Adding flavor to pork tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is very lean and can be quite bland. The sauce with this dish explodes with flavor and makes it a memorable dish.

Pork Tenderloin with Hot, Sweet, Sour Peanut Sauce 

Pork Tenderloin

Recipe for a package of 2 tenderloins, about 2 lbs.

Serves 4-6

Trim bits of fat and tendon from pork.

Marinate for at least 1 hour in soy sauce or teriyaki sauce, lemon juice, lots of minced garlic and ginger, and peanut oil. Proportions are flexible.

Grill over charcoal or in your broiler until cooked through, but don’t overcook. Pork should be slightly pink in the center or it gets too dry. 

Tent with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes. It will continue to cook a bit, so remove from heat when it’s a touch underdone.

Hot, Sweet, Sour Peanut Sauce

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) natural peanut butter, salt-free and unsweetened

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar

Up to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. This will be quite spicy, so start with ½ teaspoon and taste for heat as you go.

3 to 4 tablespoons dried cilantro

Whisk all ingredients together and let stand for at least 1 hour. It should be a thickish sauce, so if it’s too thin, add more cilantro.

If you like the sauce quite spicy, you can divide it into 2 parts and add cayenne to only 1 when serving company.

This is a bit skimpy for 2 tenderloins, so you might want to make a larger batch (1½ times)