This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AllNaturalPork #CollectiveBias
Whether I’m making dinner on a Tuesday night for myself or on a Saturday night for guests, I get a ton of enjoyment from making a meal that feels special. Smithfield All Natural Pork Tenderloin is one of those cuts of meat that always feels special, but is easy enough to prepare on a busy weeknight. And since there is a good amount of inactive cooking time when preparing this tenderloin, there’s plenty of time to whip up a few simple, veggie-filled sides while the meat is brining/cooking {like the mashed cauliflower and sautéed zucchini/squash pictured above}.
Brining meat is also a very simple way to achieve top notch moisture and flavor. By soaking a piece of meat in a salty, flavorful bath of water, the meat absorbs the water and, as a result, loses less water during the cooking process. And more water yields an incredibly tender tenderloin.
In the theme of keeping this recipe simple with classic flavors, I created a brine with water, salt, Herbes de Provence, and sugar. Herbes de Provence is an herb mix that typically consists of savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and oregano, all of which compliment pork very nicely. A step-by-step recipe can be found at the bottom of this post.
Smithfield All Natural Pork Tenderloin is perfect for my home because it doesn’t contain steroids, hormones, or artificial ingredients. And since Smithfield All Natural Pork can be found at your local Walmart, this tenderloin is also a convenient choice.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AllNaturalPork #CollectiveBias
Brined & Seared Pork Tenderloin
By Published: April 18, 2017
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AllNaturalPork …
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs pork tenderloin
- 8 cups water
- 1/2 cup salt fine
- 4 tablespoons Herbes de Provence
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together water, salt, herbs, and sugar.
- When salt is mostly dissolved, add pork tenderloin and soak for 30 minutes. (Tip: If you're running low on time, meat can be soaked for as little as 15 minutes)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- After brining, carefully dry pork with paper towels so that most of the seasoning sticks to the meat.
- Lightly season with salt and pepper. Salt is optional since pork was in a salt brine.
- In an oven-safe, heavy bottomed pan, heat oil over high heat.
- To test if the oil is hot enough to sear, gently set a piece of pork fat in the pan and, if it sizzles, it's ready.
- Gently set pork in hot oil and sear, uninterrupted, for 4 minutes on each side.
- Place entire pan in pre-heated oven and cook until internal temperature is 150 degrees, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove pork from pan and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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This sounds like such an amazing meal! I love a good pork tenderloin, but I’ve never tried brining one before. I definitely need to give this one a shot…and soon. Thanks for sharing this one! #client
It was such a great meal! I think brining makes a noticeable difference – curious to hear what ya think!