Pork Tenderloin, studded with garlic and rubbed with dijon mustard
So, once settled in back at home, away from the magic of Walt Disney World, I procured a nice pork tenderloin at Publix (on sale for $4.99/lb.), and set to work.
Garlic Studded, Mustard Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
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Ingredients
(Preheat oven to 350 degrees F)
- 2 to 2.5 pounds Pork Tenderloin
- 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
1. First order of business: mince 6 cloves of garlic. While that may seem like a lot, that amount of minced garlic inserted into the 2.5 pounds of pork tenderloin is just right. The pork tenderloin came packaged as a set of two tenderloins, which made for faster cooking.
2. Use an internal meat thermometer. I have found that even if you prepare a pork tenderloin correctly, season it nicely and so on, you can still turn out with a tough piece of meat if your oven overcooks it. It’s hard to know from a recipe when your pork tenderloin will be done, because the size the recipe is written for may be different on yours, and/or your oven may run hotter or cooler than the temperature indicated. In other words, for optimum performance, it’s very important to have an internal oven thermometer in your tenderloin.
3. Season your pork! This is key to a tasty pork tenderloin. I like to use Dijon Mustard, Herbs de Provence, and salt and pepper. You can also try sprinkling the pork with cinnamon for a different taste.
4. Get all your prep work done before you touch the pork. For instance, put your minced garlic in a small bowl, and the kosher salt, dried herbs, and any other spices in another bowl before you take the pork out of the refrigerator. Or, if it’s easier, put spoons in the salt and/or spice jars you have. That way, you lessen the amount of kitchen space you have to sanitize.
5. Use a plastic cutting board to put your pork tenderloin on to prep it — that way, you can put the cutting board in the dishwasher afterward for easy cleaning.
Now that you’ve got all your ingredients prepped, put your pork tenderloins on a plastic cutting board and season with kosher salt, about 1/2 teaspoon per tenderloin. Then season with the Herbs de Provence, about 1/2 teaspoon per tenderloin, less or more if you like. Proceed to rub the 2 tenderloins all over with Dijon Mustard. I used about 2 tablespoons per tenderloin, but use a lesser amount if you like a less mustardy pork.
Take a small paring knife and cut slices in the top of the pork, about 1/2 inch wide, every 3/4 of an inch down the tenderloin. Then stuff the minced garlic into the holes you created in the top of the tenderloin. Sprinkle again with kosher salt, about 1/2 teaspoon per tenderloin.
Place the tenderloins on a jelly roll pan, lined with parchment paper, or simply spray the pan with a non-stick spray.
Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees F. Let the tenderloins rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. I like to serve the pork tenderloin with homemade applesauce. What do you like to serve along with pork?
