely medallions).
PrintRoasted Pork Tenderloin (and Better Steamed Broccoli).
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Ingredients
For the spice rub:
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon herbs (the original recipe called for poultry seasoning, which I don’t have, so I use pinches of whatever I have on hand to equal about 1 teaspoon – oregano, thyme, sage, parsley…)
- 1 teaspoon onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
For the pork tenderloin:
- 2 pork tenderloins (about 2 lbs total)
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
For the broccoli:
- 1 head broccoli (trim the woody stem down and slice into long “trees”)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the spice rub:
- Mix the rub ingredients together well (it’s easy to use your fingers since you’ll be sprinkling it on the meat and rubbing it in anyway) and rub evenly over the pork tenderloins. If you have time, refrigerate for 30 min-1 hour before grilling or roasting.
For the pork tenderloin:
- To roast the pork tenderloins, preheat the oven to 425 and heat the oil over medium heat in a 12″ ovenproof skillet (I use a cast iron skillet). Brown on three sides, 2 minutes per side, for 6 minutes total. Flip to the fourth side and transfer to the oven to roast about 10-15 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees. Let the meat rest 10 minutes before slicing.
For the broccoli:
- To steam the broccoli, combine the water, oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and add the broccoli directly to the water. Cover and steam for 3 minutes, then turn off the heat. Allow the broccoli to continue to steam for a few minutes, then toss to coat with the garlic and red pepper.
Notes
Even with the cayenne, the pork isn’t too spicy for my daughter, but feel free to adjust it up or down. If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, you can transfer the pork tenderloins to a foil-lined baking sheet for the roasting step. If you’re using the oven for something else, the tenderloins can roast at 400-450 degrees, although it will take a few minutes more/less as a result.
Spice rub recipe from Tasty Kitchen; roasting method from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe; broccoli recipe from Melissa d’Arabian at the Food Network
View Comments (8)
So glad you posted this! Was just wondering how I was going to make delish pork tenderloin this week without my grill master around.
Oh, perfect timing! Let me know how it turns out!
Made all three of these items tonight! Amazinggggg!!!
Jeff said, 'ask me when the last time was that I had three helpings of broccoli...'
'When?'
'Never. But this is so good!!' (Never seen him eat more than one serving of veggies!)
I mentioned later that I wasn't sure what to serve with the leftover pork this week (since I've already been to the store and didn't buy broccoli and potatoes for another night).... Jeff said, 'how bout potatoes and broccoli?!'
So... It was a home run all around!!! Thank you!!!
YAY! Thanks for the feedback. I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it!
This pork got rave reviews from my dinner guests tonight! I had secretly hoped to have leftovers, but...no such luck.
In my never-ending quest to create the fewest possible dishes to wash, I measured the rub spices directly into a gallon-size zipper storage bag, blended them well, then set each of the two pork tenderloins in the bag and reached in and rubbed the mixture all over them. Then I sealed the bag with the meat inside and refrigerated until ready to cook. Nothing to wash but my hands at that point. :o)
Ooh, I'm going to do the ziplock bag approach!!! Love it, Mom. :o)
Your mom left a bit of this tenderloin in the freezer for us, which of course was eaten within the first week (because who has time to go to the grocery store?!) Finally made it to the store and tenderloins were on sale. Easy decision. Making it tomorrow and hope it turns out as well as when your mom made it!
The grocery store and normal cooking and all routines...so out the window! Still! ;) Hope it turned out great for you!!