Brined and Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Brining Time: 4 – 12 hours |Cook Time: 30 | Total Time: 5 hours | Serves: 3
This recipe is really easy. Yes, there are steps, but nothing is difficult. You can make your brine the day before you plan to cook the pork tenderloin; put the pork into the brine in the fridge, then cook that evening. It takes planning, but the results are so delicious.
Brining the pork tenderloin assures a moist, flavorful meat. I highly suggest you do not skip this step. It’s easy to put together. It is definitely worth it to take the time to brine. Since the brine itself has a hefty amount of salt, there is very little salt in the rub recipe.
A note about servings… the individual tenderloin is approximately 1 – 1 ¼ pounds. Ideally speaking, it could serve 3 – 4 people with a rounded meal. However, my husband, probably like many who love (I mean, “love” doesn’t express the depth here) meat, can eat the entire tenderloin by himself, and feel quite happy about it. So, this is one where “measure with your heart” comes into play. If you need to, brine and cook two tenderloins, doubling the brine and rub recipes.
I usually grab a couple of packages of pork tenderloins when they go on sale, freeze one and cook the other.
I have a rub recipe below, but you are welcome to sub out your favorite dry rub. Sometimes I will use an All-Purpose Seasoning that I randomly find somewhere and use it on things like this. It’s an easy way to switch up flavors so you’re not in a slump of the same thing all the time.
The cook time listed is approximate. Your time will depend on how cold the tenderloin is when placed in the oven, and how thick it is. Using a probe thermometer with a cable is very useful here. You can set your temperature and go about the rest of dinner prep instead of opening the oven door and constantly checking the temp.
You can skip the pan-searing if necessary, or if you don’t want to clean up the grease splatter; I get it.. See the Notes below the recipe for skipping searing, even though it’s pretty self-explanatory.
Enjoy!
Brined and Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Brining adds flavor and moisture, while the dry rub is full of spices, creating a really delicious dinner.
Ingredients
Brine:
- 3 cups water
- 3 (level) tablespoons kosher salt, not table salt, see Notes
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 1/4 cup molasses, not sorghum
- 1 galloon zip-top bag
- 1 1-pound pork tenderloin
Rub:
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika, hot or mild
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard, I like Colman's brand
- 1/2 teaspooon ground cayenne pepper, optional
For searing:
- 1 - 2 tablespoons neutral oil, (avocado, vegetable, etc.)
Instructions
- Brine the pork. Dissolve the salt in the water. You can do this in the microwave or on the stovetop. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Set aside to cool completely on the countertop, refrigerator, or freezer (if you keep an eye on it and not let it freeze.). Do not use the brine while it is still hot or even warm. The brine can be made a week in advance. (*Do not be tempted to add ice cubes to the brine to cool it down faster; it will water-down your brine.)
- Remove the silverskin from the tenderloin and discard.
- Add the brine and tenderloin to the zip-top bag. Place the bag in a medium bowl just in case of leaks.
- Refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours.
- After brining, remove the tenderloin from the bag and pull off any peppercorns or bay leaf that may be stuck. Discard the brine.
- Let the tenderloin sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, to knock the chill off.
- Rub and cook the pork: Combine all the rub ingredients in a small bowl, breaking up any lumps.
- Pat the tenderloin dry with paper towels. Rub the pork tenderloin all over, continuing to rub the mixture into the meat, massaging all over continuously until all the rub mixture is used up. Let the rubbed pork sit for 10 to 20 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees while the pork sits.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the tenderloin and sear on all sides. This may take about 8 to 10 minutes. Add more oil as needed.
- If you have seared the pork using an oven-safe skillet, you can transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. If you did not use an oven-safe skillet, transfer the pork tenderloin to an oven-safe dish, or rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake until the tenderloin is 143 degrees in the thickest part, approximately 20 minutes. A probe thermometer is helpful here. The temperature will increase to 145 after being removed from the oven. Check the thermometer to make sure of the increase. If for some reason the temp does not reach at least 145 degrees, place back into the oven until the targeted temp is reached.
- Remove from the oven and place the tenderloin on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes, up to 30 minutes.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
You can skip the searing if you would like. Searing meat does add more flavor as the exterior browns, but if you don’t like cleaning up the grease splatter on your stovetop, (I get it), you can rub the pork, then place on the baking sheet, then straight into the oven. Bake as instructed in the recipe.
Place any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 2 or 3 months.
If you use something other than kosher salt, reduce the amount to 2 tablespoons. Sometimes, I like to use an infused salt, and they generally are not kosher, so I have to decrease the amount added to the brine.
The nutrition chart only calculates the ½ teaspoon sea salt in the rub. There are way too many factors to determine the salt content in your final dish (the size of your tenderloin, the salt content already in the tenderloin, the amount of water added for the brine, the brand of kosher salt used, the length of brining, etc.) As you can see, it’s next to impossible for me to give you an accurate sodium count. I found one website (the fermentationpodcast.com) that attempts to help you calculate, but I am not a mathematician so it sounded like rocket science to me. Good luck!
The nutrition chart calculates 1 tablespoon of avocado oil.
Nutrition Facts
Brined and Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Amount per Serving
Calories
231.2
% Daily Value*
Fat
10.17
g
16
%
Saturated Fat
2.33
g
15
%
Trans Fat
0.05
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1.5
g
Monounsaturated Fat
5.33
g
Cholesterol
98.28
mg
33
%
Sodium
323.5
mg
14
%
Potassium
612.97
mg
18
%
Carbohydrates
1.29
g
0
%
Fiber
0.27
g
1
%
Sugar
0.18
g
0
%
Protein
31.65
g
63
%
Vitamin C
0.12
mg
0
%
Calcium
13.97
mg
1
%
Iron
1.59
mg
9
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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