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Sunday, January 15, 2012

Farmer John Boneless Pork Tenderloins



While I've purchased and prepared pork loin before, I've never experienced pork tenderloin, not even in a restaurant. I'm sheltered. Compared to the prices of meat I normally buy, this stuff is seriously high end. It's $5.99 a pound and, to my knowledge, never on sale.


The advantage of pork tenderloins though is that they are small which is ideal for singles or couples. My package of two tenderloins weighs in at 2.40 pounds, less mass than even the smallest whole chicken I can find at grocers I shop.

Here's a couple of excerpts from The Complete Meat Cookbook about pork tenderloins:
Because the tenderloin is small and not very thick, it can be cooked quite quickly, a boon to the cook just home from work with a family to feed. This is the leanest cut of pork, with about the same amount of fat as a serving of skinless chicken breast.
At first glance, this 3/4-1 1/4-pound cut of lean, tender pork looks expensive. But there is little or no waste and very little fat.
Its almost total lack of fat means that it can easily dry out if overcooked. It's best cooked to an internal temperature of no more than 150°F (some restaurant cooks prefer 145°F). Allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes or so after cooking so that the temperature will have risen to about 155°F when you serve it. At this point, the slices will be faintly pink and juicy.


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