This easy balsamic pork tenderloin recipe can be made in the Instant Pot in 7 minutes or cooked in the oven if you don’t have a pressure cooker.
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Last night Dave and I were binge watching the end of Top Chef Charleston and one of our favourite competitors chose pork tenderloin for a challenge.
Never choose the tenderloin!
It didn’t make sense. Not surprisingly she lost the competition.
Some people love pork tenderloin. That is not us. The amazing thing about pork is its fat, that’s where all the flavour is. This is why bacon is magic, and pulled pork sandwiches are drool worthy and prosciutto is worth a trip to Italy. It makes lardo…well lardo.
MUST READ: Learn how to make lardo.
Tenderloin has very little fat. Most people overcook it (hey Mom!) and so it’s dry and usually flavourless.
You’d think I’d never have tenderloin in the house. I clearly have strong feelings about it. Yet for some unknown reason I decided to buy pork tenderloin on sale today!
Even I don’t make sense sometimes.
Toronto is also known as Hogtown and Ontario has amazing pork. To say we’re fans of pig is an understatement, not only do we have a porky name but we have a pig on the window of our restaurant.
But tenderloin? I feel like I just made a rookie move.
So I decided to treat it as an experiment and try cooking the pork tenderloin in the Instant Pot.
After hearing so many people rave about it I took the plunge and bought this Instant Pot. Instant Pot is primarily a pressure cooker (which also makes rice, yogurt and can INCUBATE bread) so if you can’t cook this isn’t going to save you.
But if you can cook it will save you time. Lots and lots of time.
Sure I love long afternoon braises like Irish beef stew, French cassoulet and Greek lemon chicken but a pressure cooker can make dinner in under an hour.
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How to Cook Pork Tenderloin in an Instant Post.
Many people say you can’t cook pork tenderloin in an Instant Pot, because it’s so lean. But that’s because they are cooking it for too long and it’s over cooked. I read instructions to cook pork tenderloin anywhere from 4-50 minutes. Trust me, 50 minutes is FAR too long.
The challenge is to cook meat long enough to be safe but not so long that it’s dry cardboard.
Home cooks please invest in a meat thermometer. And when I say invest I mean spend 10 bucks to get one like this. It’s the only way to know if you’re safe. Even Dave, who has been cooking for 20 years uses a meat thermometer at Loka. You just don’t want to take a chance with someone getting sick but you also don’t want dry meat.
For this balsamic pork tenderloin I aimed for medium rare, which is 145F. It only took me 7 minutes in the pressure cooker to reach medium rare. Incredible. Dave later said he would aim for 137F, then rest it for 10 minutes and it would reach 145F while resting. Chef’s tip noted!
This is a pretty standard balsamic pork recipe, with a lean cut I wanted a bit sweet and the balsamic and brown sugar are great without feeling syrupy. I also balanced it with Kozlik’s Triple Crunch mustard. It’s a local mustard that uses Canadian mustard seeds and I love it but really any grainy mustard would work. Pork and mustard is always a good idea.
Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
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- 2.5lbs pork tenderloin
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 cup chicken stock or canned low sodium chicken broth
- .5cup Brown sugar
- .25cup balsamic vinegar
- 2cloves garlic, minced
- 1tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1tbsp grainy mustard
- 1tsp ground sage
- 1tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1tbsp corn starch
- .25cup waterto mix with corn starch
- Turn your Instant pot to saute, and add canola oil. Once oil is heated through brown tenderloins.
- Add remaining ingredients (except corn starch and water). Set on manual for 7 minutes.
- Quick release the pressure when the timer rings. Check that pork tenderloin reaches 137F with a meat thermometer. Remove from pot and cover with aluminum foil to allow meat to rest.
- Turn Instant Pot to saute. Add corn starch to water and mix thoroughly. Add to Instant Pot and bring to a boil. Then turn off and on to maintain a simmer, until liquid has decreased by 50%. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Once the sauce is ready, cut the pork into medallions. Pour sauce over pork tenderloin and serve.
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- In a dutch oven over medium high heat add canola oil. Once oil is heated through brown tenderloins.
- Add chicken stock and scrape bits off bottom of pot. Add remaining ingredients (except corn starch and water) and cover with top allowing for a bit of space for steam to release.
- Place in oven and cook for 15 minutes or until pork tenderloin reaches 137F with a meat thermometer. Remove from pot and cover with aluminum foil to allow meat to rest.
- Put dutch oven back on stove top over medium high heat.
- Add corn starch to water and mix thoroughly. Add to dutch oven and bring to a boil. Then simmer until liquid has decreased by 50%. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Once the sauce is ready, cut the pork into medallions. Pour sauce over pork tenderloin and serve.
I made the balsamic pork tenderloin and then went out for a meeting. Later on I met Dave when Loka closed and I told him how that I bought pork tenderloin.
The look on his face was a blend of disgust and disbelief.
But when we got home he tried it and said it was really good. He sounded surprised. I guess as surprised as I was that I liked this recipe.
Instant Pot Balsamic Pork Tenderloin is a post from: Bacon is Magic