Maple-Dijon-Cider Pork Tenderloin
Try this Maple-Dijon-Cider Pork Tenderloin recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Maple-Dijon-Cider Pork Tenderloin recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 0.13325 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.10025 g
- Fiber 0.0824999988079071 g
- Protein 0.10925 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0062 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (95g)
- Sodium 28.67125 mg
- Sugar 0.0507500011920929 g
- Trans Fat 0.00452500000000001 g
- Calories 2 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pat pork tenderloin dry with paper towels then season all over with seasonings.
- Heat a thin layer of high heat cooking oil in a 11-12†cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sear pork tenderloin for 1-2 minutes on all four sides, or until golden brown on each side, then place the entire skillet into the oven and roast until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, 8-15 minutes. Transfer the pork tenderloin to a cutting board to rest while you make the pan sauce.
- Place skillet back over medium-high heat being VERY CAREFUL with the skillet handle as it will be extremely hot from the oven (I keep a hot pad on the handle so I don’t forget it's hot.) Add hard apple cider, maple syrup, and dijon mustard to the skillet then whisk to combine and simmer until sauce is slightly reduced, 5 minutes. Stir together water and cornstarch in a small bowl then pour into skillet and whisk to combine. Continue to simmer while occasionally whisking until sauce is thickened and glossy, 3-4 more minutes. Pour sauce through a fine mesh strainer or use a skimmer to remove any burnt herbs or bits if desired. Slice pork then serve with pan sauce.
Deep amber pan juices cling to a glossy reduction of hard apple cider and mustard, releasing sharp aromatics of toasted thyme as the heat hits the skillet. Combining orchard fruits with cured and roasted meats reflects long-standing culinary traditions in temperate northern climates where apples and autumn pig slaughters naturally coincided. Cooks historically utilized available ferments like hard cider to deglaze fond, dissolving caramelized protein bonds that would otherwise remain stuck to the cooking vessel. Understanding how regional flavor pairings evolved from agricultural realities helps modern practitioners maximize the sweet-savory balance inherent in reducing fruit alcohol alongside unrefined tree syrups.
- Pat the meat thoroughly dry with paper towels before seasoning to prevent surface moisture from creating steam barriers that inhibit proper browning during the sear.
- Cast iron retains heat efficiently, making it the preferred pan material for achieving an even crust across all four distinct surfaces of the tenderloin within two minutes per side.
- Remove the cut from the oven precisely when an instant-read thermometer registers 140 degrees Fahrenheit to account for residual carryover cooking during the resting phase.
- Whisk the cornstarch and water mixture completely smooth in a separate vessel before adding it to the simmering cider liquid to avoid undesirable lumps in the final sauce.
Allowing the cooked protein to rest undisturbed on a cutting board for at least eight minutes redistributes internal juices back toward the outer edges. Straining the finished reduction through a fine mesh sieve eliminates charred herb fragments while preserving a velvety mouthfeel.
