I’m always looking for new ways to cook this lean, versatile cut of pork. As long as you don’t overcook it (135 to 140 degrees is perfect) it will be slightly pink and juicy. It’s mild flavor works well with a flavor packed sauce like this one; an Italian sweet and sour sauce called Agrodolce. The recipe in Bon Apetit included a green salad of fennel and red leaf lettuce to be served alongside; I’m not including that here as I had some Brussels sprouts that wanted their turn in the oven last night.
I was only cooking one tenderloin, so made just half the sauce. Next time I will make all the sauce and either drizzle it over my vegetables and rice, or save it for another meal; it’s that good. Thanks to Kat Boytsova for this great recipe.
2 pork tenderloins (about 2 pounds total)
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 tsp. kosher salt, divided
2 medium red onions
3 Tbs. cold unsalted butter
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
5 Tbs. honey
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup red wine vinegar
Pat two pork tenderloins dry with paper towels. Season all over with 1 tsp. black pepper and 2 tsp. salt. Let sit at room temperature until ready to cook.
Meanwhile do some prep. Halve two medium red onions through the core. Trim off the ends, peel, and slice into 1/2 inch thick wedges lengthwise. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
Cut 3 Tbs. cold butter into small pieces. Chill until ready to use.
Heat 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Seat tenderloins until golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side, 6-8 minutes total.
Using tongs, transfer pork to a plate. Cook onion, 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil and 1/2 tsp. salt in the same pan in a single layer over medium-high heat, tossing occasionally, until well browned and beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.
Whisk 5 Tbs. honey, 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (if you don’t like things spicy, cut the amount of red pepper in half, but we really love how the spiciness balances the sweetness here),1 cup red wine vinegar,and 1/4 cup water in glass measuring cup and add to the pan. (Make sure you get all that honey!) Bring to a simmer.
Return pork to the pan and cook, turning every 5 minutes and reducing heat as needed to keep sauce at a low simmer, until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 135 to 140, about 12-20 minutes. (Start testing for doneness after 10 minutes; pork will cook differently depending on the size of the tenderloin you’re working with. It’s important to use a thermometer in this case because it’s very easy to overcook a lean cut like this, and nobody likes dry pork!) Transfer pork to a cutting board to rest. This will lock in all the juices and let the pork continue to cook just a bit.
Continue to cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until thick and syrupy, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cold butter with tongs until fully incorporated.. Slice the tenderloins on a diagonal. Divide among plates and spoon agrodolce sauce over. Serves 4-5
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