Pork tenderloin is such a lovely cut of meat in my opinion. Pork takes on the flavor of its marinade super well. It soaks in all the flavor of what you put on it. Once cooked, the texture of the tenderloin is quite smooth and buttery. It’s very tender and juicy when cooked properly. One thing to keep in mind when cooking this pork, is to be sure not to overcook it. The pork will become dry and tasteless very quickly if overcooked. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature at 15 minutes and then every 5 minutes after that. Every tenderloin is different in size, so it will cook longer or shorter depending on its weight. Keep that in mind when cooking. This recipe is super simple and not time consuming at all. It takes 5 minutes to throw all the ingredients in the bag. Let it sit for 24 hours and then cook it for less than 25. It’s very minimal effort for a very unique and flavorful dinner.
I’m a huge fan of Asian cuisine, so I decided to go in that direction when marinating this pork. I served mine with fried rice, peanuts, scallions, and soy reduction. I have a wonderful basil fried rice recipe that is to die for. I’ll link it below. With fried rice, I think it’s so fun to add tons veggies to it. It gives it more of a bite and multiple flavors. To my basil fried rice, I also added pineapple, zucchini, and carrots. It worked very well with this sweet soy ginger pork tenderloin! I would definitely recommend doing this. Super easy, and super tasty! This pork would also go great with some simple brown rice and steamed vegetables if you want to make it overall a little more healthy. The pork is very lean and not fatty at all. So this meal really can be healthy if paired with the right side dishes. This pork can go in so many different directions, which is what I love about it.
SWEET SOY GINGER PORK TENDERLOIN
Prep time: 24 hours (see directions)
Cook time: 20-22 minutes
Total time: 24 hours and 22 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pork tenderloin, silver skins removed
- 1/4 cup sweet soy sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp thai chili paste
DIRECTIONS:
Remove silver skins from the pork tenderloin. The silver skins are the silver looking elastic on the outside of the pork. If the tenderloin does not have any, leave it be.
In a bowl or sealable bag, combine all marinade ingredients and pork tenderloin. Place covered or sealed in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Take out pork from the fridge 1 hour before you plan on cooking it.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Take the pork out of the marinade. (Do not throw out the marinade) Place the pork tenderloin on a wire rack with a foil covered baking sheet underneath. The baking sheet is going to catch any juices that drop off the pork while cooking.
Cook the tenderloin for about 20-22 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 140 degrees. Use a meat thermometer to gage when it is ready. Once out of the oven, let sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Place the remaining marinade in a small pan. Turn to medium high heat and reduce the marinade by half. The end texture should be slightly thick.
How to serve pork tenderloin: I served mine with fried rice, peanuts, scallions and the marinade reduction.