Double Take: Hoisin Pork Tenderloin

Hoisin Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Asparagus

What’s hoisin you ask? I have a friend who calls it “High Sin” because it’s so good that it must be sinful. It is delicious, if a bit sweet. It’s similar to a thick barbeque sauce, but it definitely has an Asian flair. I’m fairly certain hoisin sauce is available in most grocery stores these days, but it’s almost always cheaper (as much as ½ price) at Asian grocery stores. Never been to an Asian grocery store? I highly recommend checking them out. You’ll be amazed at what you can find there!

When I read this recipe on Noble Pig when she first posted it in December, my mind immediately went to Tabitha. She loves pork tenderloin and she LOVES hoisin sauce, so this entrée sounded like a match made in heaven for her. I’m fond of those things myself, so I knew I wanted to try it. However, I knew Bender would not be a fan. He doesn’t dislike Asian food, but he does dislike taking a good piece of meat and smothering it in a sweet sauce, so I waited until he went out of town to make this. Luckily, The Dude was more than happy to eat my leftovers as the sauce was just a bit too sweet for me. More on that in a minute. Here’s the easy peasy recipe that I highly recommend trying.

Look, Mom! I actually cleaned the asparagus properly!

Hoisin Pork Tenderloin

adapted from Cooking Light by Noble Pig

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
Cooking spray
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

Directions
Combine pork, hoisin, green onions, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and garlic in a large zippered plastic bag.  Seal and marinate at least two hours or overnight.  Turn bag periodically.

Remove pork from bag, reserving marinade.  Place pork on a rack that sits on top of a baking rack.  Spray the rack with cooking spray.  (I used a cast iron grill pan, so I skipped the baking rack.)Bake at 425^o F for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle top of pork with sesame seeds (I totally skipped this step too, I’m not a fan of sesame seeds); bake until meat thermometer reaches 160^o F (Mine cooked for a total of 25 minutes).  Place pork on cutting board; tent with foil and let stand 10 minutes.  Cut into 1/2" thick slices.

Pour reserved marinade into a small saucepan; bring to a boil.  Cook until reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 3 minutes.  Serve with pork.

I don't have cooking spray, so I greased my grill pan with lard. 

THOUGHTS: So easy and quick to make! Yay! I actually made my marinade day of. I got home from work a bit early that day, put the marinade together, a process that took all of 10 minutes, including cleanup. Then I headed to the grocery store for the rest of things I needed. Namely, asparagus. Asparagus is coming into season, and I love it roasted. When I took the pork out of the oven, I put the asparagus on the grill pan and slid the pan back in the oven. I tented the pork, and took the asparagus out when the pork had finished resting. It was perfect timing. Plus, there is plenty of time to properly clean your asparagus while the pork is cooking. This meal is super easy and quite tasty. Yay!

I did find the hoisin reduction a bit sweet, but The Dude loved it. However, the flavor of the pork was still tasty, and I enjoyed the pork with no extra sauce. I highly recommend you try this recipe out for a quick and easy weeknight meal!

Dinner/Supper is served.

VERDICT:

Make-again-I-think-even-Bender-would-eat-it-without-the-hoisin-reduction: 1 vote

Thanks-for-the-leftovers-you-can-make-this-anytime-including-the-hoisin-reduction: 1 vote

For Tabitha's Take on Hoisin Pork Tenderloin, head on over to Double the Garlic!