I finally made a pork tenderloin that I like! My problem in the past has been that it can be dry and lacking flavor. This Asian Pork Tenderloin recipe from TK member mags7461 (which she adapted from All Recipes) is flavorful and juicy all at once.
You will need: pork tenderloin, soy sauce, sesame oil, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, brown sugar, onion powder, freshly cracked black pepper, chili garlic sauce, cornstarch, chicken broth and green onions.
To start, you’ll take a large gallon-sized Ziploc bag and pour in the soy sauce …
The Worcestershire sauce …
The chili garlic sauce …
The brown sugar …
The onion powder …
The black pepper …
The minced garlic …
And the sesame oil.
This will be your marinade!
You’ll seal the bag and shake up the contents.
Then you’ll add your pork tenderloin.
Shake it around to coat it nicely. Then put it in the refrigerator to marinate for 6 hours or so. It will help if you turn it every so often so that all sides soak evenly.
When you’re ready to cook it, line a sheet tray with foil and add the loin and some of the juice. I would recommend holding back some of the juice in order to make the sauce, since you may not end up with enough pan juice after it cooks.
To make the sauce, heat up the chicken broth in a small saucepan.
Add any pan drippings and leftover marinade.
And whisk in a bit of cornstarch to help thicken it.
Let it bubble and simmer, and whisk it along the way.
Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes or so, covered, to let the juices retreat back into the meat.
Slice it into juicy pieces …
Then lay it out on a platter and drizzle the sauce over it.
Chop up some green onions as a garnish. This really adds a nice flavor.
The dish looks as lovely as it tastes. And it will be a real dinner crowd pleaser. I now have a renewed interest in domestic pork loin! Of course, this would also work wonderfully with wild hog loin. Thanks so much to mags7461 for the recipe! Check out her great blog, The Other Side of Fifty, for more inspiration!
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Description
This marinated and baked Asian pork tenderloin is from my “lick your plate clean” series. And I’m serious, you WILL literally lick your plate clean.
Ingredients
- 2-½ pounds Whole Pork Tenderloin
- ⅓ cups Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
- ¼ cups Sesame Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
- ½ teaspoons Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Chili Garlic Sauce (found In The Asian Ethnic Foods Aisle At Your Grocery Store. If You're Not Into Foods With A Little Bit Of "kick" Cut Back On This Ingredient To 1 TBSP.
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 cup Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth, At Room Temperature
- 2 whole Green Onions (green Parts Only) Diced, For Garnish
Preparation Instructions
Rinse and pat dry the pork loin.
In a gallon baggie, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, brown sugar, onion powder, pepper and chili garlic sauce. Seal, squeeze and shake the baggie to combine the ingredients well. Place pork loin in baggie, squeeze out air, seal baggie and refrigerate for 6-8 hours.
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a 9×11 baking dish with nonstick foil or use regular foil and spray with cooking spray.
Using tongs, transfer the pork loin to the prepared baking dish. Pour the marinade over the pork loin. Bake for 1 hour, turning pork loin every 20 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 145-150ºF. Remove loin to serving plate, cover with foil, and let rest for 15-20 minutes while you finish the sauce.
Empty the pan drippings into a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Combine the cornstarch with room temperature chicken broth and whisk until smooth. Add the broth to the boiling pan drippings and cook for a minute or two. Remove from heat.
Slice pork loin and place on serving platter. Drizzle sauce over all before serving and place any extra sauce in an extra dish on the side. Garnish with sliced green onions if desired.
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There’s so much to say about Georgia, we don’t know where to start. Leaving Wall Street for the French Culinary Institute, followed by a stint at the Gramercy Tavern and La Chassagnette in France, her passion for food and food traditions are evident and inspiring. Visit her site at Georgia Pellegrini, where you’ll find more recipes, photos, learn all about her wonderful books Girl Hunter and Food Heroes, and enjoy her latest adventures.
27 Comments
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Linda S. on 3.9.2012
I hate to break Georgia’s bubble but this is a loin not a tenderloin. If it were a tenderloin she would include instructions for taking off the silver skin and the final cooked product would not look like pork chops.
Becky in Texas on 3.4.2012
Made this for dinner last night. My grocer only stocks tenderloins packaged in 2 count. I’m not one for hot spices, so I replaced the garlic chili sauce with Heinz chili sauce — like ketchup with a kick. I ended up marinading the tenderloins for 1.5 days instead of overnight. The meat was definitely infused by the time I put it in the oven. I only turned it once, and baked it for just under 1 hour. The pork was so tender, and the sauce was delicious! Served it over egg noodles. This recipe was SO easy — can’t wait to make it for the grandkids! Thanks Georgia!
Teresa on 3.3.2012
We just finished this for dinner, and everyone agrees I can make it again. It was every bit as good as it looks.
Peggy Finke on 3.3.2012
This was awesome! I used a 1 lb pork tenderloin (just 2 of us). Didn’t have the garlic chili sauce so I used Asian red chili paste that I had and added garlic flakes. I also didn’t make the additional sauce, just poured leftover drippings over the meat. It was so tender and tasty! Will definitely make again!
somebodysme on 3.3.2012
If you look at the recipe link to All Recipes it calls for a tenderloin but only says to cook it for 25 to 30 minutes on 450. This recipe needs to be corrected because a pork loin and a pork tenderloin aren’t the same thing. A tenderloin is much skinnier and would take half the time called for in this recipe. Someone please correct this recipe!
kandy on 3.3.2012
I thought it looked like what I buy in the store that is labeled a loin roast too.
The tenderloins I buy are about 2.5″ in diameter and they come packaged in two long (about 10″) pieces. On a pork chop, it’s that little circle of really tender meat that is up by the bone and the loin is the bigger drier part of the pork chop? At least this is how they are in our local Publix. The tenderloin is a darker moister piece of the pork chop and the loin part is the whiter, dryer part. The tenderloin is so moist and flavorful that we just put season salt on it and throw it on the grill.
That’s about as butcher-ie as I know
Janet in MD on 3.2.2012
I made this recipe for dinner tonight, and it’s definitely a keeper. It was absolutely delicious; flavorful, juicy and tender. I used the typical pork tenderloins we find in our supermarkets here – two small slender tenderloins to a package. I cooked them in the oven at 400 for about 35-40 minutes, turning them 2 or 3 times during cooking. I haven’t really done any cooking with Asian ingredients, other than soy sauce or teriyaki sauce and some fresh ginger root. So when I bought the sesame oil and the chili garlic sauce, I was a little apprehensive; especially of the strong smoky smell of the sesame oil. I used about half the amount of the chili garlic sauce called for in the recipe, and that was about right for my husband and me. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow, and I will definitely be making this again! Thanks for a great recipe.
Meredith C. on 3.2.2012
This recipe was incredible! Made it last night with 2 PORK TENDERLOINS, and it turned out moist inside with a nice crust on the outside. Foolproof. I have been looking for a good new marinade for pork tenderloins since I’m tired of the one I always use–well, I found it here! I will make this again and again. I might put less of the chili garlic sauce since it was pretty spicy. Thanks for this great recipe!
Georgia Pellegrini on 3.1.2012
Hi Folks!
Tenderloins and loins really vary in size, depending on the size of the pig. The loins, also known as the backstraps, come from the back side of the pig on either side of the spine and are removed by cutting from the outside, while the tenderloins can be accessed from within the rib cage and are indeed smaller. (For a visual sense, feel free to check out my step-by-step butchering post of a very small pig called a “Javelina” here: http://georgiapellegrini.com/2010/10/27/blog/how-to-butcher-a-pig/)
It is hard to perceive scale in these photos because I used a macro lens, but this cut was the tenderloin, and was quite a bit smaller than a loin/backstrap would be on a domestic pig. If this were a wild pig, this would look more like the backstrap/loin, but it was domestic and it was indeed the tenderloin, already conveniently trussed for me by the grocery store. More importantly though, cooking time is what matters. And since every loin and tenderloin size will vary slightly and every oven is different, I always recommend using a digital meat thermometer to check internal temperature. This will be your best indicator of when the pork is done. For domestic pigs, you’ll want to get to a temperature of 145 degrees F, and with wild hogs you’ll need to get to a temperature of 160 degrees F. The marinade here in this recipe will insure things stay moist, which is why it’s such a great recipe.
Happy cooking!
Linda Runnels on 3.1.2012
Please clear up the pork loin vs. pork tenderloin issue. Baking a pork tenderloin for an hour would be way too long. We grill pork tenderloin all the time and only takes about 20-30 min. at the most. The recipe sounds delicious and would like to try it but rather use the correct cut. Thank you.
Mary on 3.1.2012
Kind of agree with all the previous comments about pork tenderloin vs pork loin. A recipe titled with pork tenderloin but a clear picture of pork loin may confuse a lot of people. The pictures are very visually appealing but a recipe published on a blog should be more accurate IMHO.
Judi Monroe on 3.1.2012
I know my meat cuts and the meat pictured IS pork loin…..can’t understand why you would continue to insist that it’s a tenderloin.
MaryM on 3.1.2012
That is for sure a pork loin, a tenderloin is just that tender and if cooked that long would taste like your shoe. But a good recipe none the less.
elaine harris on 2.29.2012
Sounds delicious. Pork can be so boring.
Cecilia on 2.29.2012
It has to be pork loin. If you cooked tenderloin for an hour, it would be like shoe leather.
Kathryn on 2.29.2012
That has to be a pork loin. Doesn’t even look like a tenderloin. Be that as it may, the recipe is sounding wonderful, and I will try it very soon. Thanks!
TiffH on 2.29.2012
I was thinking the same thing, that looks like a pork loin. Tenderloins are long and skinny, normally packed in twos, only lighter meat, and not in netting. But never-the-less it looks good and would probably work with either.
Kristi C. on 2.29.2012
My husband is in hog procurement (buyer), and both of our parents have been producers for many many many years. So, pork is high on the list of menu items at our house. I have benefitted from his cooking HUNDREDS of pork loins and pork tenderloins on the grill. There is an art to it, and they are delicious! One thing to keep in mind is not to over- cook pork….this causes it to be dry. If it is dry…you have done something wrong. This recipe looks delicious!
Georgia Pellegrini on 2.29.2012
Hi Kate, I used a tenderloin but a loin would work just as well… maybe a bit more marinating time!
Lori @ RecipeGirl on 2.29.2012
I have the same question as Kate- is that pork loin or tenderloin? My tenderloin doesn’t ever come in netting like that… But I like how it’s nice and roundly shaped!
Kate Tunison on 2.29.2012
Hi Georgia – did you use a pork tenderloin or pork loin?
The netting in the pic reminds me of some I have seen on pork loins in stores. I have never purchased the pork loin because of what you commented on – they seem dry. Thank you – this looks delicious!
missinthekitchen on 2.29.2012
That looks divine! Pork tenderloin can be so delicious when you get it right and it looks like this one is a winner.
CarolinaGirl on 2.29.2012
Looks awesome! Always love finding a new pork marinade!
Laurie - Simply Scratch on 2.29.2012
This looks wayyy good… and I bet it’s an easy week night meal too!
Maggy on 2.29.2012
I love every ingredient that goes into that bag. There’s no way it’s not going to be good. I bet the leftovers are really great too. Make a bahn mi? Sliced over a salad? Yum!
The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh on 2.29.2012
What a great way to spice up what can be a rather ho-hum cut of meat otherwise! Can’t wait to try this!
Heather (Heather's Dish) on 2.29.2012
this sounds absolutely amazing…anything that makes pork tenderloin that delicious is a must-have!