This pan-seared apple cider marinated pork tenderloin is juicy, flavorful and served with a spectacular apple cider and Dijon mustard pan sauce. Serve it with biscuits or mashed potatoes and a vegetable side dish, such as green beans.
Apricot preserves intensify the apple cider flavor:
Instead of the often used brown sugar I added apricot preserves to the marinade in this recipe. I wanted to intensify the sweet fruit flavors of the cider and since apple and apricot are a classic pairing, the preserves were perfect for that. And, as a bonus, they also help get a beautiful caramelization on the cooked meat.
Full Recipe
Apple Cider Marinated Pork Tenderloin
This roasted apple cider marinated pork tenderloin is juicy, flavorful and served with a spectacular apple cider and Dijon pan sauce.
Equipment:
Ingredients:
Method:
For the marinade:
- Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a bowl. (If there are any large chunks of fruit in the preserves, mash them up a bit with a fork.)2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, ¼ cup apple cider (unfiltered apple juice, not apple cider vinegar), 2 teaspoons mild olive oil, ½ teaspoon table salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons dried thyme, 2 tablespoons apricot preserves
For the pork:
- If the tenderloin has a thin, tapered end, fold that end onto itself to get the same thickness all the way across. Cut the tenderloin into 4 equal-sized pieces.1 pork tenderloin (1 to 1 ½ pounds)
- Add the 4 pieces to a resealable plastic bag. Pour the marinade into the bag, seal, then transfer to the fridge and marinate for 4 to 6 hours.
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Take the meat out of the marinade and lightly dab off excess marinade using paper towels.
- Heat the olive oil in a cast iron pan on the stovetop. Add the tenderloin pieces and sear on all sides until lightly browned.1 ½ tablespoons mild olive oil
- Transfer the pan with the meat into the oven. Roast, uncovered, until the meat has reached an internal temperature of 150 degrees F. (This will take 15 to 20 minutes. Flip the pieces over after 8 minutes.)
- Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the meat to a plate, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let the pork rest for 8 minutes.
For the pan sauce:
- While the pork is resting, set the pan with the drippings back on the stovetop.
- Add the minced onion. Cook, stirring continuously, until the all the pan drippings are sopped up (about 1 minute).¼ cup minced yellow onion (you need about ⅓ of a small onion for that)
- Pour in the apple cider and cook until reduced by about half (about 2 minutes).½ cup apple cider (unfiltered apple juice, not apple cider vinegar)
- Stir in thyme, Dijon mustard and butter and cook until thickened a bit.½ teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- Season to taste with salt.
- Pour the sauce over the meat and serve.
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Nutrition (estimate only):
More marinated pork recipes:
- For another great pork recipe with apricot preserves and Dijon check out this apricot marinade.
- This brown sugar pork chop marinade is full of sweet, tangy and savory flavors.
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