You won’t believe how easy it is to make this incredible seared pork tenderloin with cherry bourbon sauce. In fact, you can be ready to serve in under 30 minutes!
Everyone loves a juicy pork butt. And crisp, smokey bacon. And even sweet and sticky pork ribs. All these cuts share a common bond – they are fatty and pretty easy to cook. But many cooks shy away from pork that can tend to be dryer, like chops and tenderloin. I’m here to tell you that you need to put those misguided fears aside, because cooking perfectly pink pork tenderloin is so easy, you’ll be sorry you didn’t do it earlier!
There is one proverbial ace in my spice drawer that I think gives me a little edge with this recipe – my Hardcore Carnivore: Black seasoning. See, because you only want to very lightly sear the tenderloin before it finishes off in the oven, you sometimes don’t quite get the level of browning on the outside you want. Or alternatively, you get a beautiful color, but at the expense of overcooking the inside. The HC helps create a pretty amazing outer appearance and while keeping things tender in the middle.
Much like apple, the sweetness of cherry works really well with pork, and though it’s lovely to be able to use fresh seasonal produce, you really can make this sauce with frozen whole cherries, which are also a far more economical option. And as with nearly all precise meat cooking, you will need to use a thermometer to measure internal temp in order to completely nail the perfect doneness. I use and recommend the Thermapen.
Best of all, I’m not exaggerating when I tell you this will be on your table and ready to eat in about 30 minutes. Vegetables are, as always, optional.
Recipe: Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Bourbon sauce
- Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients
2 whole pork tenderloins
Hardcore Carnivore: Black or Red seasoning
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 cup chicken stock/broth
1/2 cup bourbon
8 oz cherries, pitted and cut into halves
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp white sugar
salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375f. Place a cast iron skillet or heavy based oven-safe pan over high heat and lightly grease with spray oil. Pat the tenderloins try with paper towel, and coat generously with Hardcore Carnivore: Black seasoning rub. Once the pan is very hot, sear the tenderloins a minute on each side, turning until totally sealed. Place pan into hot oven and cook until tenderloins register an internal temperature of 145f at thickest part, which will take about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and place tenderloins on a board covered loosely by foil, and allow to rest 10 minutes.
- While the meat is cooking and resting, prepare the sauce. In a small pan, combine brown sugar and vinegar, and bring to a boil. Add in broth, salt, pepper and reduce mixture on a vigorous simmer for a further 10 minutes, then remove from heat. In another small pan, combine cherries, butter and white sugar over medium heat and cook 1-2 minutes. Add in broth liquid and bourbon, simmer a further minute.
- To serve, slice tenderloin into 1/2 inch thick medallions and plate about 3-4 per person. Drizzle with warm cherry sauce and serve immediately.
I made the cherry bourbon sauce for a pork roast (didn’t have any Hardcore Red, its coming for hubby for Christmas!). The sauce is delicious! Not too sweet & the boyrbon is the perfect amount. I used a can of dark red cherries I had (not pie filling.) I also wanted it a little thicker so I added some corn starch. Came out great! Thanks Jess! Thumbs up!