Quick Recipe: Garlic and Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is a great cut of meat for quick weeknight suppers. It's relatively inexpensive, widely available, and quick to prepare. Here's one of our favorite ways to cook it: A quick paste of garlic and rosemary, a little salt and pepper, and high-heat roasting, and it's on the table in just about 30 minutes!

Sometimes we just buy tenderloin from the grocery store meat department, but we vastly prefer buying this from the butcher. Those grocery store tubes of pork tenderloin (usually two pieces combined in one 2-pound package) are often pumped full of saline and artificial flavorings and colorings. If you can, buy this cut of meat fresh from a local butcher or farmer.

Wherever you get it from, though, it should have a nice thin layer of fat on one side, and be fresh and pink. This cut is often relatively low-fat and can get dried out quickly. So we prefer to roast it fast under high heat, which sears the outside nicely and keeps the inside moist and still faintly pink.

Garlic and Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin
serves 4 to 6 people

Two pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large stalks fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
6 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled
1 lemon, zested
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup beer or white wine

Heat the oven to 475°F. Take the pork tenderloins out of their packaging and pat dry. Sprinkle them lightly with kosher salt and black pepper. Place in a 13x9 metal roasting or baking pan.

Strip the rosemary stalks of their leaves by pinching your thumb and forefinger and running them down the stem. Do the same to the thyme, and add the leaves of both herbs to the bowl of a small food processor, or a blender. Discard the stalks.

Add the garlic cloves and lemon zest, then, with the lid on and the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil. It should turn into a loose paste, as the garlic gets chopped. If it sticks to the sides or doesn't get finely mashed, add more olive oil until you have a nice paste. Smear this paste all over the tenderloin, rubbing it into all sides of the pork.

Put the pork into the oven and roast for 10 minutes. Carefully flip both pieces of meat, using tongs, and then put back into the oven for an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Check the temperature of the meat with an instant-read thermometer placed in the thickest section; when it hits 155°F, take the pork out of the oven.

Place the pork on a cutting board and cover with foil to let it rest. (The internal temperature of the meat will continue to rise as it rests. Let it rest about 10 minutes before slicing.)

Meanwhile, place the roasting pan over medium heat on the stove. Pour in 1/2 cup beer or white wine (chicken stock or even water will do, if you have nothing else!) and bring to a simmer, scraping the pan constantly. Scrape up all the dark roasted bits and extra sauce from the bottom of the pan and let simmer until reduced into a brown, slightly thicker sauce.

Slice the pork into 1-inch-thick rounds and lay out on a platter or in a bowl. Drizzle with the pan sauce and serve immediately.

(Images: Faith Durand)

Comments (12)

Pork tenderloin always seemed daunting for me to try. No idea why but I always thought it was more complicated to cook.

Can't wait to try this great recipe this summer with some farm fresh tenderloin and herbs!

Thank you!

155 degrees, really? I was going to say that the pork in your picture looked overcooked and now I know why.

I take my pork out of the oven when the thickest part hits 137 degrees F (carryover will usually take it to 143-145). That will leave you with a perfect medium pork loin.

@Nogard13, it's pinker than it looks in those photos. I personally like pork medium to medium-rare, but most people are uncomfortable with pork at that level of doneness. So when cooking pork for other people (or the blog!) I follow the USDA temp guidelines.

I now serve my pork medium, and so far no guests have complained. Good restaurants do the same, so perhaps people are now more accustomed to properly cooked pork.

my aunt makes this with just garlic paste - she makes cuts in the meat that she squishes the garlic paste into and then smears it all over the meat and lets it marinade like this overnight before baking it in tinfoil. the result is well worth the wait, both hot and cold on sandwiches.

i do mine stovetop in a cast iron pot, on very low heat for 2-3h, which results in fall apart tender meat. yum!

This is a go-to dish for me, but I typically use half the garlic and (like a good Southerner) add a scant tablespoon of mustard powder to the herb mix. This is also great when made sous vide (but be sure to use just OO, not EVOO).

@Nogard13 - I wholeheartedly agree that 155F is extreme and taking this out when center reaches 137-140 is ideal! (Mark Bittman's cookbooks agree.)

I make slits for slivers of garlic and then season with McCormick Grillmates Montreal Seasoning w/ garlic. Cover with foil and roast.

I love roasted tenderloin with a big spoonful of olive tapenade to garnish.. SO yummy

This looks so yummy. Question. What sort of side dish(es) would one serve along with this?

@firmalar -- it depends on what you mean by "healthy." There's nothing fundamentally "unhealthy" about this recipe as written, but with the use of beer and olive oil, it'll definitely have more calories than, say, a grilled chicken breast.

Delicious recipe when the pork is cooked to 145 on an instant-read thermometer and it is marinated for a good hour or two before cooking. I served with roasted balsalmic tossed beets and lemon-water steamed green beans. YUM!

Food porn of this meal on my Tumblr: http://tiny.cc/e93jq

I made this for dinner tonight, using one tenderloin, and my cast iron skillet. Tossed leftover paste with potato wedges and cooked it along with pork. SO GOOD!