Cider Pork Tenderloin

This is another wonderful easy-to-prepare dish from Ina Garten’s vast collection of recipes that will be certain to please even the pickiest of eaters! You can start this recipe either the morning of or the night before it’s needed. Then after a few simple steps, pop it in the oven and dinner is ready within 30 minutes!

*Please Note: I have modified this recipe for our family due to food allergies and taste preferences (i.e. removed certain herbs, reduced amount of sodium and used a hard cider that was allergy-friendly for our family).

Ingredients:

2 Pork Tenderloins, trimmed
1 (2-inch long) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 Tbsp crushed Rosemary leaves
1 (12-oz.) bottle hard cider, such as “Angry Orchard”
1/4 Cup pure Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp Salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground Coriander
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil ( prefer “California Olive Ranch: Destination Series Extra Virgin,” but any good olive oil will do)
Salt & freshly ground pepper
Fig Preserves (Braswell’s has a nice one) or Chutney

Instructions

Preparing the Pork

Being the germaphobe that I am, I rinse my pork in cold water after trimming it and pat it dry with paper towels.

Next, place a 1-gallon Ziploc baggie in a large bowl to help keep things more manageable and place both tenderloins inside. Add the ginger and rosemary, seal the bag and put in the refrigerator while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Whisk together the hard cider , maple syrup and 1 Tbsp of salt in a 4-cup glass measuring cup and set aside. Combine the freshly ground pepper, coriander and cinnamon together in a small bowl and add to the cider mixture.

Marinating the Tenderloins

Remove the pork tenderloins from the refrigerator and pour the cider mixture into the baggie coating the pork and seal tightly. Gently agitate the bag to coat the meat thoroughly.

Place the tenderloins in a baking dish (a 9 ” x 13″ usually suffices) and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight. I usually turn them over and agitate them a little halfway through the process.

Baking the Pork

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Cover a baking sheet with foil and set aside.

Remove the tenderloins from the marinade mixture (discard the marinade) and dry well with paper towels.

Place the tenderloins on the baking sheet and brush all sides with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and coarsely ground pepper.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until inside temperature reads 125 degrees …*Note: I usually end up cooking our pork to 140-145 degrees and it is still very pink, juicy and tender.

Bon appetit!

Servings
&
Prep Time

Servings: approximately 6 (depending on thickness of slices)

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Marinating Time: approximately 8 hours

Baking Time: 20-25 minutes

Resting Time: 10 minutes