How to prepare pastured pork tenderloin on the grill or baked in the oven that is melt-in-your-mouth tender and perfect for the main meal or lunch sandwiches.
I found a pastured pork tenderloin while “freezer diving” a few weeks ago.
It was over a year old but still tasted delicious both as a main meal and as leftovers.
This is the benefit of buying quality pastured meat from a local farm. It is very fresh when you get it and so lasts even longer in the freezer.
This is quite unlike supermarket meat which can potentially be gassed and/or frozen/thawed several times before you buy it “fresh”.
I thought I would share the easy preparation steps so you could try it yourself the next time you see it available.
One method for preparing healthy pork is to marinate it for a short period of time before cooking as practiced by traditional cultures.
This careful preparation was necessary for safety and added digestibility.
The most prominent of these was the long-lived Okinawan culture where pork was a staple.
Pastured Pork Tenderloin
How to prepare pastured pork tenderloin on the grill or baked in the oven in a traditional manner that is melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork tenderloin preferably pastured from a local farm
- 1-2 fresh garlic cloves coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup whey
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 2 Tbl sea salt
- freshly ground peppercorns
- 2 sprigs rosemary optional
- sourdough buns optional
Instructions
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Trim any excess skin from the surface of the tenderloin.
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Place trimmed pork tenderloin in a glass bowl.
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Mix whey and lemon juice and pour over the top.
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Marinate uncovered in the refrigerator for one hour.
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Rinse tenderloin with filtered water and and dry thoroughly with a clean, cotton dishtowel.
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Cut a large clove of garlic (or two smaller ones) into four or five pieces.
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Press the garlic pieces into openings you can make in the pork tenderloin flesh deep enough in so you can almost over it over with the flesh.
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Rub two tablespoons of sea salt all over the surface of the tenderloin.
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Freshly grind black pepper all over the surface of the tenderloin.
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Place on top rack of barbecue grill (or in the oven) which is 350-400 °F (177-204 °C) in a base of foil or foil substitute.
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Cover and cook for thirty minutes. To ensure that it is done, test with a thermometer that the middle is 145-165 °F (66-74 °C) after cooking.
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Slice and garnish with optional rosemary sprigs on a serving platter. Serve immediately.
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Enjoy leftovers as pork sandwiches on sourdough buns with homemade barbecue sauce.
I want to try this pork method, but I am allergic to whey. Is there a good substitute?
You can use lemon juice instead. Rinse the pork and pat dry after soaking and before cooking.
If my tenderloin is only 1/2 a pound do you think cooking at 200 is the best method vs 275 on the recipe?Not sure if temp matters based on weight.Thanks again!I will take your current advice on soaking.
This looks so good Sarah!I was wondering if when soaking does the pork absorb the flavor of lemon?I am actually planning on using a pork shoulder and know proper preparation is important is the reason I ask!Thanks a bunch.Also, do you still need to soak if you slow cook at maybe 200 degrees in an oven for several hours?
Pork is healthiest if soaked or marinated even with slow cooking. And, yes, the lemon does infuse a bit with the meat. If you rinse it off after soaking, this will help mitigate this.