Tropical Pork Tenderloin

Tropical Pork Tenderloin cooks with bright island heat, it's the spice rub that makes this one of my long-time favorites. The pork stands alone but is designed to pair beautifully with Tropical Salad Supper, salad greens tossed with a citrus vinaigrette, fresh-sliced mango, sweet peppers and avocado. Be sure to cook an extra loin or two, the meat is extra-good later, sliced thin for sandwiches or a great protein-rich snack.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

COMPLIMENTS!

• A Toronto cook reported this week that three generations loved this pork tenderloin ...
• "... it was a hit!" ~ Tony & Sue

---

Success! In the Meat Department.

“Meat makes me nervous,” a new cook confided. His nervies don't apply to drive-through food, as amply evidenced by an expanding waistline and elevating credit card debt.

We talked it through, how to cook meat safely. He soon proudly reported, “I’ve cooked meat twice. It’s not that hard!” He’s right. With a few tips, it’s easy to cook meat safely.

IN THE GROCERY STORE Starting at the grocery, keep meat separate from other items. At the meat counter, slip it into nearby plastic bags. At check-out, ask for separate sacks.

ONCE HOME At home, thaw meat in the fridge or (especially vacuum packs) submerged in cold, not warm! water.

WASH YOUR HANDS! Wash your hands with soap before cooking, then again each time after touching the raw meat. This can mean several hand washings so designate one towel for drying.

SEPARATE RAW MEAT Once a cutting board, platter or knife touches raw meat, don’t use it again until cleaned in hot soapy water. I use two boards, one for trimming the meat (then straight into the dishwasher), another for veggies and later slicing the cooked meat.

MEAT THERMOMETER Get a meat thermometer! The new ones chime when the right temperature is reached.

CLEAN-UP After supper, use a fresh dishcloth to clean the counters, stove and knobs, faucet, microwave handle, fridge door and anything else you may have touched. For good measure, use a second dishcloth and wipe again with hot water primed with a tablespoon of bleach or the ever-so-convenient disposable bleach wipes. Then send the dishcloths and towels to the washing machine.

RESOURCES This is the meat thermometer I've used for many years, available on Amazon, used for everything from a piece of chicken to a whole bison! My Disclosure Promise

---

QUICK SUPPER: TROPICAL PORK TENDERLOIN

A bit of sweet, a bit of heat

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 40 minutes
Serves 4

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound pork tenderloin

GLAZE
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

(Wash your hands!) Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Heat a large, oven-proof skillet on medium high, then heat olive oil. (If your skillet has a wooden handle, wrap it in two layers of foil.) While skillet heats, mix spices in a small bowl. With your hands, rub the spices over the meat. (Wash your hands!) Sear the meat (see ALANNA’s TIPS) for 4 – 5 minutes, turning it as each side turns brown and crusty.

Combine the glaze ingredients and pat it atop the meat. Place the skillet in the oven for 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer reaches 145F/65C. Remove the skillet from the oven, cover with foil for at least 5 minutes. Slice thin on the diagonal and serve immediately.

RESOURCES What is the safe cooking temperature for pork tenderloin? Should Cooked Pork Be Pink?.

ALANNA’S TIPS: “Sear” is kitchen code for quickly browning a piece of meat at high temperature, without cooking the interior but creating a crust that will hold in the meat juice while it cooks.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving Without/With Glaze: 153/212 Calories; 5g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 73mg Cholesterol; 352/367mg Sodium; 1/16g Carb; 0/1g Fiber; 0/13g Sugar; 24g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 3/5 & PointsPlus 3/5 & SmartPoints 4/7 & Freestyle 4/7 CALORIE COUNTERS 100-calorie serving (without glaze) = 2oz.

---

More Favorite Pork Recipes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more pork recipes ~

---

Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ pork recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

---

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

---

© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2006, 2013 & 2019