Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Roasted pork tenderloin with a savory balsamic glaze looks elegant on the Christmas table and tastes even better. This recipe will steal the holiday show. 

Crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside! This roasted pork tenderloin recipe is packed with amazing flavours. The balsamic vinegar along with the herbs give the pork a fresh but savoury flavour that will have you licking the plate clean.

Pork tenderloin recipes are great choice for holiday dinners. It’s a lean cut of meat but provides enough protein for any eating plan.

The balsamic glaze keeps the tenderloin moist and infused with a rich flavor. 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 roasted pork tenderloin recipe, we are roasting 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, narrow and slightly pink in color. 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 silver skin 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 Baked Pork Chops or my Pork Chops with Apples and Onions instead!

Ingredients for this Roasted Pork Tenderloin

• Pork tenderloin roast — for tender juicy pork, make sure you are buying pork tenderloin and not pork loin. Look for a tenderloin that’s pinkish in colour with some marbling in the meat.
• Salt and fresh black pepper
• Olive oil — or an oil of your choice.
• Butter — use ghee if you’re eating Whole30. Make sure you use unsalted butter for this recipe to avoid the pork tenderloin from being too salty.
• Garlic — use freshly minced garlic when possible.
• Balsamic vinegar — pick a balsamic vinegar you enjoy! Some are sweet and fruity while others are more savoury. While you do not have to use the most expensive one, avoid the super cheap ones in a plastic bottle. If you don’t have balsamic vinegar, you can replace it for beef broth and a 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard.
• Dried herb mix — I use a combination of basil, Italian seasoning, oregano, and/or thyme. Feel free to use other spices like garlic powder, onion powder or paprika and whatever you have on hand.
• Rosemary — garnish with fresh rosemary.

How to make roasted pork tenderloin

Prepare the equipment to bake the Pork Tenderloin

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Rinse and pat dry pork tenderloin with paper towel, and then season with salt and pepper.

Sear the pork tenderloin

• 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 on each side. Set aside.

Make the sauce

• Remove the pan from the heat and add butter and garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds.
• Add all the spices in a small bowl and mix all together. This seasoning blend will add more flavor to the pork roast.
• Add balsamic and all the dried herb mix. Stir the sauce for 1 minute or until the butter is completely melted.

Roast the pork tenderloin

• Spoon some sauce over the pork tenderloin.
• Cover the pork tenderloin with foil and roast for 30 minutes.
• Remove foil, spoon more sauce on top of the pork loin, cover 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. Serve it with roasted potatoes.

What Temperature to Roast Pork Tenderloin?

You will cook 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, plan for 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. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat to check the internal temperature of the pork.

Do you cook it covered or uncovered?

A common problem with cooked 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.