Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin

I found a nice looking piece of Pork Tenderloin in the freezer yesterday and since we hadn't had any pork in a long time I decided to do something with it for our supper today.   Todd loves pork and as he hasn't been feeling very well, I thought it would be a real treat for him.  I love pork tenderloin.  It's like the filet mignon of the pork world . . .  so long as it isn't overcooked.  It's tender and lean and quite adaptable to most flavours.

 

Honey and soy are perfect flavour companions and go really well with pork, and so I knew that I wanted to incorporate them into a type of sauce . . .  not too sweet though . . .  honey is a natural sugar . . .  but I am not allowed to overdo that at all.  (This was just enough with 2 TBS for the whole dish that meant only 1/2 TBS per serving, and not even that if I was judicious with myself on my serving of sauce.)

 

I also wanted to get some flavour right into the pork (especially where I wasn't going to be eating much of the sauce myself) and so I created a flavoursom rub that I could massage right into that flesh . . .

Salt, pepper, cumin, mild chili powder, garlic and cinnamon . . .  all got rubbed in to coate the meat really well.   Then I heated the sauce ingredients . . .  soy, honey and butter in a stove to oven casserole on top of the stove . . .

 

The spice rubbed pork was browned lightly in that mixture and then the whole thing was banged into the oven for a quick roasting.  Not too long, only 15 minutes.  I didn't want to overcook the pork.

While the roasted pork was resting, I added some water to the pan juices and reduced them to a delicious sauce that was fabulous drizzled over those tender pieces of pork.  With some mashed sweet potatoes and tender stem broccoli on the side, this was a really delicious dinner . . .  and so simple to make as well.

 

I love it when that happens!  Just so long as you keep your sauce usage down to a minimum, this is not that unhealthy really.  With the right portion of meat and those tasty vegetables on the side.  This was pretty low GI.

*Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe 

Tender pork tenderloin gets a spicy rub and then browned in a soy honey butter mixture.  Once it's browned you quick roast it in the oven until it's tender delicious.  Yummo! 

For the rub:

1 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp mild chili powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon  

1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed 

For the honey butter mixture:

4 TBS butter

2 TBS honey

1 TBS soy sauce

You will also need 6 fluid ounces of water 

First make the rub by combining all of the ingredients together in a bowl.  Cut the pork into 4 large pieces.  Rub as much of the rub as you can into all of  the surfaces  of the pork. 

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.   

Using an oven proof pot, melt the butter, honey and soy together over medium heat.  Once the butter begins to foam, add the pieces of tenderloin and brown them all over.   Take care not to let the honey burn.  If you think it is catching, turn the heat down.   Once the meat is browned all over place the pot into the preheated oven.   Roast uncovered for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Place the pork on a plate and tent lightly with foil.   Return the pot to the top of the stove.  Add the water.  Bring to the boil and then cook at a brisk simmer until the sauce has reduced by at least half.   

To serve, cut the pork on the diagonal and drizzle some sauce over top.

The soy sauce I used in this recipe was Sanchi Organic Tamari Soy Sauce.

Tamari is one of the oldest Japanese seasonings; the word "Tamari" literally means 'to accumulate, referring to the liquid collected from fully aged soya bean miso. Sanchi Tamari is still crafted in the traditional manner. It is excellent for seasoning soups, stocks, broths, marinades, salad dressings, sauces, pickles, stir-fries, any kind of vegetable, vegetarian or fish dish. It is also ideal when used as a condiment to add to meals. It's also Gluten free which makes it perfect for use by coeliacs and others with wheat intolerances. It has a slightly richer taste than the Shoyu Soy Sauce.

The other bottle of Soy Sauce is Sanchi Organic Shoyu Soy Sauce.  This sauce is an authentic traditional Japanese Soy Sauce, naturally aged over a period of eighteen months in cedarwood kegs. It is ideal for use as a savoury seasoning instead of salt. Ideally added one minute before the end of cooking. Excellent for seasoning soups, stocks, broths, marinades, salad dressings, sauces, pickles, stir-fries, any kind of vegetable, vegetarian or fish dish. It's also perfect to use as a condiment to add to meals.

Both are very delicious and have been working well in what I have been using them.

It was perfect in my Simple Sesame Noodle recipe, where the soy is added to a type of cold dressing and poured over hot noodles. 

This noodle salad is one of my favourite lunches.

Sanchi is a premium range of Japanese foods made in an uncompromising traditional manner from the highest quality ingredients and methods. To give you an example, their Sanchi Tamari (wheat free soy sauce made with soya beans) is naturally fermented in cedar wood barrels for a minimum of 18 months. It is extremely rare these days to find manufacturers who still produce in this traditional, but high quality way. They won the Daily Mail organic new product of the year award with Sanchi Tamari when it first gained recognition in the trade. All of their products are based on the macrobiotic principles of food production.

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