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Emigrated from America to New Zealand and never looked back. Couldn't have asked for a better husband, family & life!

ROASTED SOUTHERN-STYLE PORK TENDERLOIN


Well, winter is coming...we can all feel it now and I am reluctantly putting my summer clothes, swimming togs, and sandals away and pulling out the warmer jerseys, gloves and coats. I have even draped a scarf or two on my coat rack for easy access in the weeks to come. Although this may be a depressing time for some, I quite enjoy the winter here as it lends so many opportunities for really hearty meals and lovely aromas from the oven cutting through the crisp air.

An absolute MUST TRY if you like lean pork is this genuine American, southern-inspired, makes your mouth water, tenderloin recipe. Even with a touch of seasonal allergies flaring up, I could still smell the wonderful aromas from this one wafting from my oven. I was drooling long before the meat ever made it out of the oven! This is a seasoning combination that I have mucked around with a bit and I think this is perhaps as good as it gets.

Even though I am using (Mexican) chilli powder, it is not “hot”. If you think you’d prefer a bit of bite, you might try adding a hint of cayenne to this mix, but it is very flavoursome just the way I have written it below. The measurements are more “best guess” really and any leftover spice mix was added to a wild rice pilaf cooked in beef broth, which was nice as well.

In any case, let’s get down to it, shall we?


INGREDIENTS:

500 Gms (1 Lb) Pork Tenderloin
¼ Cup (more or less) Olive Oil
2 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Chilli Powder
2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Onion Powder
½ Tsp Thyme
1 Pinch Allspice
2-3 Bay Leaves, finely crushed
½ Tsp Oregano
*Sea Salt
½ Cup Dry White Wine
½ Cup Chicken broth

*Amounts vary to individual tastes.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to about 220° C (425 ° F).

Line your baking dish or roasting pan with stalks of celery and/or carrots to use as a rack to keep the meat from submerging in the pan juices whilst cooking. (A cool trick I think I learned from Alton Brown.)

First, trim any thick fat if necessary and rinse/dry meat before rubbing with oil and placing into a shallow baking dish or roasting pan.

Mix spices together in a small bowl and rub them over the oiled meat evenly – top, sides and bottom.

Next, pour wine and broth into the bottom of the pan.

Now, put the pan into the oven to roast for about 25 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat is between 65 and 70° C (150 and 155° F).

Remember to tent the meat with foil and leave it to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Also, the pan juices can be used to make thin gravy if desired, or simply used as-is to spoon over the meat. This is a nice dish to have with mashed swedes in cream (rutabagas for my fellow Yankees out there) and/or with rice and steamed veggies.

Enjoy!

6 Thoughts & Remarks:

Joie de vivre said...

I can't even read about you entering winter right now! I am sooooo ready for warmer weather that it makes it seem like spring will never come! The robins have come back so it is a good sign that warmer weather is around the corner! Thanks for your well wishes, I'm on the mend now.

Rhyleysgranny said...

It is still cold enough here to try this one. Looks lovely

Jennifer said...

We are just entering spring! That looks good and it must be tender which is hard with pork! Rutabagas, never had one, what are they like?

NuKiwi said...

Joie: Glad you are feeling better...wish I could say the same. ;o)

Granny: Go for it - you won't regret it. This recipe is a keeper!

C-dog: Hmm...well, rutabagas are similar to turnips I guess. Boil them and they mash like potatoes...best if you add at least one potato to give them more body, otherwise they may turn out a bit on the watery side. Cut them up into soups or stocks and they replace radishes & turnips – similar flavour and they eventually melt away into nothing if you continue cooking them.

Donna-FFW said...

Always lookng for new pork tenderloin recipes, this one looks delicious! I am enjoying your blog, looks like great stuff, think its my first visit here!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

I can't even believe you're entering winter and it's almost April! I am so geographically and climate ignorant.

Your pork tenderloin has me all warmed up! It looks and sounds fantastic!