Balsamic Roast Pork Tenderloin
Roast pork tenderloin with a savory balsamic glaze looks elegant on the Christmas table and tastes even better. This recipe will steal the holiday show.
Pork tenderloin is a great choice for the holiday dinner. It’s a lean cut of meat, but provides enough protein for any eating plan.
The balsamic glaze keep the tenderloin moist and infused with a rich flavor. This recipe is gluten free, keto and Whole30 friendly and low carb. It’s a great way to ensure all your guests can eat the main dish and enjoy the holiday celebration.
What is a pork tenderloin?
In this recipe, we are cooking a pork tenderloin, not the loin. While it sounds confusing, these are two different cuts of meat. A pork loin is wide and thick. It’s basically a giant pork chop.
A pork tenderloin is long and narrow. It’s a very delicate muscle that runs along the back of the pig. It’s not used for movement so it never gets tough. It’s one of the most tender cuts of pork you can purchase.
Tenderloins sometimes have a tough silverskin when you buy them. This should be removed before cooking. I use it quite often like for my Garlic Butter Pork Tenderloin Recipe. Don’t have tenderloin? Try my Garlic Butter Baked Pork Chops (Web Story) or my Easy Oven Pork Chop Recipe instead!
What temperature should I cook roast pork tenderloin?
You will cook your roast pork tenderloin at 350F. It will take about an hour to cook a two pound tenderloin at this temperature. If your tenderloin is a different size, you want to plan 25-30 minutes of cooking time per pound.
You know that it is completely cooked when the interior temperature is 145F. At that temperature it will be medium rare, but it will continue to cook as it sits for 15 minutes before serving. At the interior temperature of 165F, it will be cooked medium.
Do you cook it covered or uncovered?
A common problem with pork is shrinkage, especially when baking. This is a sign that the pork is losing moisture to the heat in the oven. After an hour of cooking, the pork could be quite dry.
To prevent this, you can take several precautionary measures:
- Cover your pork tenderloin with foil or a lid. This will preserve the juicy flavor of the meat.
- The salt you use on the pork before baking it will also help seal in the moisture.
- The juices that end up at the bottom of the pan is moisture that the meat has lost during cooking. Half way through the cooking time, baste your meat by spooning this juice back on top of the tenderloin.
The only negative of covering the pork is that it will not develop the brown crust that it would if uncovered in the oven. To solve this problem, I suggest browning it on the stove before putting it in the oven. This step is not necessary, but it does improve the flavor and appearance of the tenderloin.
More Pork Recipes to try:
Pork Chops with Apples and Onions
Garlic Butter Baked Pork Chops
Balsamic Roast Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 2 lb pork tenderloin roast
- salt and fresh black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter - use ghee for Whole30.
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dried herb mix - basil, Italian seasoning, oregano and/or thyme
- Garnish with rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Rinse and pat dry pork tenderloin, and then season with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in an oven-safe skillet on medium-high heat. Heat for about 1 minute. Sear the pork loin on the sides until a brown crust forms. It should be 1 minute each side. Set aside.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add butter and garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds.
- Add balsamic and all the dried herb mix. Stir the sauce for 1 minute or until the butter is completely melted.
- Bring the pork tenderloin back to the skillet and spoon some sauce over it.
- Cover the pork tenderloin with foil and roast for 30 minutes. Remove foil, spoon more sauce on top of the pork loin, over it again with foil and cook for 30 minutes more or until it gets the interior temperature of 145°F.
- Remove from oven, cover it with foil to let it rest for about 15 minutes.
- Slice thin and garnish with rosemary.
If you make this recipe, follow @primaverakitchen on Instagram, snap a photo and hashtag it #primaverakitchen. I'd love to see what you're making!
We love pork tenderloin. It is usually our go-to entre when unexpected guests visit. We are anxious to try this recipe. We are cooking for two most of the time so suggestions for converting to smaller portions would really be appreciated. Currently we simply reduce the ingredient quantities by percentage but I am sure there is a more accurate way to make these adjustments for recipes
Yes, I would just reduce the ingredient quantities by half/percentage.
Hi Olivia,
Thanks for another wonderful recipe. A trick I learned long ago is to keep a browning sauce in my cupboard. If you paint the tenderloin before cooking it doesn’t toughen the meat and you can control the degree of brownness. I use it whenever I roast chicken or turkey in my counter top roaster. If I don’t want to brown my pork chops or roasts before hand. You never have white skin on your fowl or grey meat for your roasts.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Robbie
Great tip, Robbie. Thank you so much!
Marry Christmas to you and yours too 😉
I made this tonight for supper. Followed the directions using balsamic glaze and it turned out perfect. I didn’t have any capers, but didn’t miss them. Thanks for sharing. Husband says it’s a keeper
That’s great. Happy to read your feedback 😉
I’ve tried a zillion tenderloin recipes trying to find that right combination of savory but not overwhelming and finally, I have found it. This recipe was simply incredible. Even my finicky family loved it and said to make it again. I think this recipe would even be delicious on chicken or lamb.
So happy you liked this recipe. It’s delicious with chicken breast too!
I made this last night and my husband and I loved it!
That’s awesome! Happy to hear that 😉
When you uncover after baking to spoon sauce over the meat do you recover or leave it off?
Cover ir again. I fixed it on the recipe box.
Could this be made in the crockpot? If so- would anything change?
yes it could. Just cook on high for 4-5 hours. When it’s done, place it in the oven (broil/grill settings) to get a golden look.