Pork T: The O.P. (Original Pork)

Pork has always a mythical sort of meat to me. Growing up in a Jewish household, it was a long time before I knew the pleasures of bacon, pork sausages, and hams both cooked and cured. No pork chops or pork loin roasts for dinner.

Once I started cooking professionally, it was easy to see just how important the pig is. Especially during the charcuterie boom of the early 2000’s. A little place in Ottawa, Murray Street Kitchen/Wine/Charcuterie featuring the food of the incomparable Steve Mitton was probably my favorite restaurant in town until its untimely closure in 2016.

That place was so different at the time, so unapologetically Steve, and imagery of the pig was everywhere. It was a revelation to dine there.

Now, I didn’t work there. But all around, you could see the pig coming into the place it holds now. The “other white meat” campaign had started. Chops, suckling racks and pork belly were all dinner items. And then I was introduced at multiple spots to another part of the pig.

To say the pork tenderloin is my least favorite part of the pig is a bit misleading. It’s just the part that I think least embodies what pork is all about: the balance of lean meat and delicious pork fat. As the tenderloin has nearly no fat of its own, it is always in danger of being dry and tasteless.

But, like the beef tenderloin, it IS tender, so it is (was? Is?) prized by people who value that sort of thing. Even so, back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s when I was cooking the majority of them, people still feared the trichinosis and wanted their pork cooked just shy of driftwood.

So why are we talking about this? Because, dear readers, there is honestly no bad part of the pig. Not if you’re mindful and know what you’re doing. A pork tenderloin can be a delicious dinner for two. It’s quick and not very fussy. Plus, it’s lean nature leaves you feeling like you just did something healthy for yourself.

Determined to give the pork tenderloin a second chance, we bought one the other day and I made a plate of it. Here’s how it went down.

Pan-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fennel-Apple Slaw and Green Bean Almandine

Ingredients:

• 1 pork tenderloin, weighing about 454g (1lb), cleaned of any silverskin
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed skin-on
• 1-2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• ½ preserved lemon, either homemade or store-bought, seeds removed, sliced thinly
• 14.2g (1 tbsp) butter
• 125g (4.4oz) green beans, stems removed
• 25g (0.8oz) sliced blanched almonds
• 1 small bulb fennel, fronds removed and set aside
• 2 Fuji apples
• ¼ red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
• Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
• ½ lemon, juice only
• Vin Cotto *optional garnish*

Method:

1. Wrap the pork in paper towel and allow to come to room temperature on a plate for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Bring a medium pot of heavily salted water to the boil. Blanch the green beans until bright green and crisp-tender, about 1-2 minutes. Cook in batches if necessary, so as not to lose the boil. Drain and plunge the beans into ice-cold water to stop the cooking. Drain again and set the beans aside on a paper towel-lined plate.
3. Heat a film of canola oil over high heat in a heavy-bottomed pan or cast-iron skillet large enough to accommodate the pork. Season the pork all over with kosher salt and black pepper. Once the oil is hot, sear the pork well on all sides until a crust has formed 5-6 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, preserved lemon and butter to the pan. Carefully tilt the pan and baste the pork tenderloin in the foaming butter and aromatics for 1-2 minutes. Remove the pork from the pan and set on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Pile the aromatics on top of the meat.
5. Place the pork tenderloin in the oven and roast for 18-20 minutes. This will give you a medium-rare-transitioning-into-medium type vibe. If you’re squirrely about that, roast for 20-22 minutes instead, but no longer. Allow the pan used to sear the pork to cool slowly on the burner.
6. While the pork roasts, shred the fennel finely on a mandoline or with a very sharp chef’s knife. Place the shredded fennel in a medium sized, non-reactive bowl. Quarter the apples, discarding the core and again mandoline or slice thinly. Toss the apple slices with the fennel and red onion, season with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and the lemon juice to prevent browning. Let the slaw hang out in the fridge until needed.
7. Pour the almonds into the pan used to cook the pork and turn the heat on to low. Allow the almonds to cook slowly in the pork drippings, but ensure they don’t burn.
8. Once cooked, take the pork out of the oven and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes. While resting, cook the green beans in the almonds until just warmed through, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Slice the pork tenderloin against the grain. Spoon some green bean almandine onto a plate. Top with the pork slices. Taste the slaw for seasoning, mix in the reserved fennel fronds and adjust if necessary. Put some slaw on the plate and drizzle the meat with a few drops of Vin Cotto (or homemade pomegranate sauce, which is what’s actually in the photos)

While the sides are nice, fresh and compliment the pork well, the real crux of this post is to teach you fine folks how to properly cook a pork tenderloin so it doesn’t come out tasting like a banister post. The pig is a wonderful animal and all parts of it should be celebrated!

What are your thoughts on pork tenderloin? Love it? Hate it? Don’t even rate it? Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an e-mail and I’ll see you all soon!