Another great way to prepare pork tenderloin is to use a spice rub and grill over indirect heat. The meat stays juicy and develops a wonderful smoky flavor.

Sometimes I use the tenderloin to make cutlets. Cut think slices and then pound to an even thinness (is that a word??). I find it much more succulent and tender than the usual center cut pork cutlets.

I never heard the term "filet mignon" when I lived in France. Did not even know it was used in French - always thought it American Frenglish!

That said, pork tenderloin is a luxury cut indeed. It's also lovely on the grill. (and it makes incredible sandwiches should you have any left overs: layer a good homemade country bread with basil mayonnaise, roasted pepper, fresh mozzarella, some watercress and slices of cold tenderloin). Miam miam!

I got tickled because we're having pork tenderloin tonight! The butcher's had a special of $2.99 a pound, so we'll be eating alot of it over the next couple of months.

I generally grill it and then make a sauce. Tonight, I'm serving it with an orange-dijon-rosemary pan sauce, red bliss potatoes, and green beans. The leftovers will be served tomorrow with a pineapple salsa (pineapple, jalapeno, red bell pepper and red onion), cous cous, and a salad.

I also make an Al Pastor type taco by dicing the pork and mixing it with achiote and pineapple. It's also an excellent way to spice up leftovers.

Now I'm hungry!

Yes, pork tenderloin is a wonderful, ever-delicious, super-quick treat. My mom makes a mustard rubbed one often for dinner parties, let me see if I can find the recipe (which is FANTASTIC and so easy)....

Yes! I posted it ages ago--excuse the mediocre old photos. I have probably eaten this recipe 25+ times (though I've only made it once; pork tenderloin is not cheap!) and every single time I think "God, this is good."

We love pork tenderloin! Your marinade looks wonderful. I cut up marinated pork tenderloin and thread it on kabobs and grill it. It's a great, lean meat.

Pork Tenderloin is excellent with cherry sauces as well.

In the words of a great movie, I have always found the pork tenderloin to be a nice sweet meat!

Yes yes yes! It's the only cut of pork I buy!

If you'd like to try something delicious, I'd recommend rubbing it with Massa de Pimentão - Portuguese red pepper paste, which I'm sure it'll be available somewhere in Paris! One of our most loved traditional dishes involves cutting it into cubes, marinating it in Pimentão, white wine and garlic, and then cooking it with clams. It's fabulous!

I love pork tenderloin and your recipe sounds great. My favorite way to prepare it is stuffed with dried fruits and couscous, then basted with a honey mixture. I haven't had pork tenderloin in a long time, I think I'll have to remedy that and prepeare your recipe.

We have a very similar pork tenderloin marinade that uses orange juice and cumin. And yes, we have been eating it with glee for years.

Sounds so easy! I've always loved pork tenderloin. I don't know why I don't cook it more. I am definitely trying this recipe.

It's good that you have discovered pork tenderloin. As you've stated, it's a terrific cut of meat. For the past several years, I've cooked pork tenderloin for Thanksgiving dinner, instead of turkey, and it's always been a big hit. I usually brine it for about 12 hours with sweet spices (cloves, cinnamon, anise, etc), then rub it up with olive oil and salt and roast it at high heat. Yum yum.

One of my favorite pork tenderloin marinades is lime juice, cumin and coriander, with slices of garlic tucked into the roast. Mmmmm!

:) coincidence: I made a batch of your oven ratatouille yesterday, and have the pork tenderloin waiting in my fridge to go with it (a bit pork-provençale). Will try out this version as well! It is my favourite cut, I found the other pork cuts easily to ruin (dried out chewy lumps in my case...)

Yes, I love pork with sweet flavors too! I think that one of most memorable meals I have ever had was medallions of pork tenderloin with caramelized figs...

Ah...welcome to an amazing cut of meat!!!! I find that marinading overnight and cooking whole, then slicing for presentation works better. I follow Harold McGee's suggestion....Intense dry (fry) heat to caramelise the surface, then into a medium oven to cook within (with a meat thermometer to check for doneness).
And as for marinades... they all work..pick one each of sweet/salt/sour and spice.
Bon appetit

I love pork tenderloin. In fact w had it last night for dinner. It is one of my favorite things to cook, so easy and you can do so many different things. I will have to try your recipe next time.

That same piece of muscle also exists in a sheep and in a person. In fact in any animal that has a spine. It's the bit you always aim for in a spit-roasted whole sheep (it's the little bit on the smaller side of a mid-loin chop - too small to for butchers to sell by itself), and it's the bit in your back that hurts when you do sit-ups wrong (i.e. using your back rather than your stomach muscles).

We love pork tenderloin in our house! I find it on sale every couple of months and I stock my freezer. We are only three, so I trim the ends for a stir-fry or pasta, and marinate the rest (usually ginger, garlic, olive oil, soy, bit of honey, sometimes lime...) and I grill or roast, depending on weather and/or oven space. My five year old prefers vegetables, but does enjoy "soft meat", and this fits the bill. It's quick and delicious, and considering the fact that ALL of it is consumed, it's not too expensive. It's a regular feature in out home.

Mmm. Pork tenderloin, the only cut of meat that I feel confident about cooking. Cannot wait to try your recipe. Also, I'm watching Andrew Zimmern's show on TV and there you are talking about cheese!

I adore pork tenderloin as well and have used it for years as a fast and tasty meat done on my grill. My favorite marinade is with soy sauce, oil, minced garlic and minced ginger. You can also add a little honey if you like it sweet.

Pork tenderloin is delicious! Glad you've discovered it. One of my favourite marinades is maple syrup, soy sauce, fresh garlic and fresh ginger. Marinate for 30 minutes or so in a glass or ceramic dish. Sear the meat in a frying pan first, return to dish, then bake the whole thing, marinade and all, in the oven at 350ºF for 25 minutes or until cooked through. Use the cooked marinade to spoon over the meat. Delish!

My family loves pork tenderloin. It is the only cut of meat that I can't screw up on. My kids, 9,7, and 3 gobble it up. I need to make more than one so my husband and I can have some! Some times I sear it with salt and pepper and finish it in oven and sometimes I marinate it! Oh by the way I saw you on Bizzare Foods with Andrew Zimmeran last night! I would love to go to Paris some day. It would be a dream vacation!

I make pork pork tenderloin regularly, as its well-priced, very flexible, and a crowd-pleaser.

Last night for dinner I tried the orange and rosemary marinade. Delicious. I followed the recipe exactly, except did not add cream to the reduced marinade.
bon app!

My absolute favourite cut of meat.

I usually marinate it in a mixture of hoisin sauce, honey, garlic,and green onions, sear it on high heat and then finish in the oven, until just pink in the middle. So good!

I do a very similar pork tenderloin, but in my recipe instead of white wine vinegar and orange juice I'd use Dijon mustard and lemon juice/zest.

Yes, I love pork tenderloin also. One of my favorite preparations is a chili powder dry rub and then grilled. So many possibilities with this cut of pork.

Can't agree no more that pork tenderloin is such a delicious and versatile meat to cook with. I've tried to make Chimichurri to grill my tenderloin.

Your marinade looks yummy. I gotta try it next time.

We love pork tenderloin! It is great for stir fry--just slice to apropriate thickness and viola! Also, in the USA Midwest, we have pork tenderloin sandwiches. Slice loin into 2 - 3" sections and pound flat between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Dip in beaten egg, dredge lightly in flour, and drop into hot vegetable oil. It cooks quickly and turns a lovely golden brown. Garnish with catsup and sweet pickle relish or serve it "royal" with mayo and lettuce and tomatoes. Midwesterners eat it on a soft hamburger roll, but just pick up your fork... There was never a better "tenderloin" than was served at Hunts in Peoria, IL.

I didn't realize I was harbouring such a secret, but yes, we really are sighing ecstatically at my house,frequently. My favourite recipe is pan-seared with a pomegranate sauce. I rarely make a recipe twice - there are just so many new ones to try - but this one I have made several times and just thinking about it makes we want it again....

I have 3 pork loins--2 in the freezer and one I bought last week for $1.99 lb. They are about 4 - 5 lb each. I will cook one from the freezer and replace it with the fresh one I bought and it will be cut in half first.

Cooking for 1 is not always easy, but this cut of meat is easy to use for several meals in various ways.

Pork tenderloin is a wonderful cut of meat, isn't it? And this sounds like a perfect recipe for bringing out its flavor and tenderness. One of my own favorite uses of pork tenderloin is a quickly cooked, pan-seared dish, Pork Medallions with Tarragon Mustard Sauce.

I took a cooking class recently, which featured pork tenderloin. The chef told us that this cut was a blank canvas waiting for the artist palette!

This is proven by reading through the unique and varied cooking methods listed in this string.

A friend of mine in Italy introduced me to a wonderful classic French dish of pork tenderloin with prunes in a cream and wine sauce......mmmmmm. I tracked it down in a cookbook here in Canada and it's sooo simple to make.

According to Wikipedia, the accepted safe temp for pork has been reduced to 62.2 degrees - that may help the dryness issues.
One good thing to do with pork is to take a cutlet and crumb it (with maybe some herbs and grated parmesan) - or else coat in dukkah. Pan fry one side till golden, flip, then put the pan in a moderate oven for 10 minutes. Yum.
Niall

wow that sounds delicious! I have started to eat more pork recently as it tends to be more affordable than many other meats. And I am always looking for new recipes. Thanks!

I have recently launched a site called peoplemd.com. You can find all sorts of great information on everything from healthy recipes and lifestyle to what to do for a sprained ankle. Our users save their favorite health sites and share them with everyone. I think you guys would like it.

this looks fantastic!

Try it with orange and maple, also fabulous.

Bonjour! Just saw you on the travel channel's "Bizarre Foods" tasting cheese with the host. Bravo - you should do more TV!

This is a classic and almost always available at Trader Joe's (here in SF Bay Area).
We use a marinade with pomegranate molasses, dijon mustard, and garlic!
Thanks.

I am definitely going to try making this for the soon to be wife. Maybe I can convince her that pork is not always hopelessly chewy.

A tad overdone for my taste, should have known better and stick to my usual 20 mins. Still, the cut does stand the overcooking better than others and the marinade was excellent.

I made this last night for supper. It was fabulous! Thank you!

I like to slice the tenderloin into medallions and pound it a little bit, then brine it for about 20 minutes (1/4 C kosher salt and 1/4 C brown sugar per liter of water). A quick saute and then any of many sauces -- just a pan sauce deglazed with a little white wine and a currant jelly, or marmalade. Or saute some minced shallots in the pan, add a plum puree and season. Or a honey-mustard cream pan sauce. For something crispier, dredge the cutlets in egg and panko, then pan-fry and serve with mushroom and bacon gravy. So many options, could eat pork tenderloin every day!

I have been cooking pork tenderloin for more years than i care to count & i respectfully submit that your internal temp of 160 is a tad high.
Although trichina is virtually nonexistent in pork, if it were present, it would be killed at 137 degrees F. Although trichina is virtually nonexistent in pork, if it were present, it would be killed at 137 degrees F. I generally prefer my pork cooked to approx 145. As it rests, it will rise approx 5-8 degrees. Think you might appreciate the flavor of the meat a bit more at this temp.

Love your site ! It's great fun .

Hi Clotilde - I participated in the food blogging teleforum you did a few weeks ago with the Food & Culinary Dietitians and you were wonderful, so thanks! Just wanted to let you know I made this tenderloin recipe and it was a big hit with my family - even my picky 9-year-old gobbled it up! I posted about it on my blog yesterday and look forward to making it again. Thanks for your great recipes.

I don't cook meat a lot (besides fish) b/c it intimidates me, but I followed this simple recipe and really loved the results. So tender was the p.t.l, I cut it with the side of my fork. I will do this again with a fancier side dish if we have company. Wouldn't it be good with a steamed artichoke???