This one is great and it’s really EASY!
So! No slow cooker this week… we are giving the girl a break! Instead, we are going to move on over to our oven, as well as our cast iron pan, to make this two-part meal for our Sunday pleasure. It’s easy, and it’s really tasty, and I believe if you like a little spice along with the soft taste of apricots, this one is for you. The accompanying dish, a Honey Balsamic Garlic Mushroom dish, is smooth to the palate. I would recommend an additional side, such as broccoli or asparagus, to round out this awesome meal. I will break these out in the ingredients and prep, and at the end I will put this all together. Let’s get started!
Please see the ingredients below and enjoy!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Pork Tenderloin Dish - Ingredients:
2½ pounds of pork tenderloin… I always make more
1 Tbsp., Cajun Spice is standard; As always, I prefer more and I always use Hunt Chef brand since I really love it. You can learn more about this brand in the Hunt Chef blog on this website.
I use 3 Tbsp (or up to just shy of ¼ cup) of Hunt Chef Reel Dam Deal and mix with 3 Tbsp (or up to just shy of ¼ cup) of Straight Outta Pontchartrain, Louisiana-style blackening seasoning. This stuff is the best! As mentioned above, check them out on www.huntchef.com. I love it, my wife loves it, it has the right blends and seasonings for any dish!
2 Tbsp., of brown sugar; So we are clear, you’re going to mix this with the spices so it’s your choice in the amount you would like to use. If you’re going to stick with the standard, this would be enough, but if you’re going to bump it up then I recommend a full ¼ cup. You will be rubbing in the mix so use as much as you want.
8 bacon strips
½ cup of apricot preserves
¼ cup of Dijon mustard
Pork Tenderloin Dish - Prep
Wash the pork tenderloin well under water and try to peel off any fat but as always, the flavor is in the fat so don’t go hog wild.
Mix the brown sugar and the Cajun spice, once again it’s your call how spicy you would like it. The mix I use is not that spicey, and gives the correct amount of pronunciation in the flavor of the pork. But, it’s your choice.
Season the pork well with the brown sugar/Cajun mix.
Once the seasoning is complete, take the individual strips of bacon and wrap around the pork tenderloin. It will stick to it and as you can see in the photographs. I used 4-strips for each.
As always, I prep the night before and refrigerate overnight for a fresh start in the morning.
Honey Balsamic Garlic Mushrooms - Ingredients:
1 Tbsp of olive oil or an approximate amount, it’s for your skillet
16 ounces of whole mushrooms… I use Baby Bella, they’re just easy
Salt and pepper
¼ cup balsamic vinegar, I don’t recommend cheating here, use the correct amount
1 Tbsp., of honey
6 garlic cloves, minced
Freshly chopped parsley for garnish
Honey Balsamic Garlic Mushrooms - Prep
Wash the mushrooms in a colander, I recommend leaving them whole and not remove the stems. You can choose to remove the stems and slice in half or more, but I do not.
Mix the balsamic vinegar, honey and minced garlic into a side bowl and stir well.
Prep and store into a sealable container for cooking in the morning.
Instructions:
In a large skillet (I prefer a nice Lodge cast iron skillet), brown the bacon wrapped pork on all sides for up to 10-15 minutes.
While you browning the bacon wrapped pork; begin preheating your oven to 400F/200C.
Once the bacon wrapped pork is browned on all sides, use a stove top safe brush to brush the brown sugar/Cajun spice all over the bacon wrapped pork.
Once your oven reaches temperature, move the bacon wrapped pork, while in your cast iron skillet, to the oven or transfer to an oven safe cooking dish.
Bake your bacon wrapped pork in your oven at 400F/200C for 15-minutes or until your pork temperature reaches 140F/60C
In another skillet, over medium heat, add a Tbsp., of olive oil until the skillet is well seasoned.
Salt and pepper well; keep in mind that mushrooms absorb salt a lot so be generous but don’t overdo it.
Add the mushrooms in the skillet for about 3-5 minutes until the mushrooms become tender.
Once the mushrooms are nice and tender; add the balsamic/honey/garlic mix and give it a good stir and let it soak in for another 5-minutes until its reduced.
Pour into a colander to drain out the moisture, then put in a bowl and garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve.
Don’t forget about your pork; stick that thermometer in and take its temperature. If it hits 140F/60C pull it out and let it sit on your counter to rest for 5-minutes, covered.
When it’s cooled down a bit, brush on another coat of the brown sugar/Cajun spice mix.
Cut it and serve.
Conclusion:
This dish is great! The soft taste of pork with the proper amount of spice with an apricot glaze excites every level of your tastebuds. The side dishes of mushrooms and broccoli accompany this main entrée and allow it to accentuate every taste. I paired this meal with a spectacular Serbian red blend, Цар Лазар, if you speak Serbian or Czar Lazar in English. This great red blend is produced by Rubin Vino which is the largest producer of alcoholic beverages in Serbia. (https://www.rubin.rs/en/) This spectacular red wine will complement any carnivore meal. I found this tasty wine here locally in the Cleveland area at PV Euro Foods in Parma, Ohio. (https://www.pveuromarket.com) You can google your local area for this fine wine at a reasonable price point to accompany any of your carnivore dishes. Shop and support PV Euro Foods or your local import foods business in your town. Without these folks these European foods and this European culture will disappear! Cheers to all of you who preserve these traditions!
Comments