Pork Tenderloin
Incredibly tender Pork Tenderloin is delicious when covered in lime juice, the best dry rub, seared to perfection, and baked in the oven!
Servings: 4 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
Tenderloin prep:
- 2 pounds pork tenderloin see note
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
One Spoon Dry Rub blend (link in notes):
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Use a sharp knife to carefully remove any silver skin or excess fat. Pierce 2 pounds pork tenderloin all over with a fork or sharp knife. Rub 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice onto all sides of the meat.
- Whisk together seasonings. Spread spice blend mixture over tenderloin(s), patting it onto the surface of the meat on all sides. I will usually roll the tenderloin around on the cutting board to pick up any oil or spices that didn't stick.1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon mustard powder, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 2 teaspoon paprika
- Heat oven safe dutch oven or frying pan over high heat. Sear all sides over high heat until crisp and browned on the outside. Insert meat thermometer, transfer pan to oven and continue cooking until an internal temperature of 145 degrees F is reached. This may take anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on how long you seared the tenderloin on the stove top.
- Transfer meat to a cutting board to stop the cooking process and allow tenderloins to rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice into 1 inch pieces. Spoon any remaining juices from the pan, if any, over the slices, serve with additional lime if desired, and serve.
Notes
- Pork tenderloin is a small cut of meat and most are right around a pound, so I used two tenderloins for this recipe and it's enough to feed my family of four. This recipe easily doubles.
- I remove the silver skin and fat because this cut of meat is tender enough that it doesn't need any additional fat to make it delicious. I like knowing that every bite will be solid meat.
- The dry rub spice blend is my versatile One Spoon Dry Rub: https://selfproclaimedfoodie.com/one-spoon-dry-rub/
Nutrition
Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 710mg | Potassium: 942mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 641IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 3mg
