Interval Roasted Pork Tenderloin

If you want to cook a perfectly pieces of meat, where all the juices and taste are contained in the meat, this can be done in several ways. A rule of thumb says that the lower heat the better. This recipe shows you how you can cook the perfect pork tenderloin so that the meat gets super juicy and a delicious pink color. When we are talking about a pork tenderloin the temperature must not exceed 60 C (140 F) – above this temperature the meat starts to get grey and dried. Ideally the temperature in the oven should be set to 60 C (140 F) but then are we talking about a cooking time of maybe 24-hour, and most people don’t have that amount of time.

In this recipe the meat cooks in several intervals – first the meat gets 10 minutes in the oven and then 10 minutes of resting on the kitchen table and so on. The amount of intervals you need to give the meat depends on the ovens temperature and the size of the meat. We normally use an oven temperature of 160 C (320 F), and then it takes about 1 hour to cook a normal-sized pork tenderloin. However, the lower temperature the better, it is only the cooking time that increases. The tenderloin is done when the core temperature reaches about 55-60 C (130-140 F).

If the meat reaches its core temperature before your guests arrives or before you are ready to serve the meat – then you can turn the ovens heat down to 60 C (140 F). Then the meat will not get overcooked but stay warm and ready to be served.

We normally serve this kind of meat together with a nice salad like this red cabbage salad with oranges and pomegranate.

Interval Roasted Pork Tenderloin

2-3 people
Preparation time: 1-1.5 hours

Ingredients:
600-700 g (1.3-1.5 lb) pork tenderloin
salt
oil for frying

Instructions:
Step 1: Start by cutting away most fat and tendons from the pork tenderloin. There is a large and long tendon at the top of the tenderloin that needs to be removed.
Step 2: Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper, and fry it on a very hot frying pan for maximum 1-2 minutes. We want a crisp outside and raw meat inside.
Step 3: Place the tenderloin in an oven prof pan. Preheat the oven to 160 C (320 F) and cook it for 10 minutes.
Step 4: After the 10 minutes of cooking, take the tenderloin out of the oven and let it rest on the kitchen table for 10 minutes. Continue with the 10 minutes of cooking and 10 minutes of resting until the core temperature is 55-60 C (130-140 F). This should take about 3-4 cycles, however the temperature is the important factor.
Step 5: When the core temperature is reached let the tenderloin rest for about 5 minutes and then cut it in nice and thick slices. Serve right away.

Tip: Serve the meat together with a nice salad.