Pork tenderloin is a great option for a busy weeknight meal, especially if you use a sheet pan to bake it. After a quick seasoning paste rub, containing everyday kitchen ingredients, all you need to do is pop the pork tenderloins into the oven and use a meat thermometer to check them for doneness. You’ll be absolutely amazed at just how tender these oven-baked pork tenderloins are. And, the fact that these are healthy, taste incredible, and are so simple to make, will definitely keep you coming back for more.
Pork tenderloin; I hate it, I love it. Y’all, if I’m being totally sincere, it’s one heck of a love/hate relationship. I love it, of course, because it’s pork. And, woo-hoo zip-a-dee-doo-dah for pork. I mean, come on, who doesn’t love pork?
Now for the hate, y’all. I hate it because it’s so hard to make it flavorful and juicy. You know what I’m talking about it. More often than not, I bet you we all eat dry, flavorless pork and just suck it up.
No longer. Seriously, even I was pretty shocked at just how amazing these pork tenderloins turned out. And, I’ll even be totally upfront and honest by admitting to cooking them longer than the USDA suggested 145 degrees.
That’s right, I said it, I’m just not a huge fan of overly-squishy pork. Sure, I don’t want it to be dry as sawdust, however, I have no great desire for it to feel like I’m eating a leech either.
Back to the point of this recipe. Finally, yes finally, you can have your pork and eat it too. Without the use of a chain saw to cut it or three beers to wash it down. However, if you want to enjoy this tender, juicy, flavorful pork tenderloin with beer, who am I to stop you?
Ingredients:
- 2 Pork Tenderloins (Combined Weight of 2 1/2 to 3 Pounds)
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Additional for Oiling Foil)
- 1 Teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Finely Ground Sea Salt
- 2 Teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dry Mustard
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with foil, add then lightly coat it with a bit of olive oil to prevent the pork from sticking.
- Place the tenderloins on the baking sheet, fat side facing up.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the 2-tablespoons olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and dry mustard.
- Liberally coat all sides of the pork tenderloins with the seasoning paste.
- Bake for 10 minutes and then decrease the heat to 350 degrees.
- Continue baking until the meat reaches 145 degrees. This should take an additional 20 to 30 minutes. Definitely use a meat thermometer to aid in deciding when to remove the pork from the oven.
- Remove the tenderloins from the oven, cover them with foil, and allow them to rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
- Drizzle any pan drippings over the sliced pork before serving.
Suggestions:
- Pork tenderloins are usually sold two to a package.
- A tablespoon of salt seems like quite a bit, however, in my opinion, it works perfectly for this recipe.
- The USDA suggested that pork be cooked until an internal temperature of 145 degrees is reached. That being said, everyone likes their pork cooked a little bit differently. I prefer mine cooked more. My tenderloins actually reached 180 degrees before I removed them from the oven, however, they were still extremely tender and juicy. I definitely suggest using a thermometer for this recipe to help aid you in making your decision of when to remove the pork tenderloins from the oven.
- My pork tenderloins were two different sizes. Since one was much larger than the other one, I removed the smaller tenderloin from the oven about five minutes before the larger one.
- Only slice the meat you plan on serving. If you intend to only serve one pork tenderloin at a time, I suggest you refrigerate the remaining one unsliced. This will help keep the meat juicy and prevent it from drying out.
Improvements:
- Serve this pork tenderloin with these Oven-Baked Au Gratin Potatoes in a Pie Dish.
- Replace the dry mustard with a teaspoon or two of dijon mustard. You may want to decrease the amount of salt used in this recipe if you use dijon mustard instead of dry mustard.
- Add crushed red pepper flakes or ground chipotle to add a little bit of heat.
- If you have leftovers, definitely make yourself a sliced pork sandwich. It’s one of the best sandwiches you’ll ever eat.
- I definitely suggest you serve this pork tenderloin with sauerkraut. Try this Apple & Red Cabbage Slow-Cooker Sauerkraut, this Autumn Crockpot Apple Sauerkraut, or this Sweet Cranberry Slow Cooker Sauerkraut.
Ingredients:
- 2 Pork Tenderloins (Combined Weight of 2 1/2 to 3 Pounds)
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Additional for Oiling Foil)
- 1 Teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Finely Ground Sea Salt
- 2 Teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dry Mustard
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with foil, add then lightly coat it with a bit of olive oil to prevent the pork from sticking.
- Place the tenderloins on the baking sheet, fat side facing up.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the 2-tablespoons olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and dry mustard.
- Liberally coat all sides of the pork tenderloins with the seasoning paste.
- Bake for 10 minutes and then decrease the heat to 350 degrees.
- Continue baking until the meat reaches 145 degrees. This should take an additional 20 to 30 minutes. Definitely use a meat thermometer to aid in deciding when to remove the pork from the oven.
- Remove the tenderloins from the oven, cover them with foil, and allow them to rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
- Drizzle any pan drippings over the sliced pork before serving.
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