How to cook free-range pork tenderloin on the grill or in the oven. Melt-in-your-mouth soft and perfect for a main meal or lunch sandwich.
I found a free-range pork tenderloin while “freezer diving” a few weeks ago.
It’s been over a year and it was delicious both as a staple and as leftovers.
This is the benefit of buying quality pastured meat from local farms. It is so fresh when it arrives that it will last even longer in the freezer.
This is quite different from supermarket meat, which may be gassed and/or frozen/thawed multiple times before you buy “fresh” meat.
I thought I’d share some simple preparation steps so you can try it yourself the next time it’s available.
One way to cook healthy pork is to marinate it briefly before cooking, as practiced in traditional cultures.
This careful preparation was necessary for safety and improved digestibility.
The most prominent of these was the Okinawan culture of longevity, where pork was the staple food.
Pork tenderloin grazing
Free-range pork tenderloin traditionally grilled or oven-baked to melt-in-your-mouth tenderness.
instructions
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Remove excess skin from surface of tenderloin.
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Place the cut pork tenderloin in a glass bowl.
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Mix whey and lemon juice and pour over the top.
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Marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
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Rinse the tenderloin with filtered water and dry thoroughly with a clean cotton cloth.
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Cut 1 clove of garlic (or 2 small cloves) into 4-5 pieces.
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Push the garlic cloves into the openings that you can drill deep enough into the pork tenderloin meat so that the meat is mostly covered.
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Rub 2 tablespoons of sea salt over the entire surface of the tenderloin.
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Grate black pepper all over the surface of the tenderloin.
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Place on the top rack of a 350-400°F (177-204°C) barbecue grill (or oven) on the base of the foil or foil substitute.
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Cover and cook for 30 minutes. To make sure it’s done, test with a thermometer that the center is 145-165°F (66-74°C) after cooking.
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Slice onto serving platter and garnish with optional sprigs of rosemary. Serve immediately.
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Enjoy leftovers as a pork sandwich on sourdough buns with homemade BBQ sauce.
nutrition facts table
Pork tenderloin grazing
Amount Per Serving (0.25 lbs)
calorie 154
calories from fat 54
% Daily Value*
obesity 6g9%
2g saturated fatTen%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.6g
2.7g monounsaturated fat
cholesterol 75mgtwenty five%
sodium 56mg2%
potassium 407mg12%
protein 23g46%
iron 1.36mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
