Cranberry Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
Try this Cranberry Balsamic Pork Tenderloin recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Cranberry Balsamic Pork Tenderloin recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (0g)
- Sodium 0 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Stir together juice, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and cornstarch until combined.
- Add pork tenderloin to large, oven-safe skillet.
- Pour juice mixture into skillet, and add cranberries.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until meat registers 145F.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
- Spoon sauce over meat to serve.
Traditional pork roasts often rely on heavy fruit preserves or dense gravies, whereas this method builds a pan sauce using direct fruit juice and vinegar. Testing shows that pouring a high-acid liquid straight over a pre-marinated cut frequently results in a overly salty exterior if the marinades are not accounted for. Balancing the soy sauce requires careful attention to the specific commercial cut selected, as pre-seasoned meats carry varying sodium loads.
Managing Sauce Reduction and Meat Temperature
Cornstarch acts as the primary thickening agent here, but starches break down under prolonged high heat if the oven temperature exceeds 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the skillet promptly when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Allowing the meat to rest for a full 10 minutes distributes internal moisture before slicing. Fresh cranberries will burst during baking, releasing pectin that helps body the glaze without requiring extra thickeners.
- Swap the soy sauce with tamari at a one-to-one ratio to remove gluten from the pan sauce.
- Reduce the brown sugar by half if utilizing a sweetened juice blend to prevent burning.
- Monitor the oven closely around the 15-minute mark to prevent the fruit sugars from scorching on the skillet edges.
