Week 5: Oven Roasted Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin with Maple-Ginger Glaze

Pork, Ginger, and Maple Syrup? Um, yeah.  This is scrumptious.  

I have a love-hate relationship with pork tenderloin.  My mom makes a super yummy pork tenderloin dish with cranberries and balsamic vinegar.  I love that.  I’ve tried to make it several times and it’s never the same.  I don’t love that.  Whatever recipe I try, I tend to overcook it.  This results in a dry hunk of pork.  I don’t love that either.  So, I usually opt for the pork tenderloin, BBQ sauce, crock pot combo.  I don’t particularly love that either, but my husband digs it.  Hmmmm... there seems to be a theme here.  Perhaps I just don’t like pork tenderloin.  WRONG!  This week’s recipe regained my confidence in cooking pork tenderloin, sans crock pot.  

My mom found the recipe for Oven Roasted Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin with Maple-Ginger Glaze on the blog, Feed Me Phoebe (which can be found here).  I am a huge fan of fresh ginger, and the flavors in this recipe certainly did not disappoint! 

Couple things:

1. I didn’t have “organic” maple syrup.  I did use the “real stuff”, but in a pinch I really do think that the “fake stuff” would work fine.  I know this from experience... not only am I Maine girl who finds seafood revolting, I prefer the fake sugary maple syrup to the real thing!  SO, I have occasionally substituted it in recipes because I always have that on hand.
2. What is tamari you ask?  Well, I didn’t know either.  I learned that it is very similar to soy sauce.  The biggest difference is that it doesn’t have wheat, and soy sauce does.  No wheat allergies in this house!  I used soy sauce.
3. I didn’t combine my marinate in the food processor.  I grated the ginger using a normal grater.  This worked fine and saved me having to wash some extra dishes. 
4. I marinaded the pork for about 24 hours.  When I make it again, I will do the same.
5. My tenderloin was a bit over 1 pound.  I cooked it for about 25 minutes.
6. The sauce was delish!  My husband loves sauces, and I usually double all sauce recipes.  This recipe does not yield much... at all.  I understand that the idea is to DRIZZLE it on the pork, however my husband wanted to DROWN the pork.  Next time, I will double the marinade to accommodate him.  Okay, he actually suggested I quadruple it, but I really don’t think that is necessary.     

Mom

"If I had to narrow my choice of meats down to one for the rest of my life, I am quite certain that meat would be pork"

        ~ James Beard

I, like James Beard, love pork.  I like it roasted, grilled, pan-fried, with fruit or herbs, braised with sauerkraut...I really like pork.  My go to recipe for pork tenderloin, in the winter, includes balsamic vinegar and cranberries.  Do I really need another pork tenderloin recipe.  Why, of course I do!

This one is incredibly simple and very tasty.  My husband exclaimed, after his first bite, "Spicy"!  And, yes it is, but not overly so. I let the tenderloin sit in its marinade - I made a bit extra - for four hours and that seemed just about right.  I think overnight, which the recipe mentions, might produce a too spicy tenderloin, at least for us.  The peppery ginger met its match in the maple syrup.  The result was a spicy/sweet pungent tenderloin.  Reducing the leftover marinade slightly made for a nice sauce.

I didn't find the need to haul out my blender or food processor to mix the marinade.  It just took a minute to grate the ginger and mince the garlic.  My tenderloin weighed in at 1 1/3 lbs. and was roasted perfectly in 22 minutes.  I let it sit while rice cooked and I stir fried, one of my favorite vegetable sides, shredded brussel sprouts, with maple syrup and pecans.

Bottom line - It passed the "Honey, Would you eat this again?", with five "yums" up.  It's on the Make Again List and is company worthy.

Oven Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Maple-Ginger Glaze

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Serving Size: 2-4

Ingredients

• ¼ cup organic maple syrup
• ¼ cup gluten-free tamari (or soy sauce)
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 inches fresh ginger root
• 1 pound pork tenderloin

 Instructions

1. In a small food processor, puree the maple syrup, tamari (or soy sauce), garlic, and ginger until smooth. Transfer the marinade to a resealable plastic bag. Add the pork and swish around until coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
   
2. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Remove the pork from the marinade and set on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, until the pork is nicely browned on top. Allow to rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Meanwhile, transfer the remaining marinade to a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat until reduced by half.
4. Slice the pork on the bias, drizzle with the reduced sauce, and serve immediately. 
   
   
   
   
5. ENJOY!