Broiled Pork Tenderloin Recipe - America's Test Kitchen

1/19/15, 10:26 AM

Broiled Pork Tenderloin

From America's Test Kitchen Season 15: Pork Tenderloin Dinner
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Recipes for broiled pork tenderloin promise roasts with well-browned exteriors and rosy-pink, juicy centers, but the
results are more likely pallid, overcooked meat or spottily browned roasts with undercooked interiors. Using a
disposable aluminum pan to cook the pork reflected the radiant heat of the broiler toward the pork, enhancing
browning and ensuring that the interior didnt overcook by the time deep browning had been achieved. Since some
ovens preheat faster than others and are likely to cycle off if preheated at such an intense heat for too long, we
evened the playing field by preheating the oven to 325 degrees before putting in the roasts and turning on the broiler.
And finally, because of the broilers intense heat, we found that there was a much bigger carryover cooking effect, so
we pulled the roasts from the oven when they hit 125 to 130 degrees instead of our usual 140 degrees to ensure that
they were a perfect medium-rare after their 10-minute rest.

Serves 4 to 6
We prefer natural pork, but if you use enhanced pork (injected with a salt solution), reduce the salt in step 2 to 1 1/2
teaspoons. A 3-inch-deep aluminum roasting pan is essential. Do not attempt this recipe with a drawer broiler. For
more information on using your broiler, see related content.

INGREDIENTS
2

(1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed

teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/4

teaspoons vegetable oil

1/2

teaspoon pepper

1/4

teaspoon baking soda

(13 by 9-inch) disposable aluminum roasting pan

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack 4 to 5 inches from broiler element and heat oven to 325 degrees. Fold thin tip of each tenderloin
under about 2 inches to create uniformly shaped roast. Tie tenderloins crosswise with kitchen twine at 2-inch
intervals, making sure folded tip is secured underneath. Trim excess twine close to meat to prevent it from scorching
under broiler.
2. Mix salt, oil, and pepper in small bowl until salt is evenly coated with oil. Add baking soda and stir until well
combined. Rub mixture evenly over pork. Place tenderloins in disposable pan, evenly spaced between sides of pan and
each other.
3. Turn oven to broil. Immediately place meat in oven and broil tenderloins for 5 minutes. Flip tenderloins and
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Broiled Pork Tenderloin Recipe - America's Test Kitchen

1/19/15, 10:26 AM

continue to broil until golden brown and meat registers 125 to 130 degrees, 8 to 14 minutes. Remove disposable pan
from oven, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Remove twine, slice tenderloins into 1/2-inchthick slices, and serve.

TECHNIQUE

UNDERSTANDING BROILERS
To use a broiler effectively, its important to understand how it differs from regular oven cooking. While roasting relies
on convective heat (air molecules surround the food), a broiler cooks food primarily with radiant heat, a form of
invisible infrared light waves. The broiler element can reach 2,000 degrees. This poses an inherent challenge in all
broiling, and the way most broilers operate doesnt make it any easier.

WAVES MUST HIT THE FOOD

The waves should directly hit the food. The food should be just far enough away from the element that the heat is
intense but also evenly hitting the food (for more detail, see The Parchment Test: Finding the Broiler Sweet Spot, in
related content).

PREHEATING IS UNRELIABLE
Most broilers have no ready signal, so youre left guessing when the broiler is preheated. Those that heat quickly may
cycle off during cooking, while slow-to-heat broilers will be too cool and wont cook the food in the given time.

IF A BROILER CYCLES OFF, BROWNING SUFFERS

If the broiler is on for too long, most ovens will exceed a maximum air temperature and the broiler will temporarily
switch off. The food will continue to cook by convection, but without radiant heat browning will slow dramatically.

TECHNIQUE

GETTING A BROILER TO WORK FOR PORK TENDERLOIN

For well-browned, perfectly cooked pork tenderloin, the key is eliminating the variables and catching more heat. Our
solution works with every broiler.

HIT THE SWEET SPOT

Rack position terms like upper-middle can be interpreted differently from oven to oven. We set the rack 4 to 5
inches from the element for the best results for this recipe.

USE A DEEP DISPOSABLE ALUMINUM ROASTING PAN

This reflects more radiant heat toward the pork, maximizing browning.

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Broiled Pork Tenderloin Recipe - America's Test Kitchen

1/19/15, 10:26 AM

PREHEAT THE OVEN

This brings not just the air in the oven but also the broiler element up to 325 degrees, narrowing the jump before the
broiler element is fully preheated. Broilers that run hot wont cycle off, and broilers that run cool will be fully
preheated.

TECHNIQUE

AVOID OVERCOOKING
As the roasts rest, their internal temperature rises 10 to 15 degrees more than it would in a typical roasting recipe.
For the ideal 145-degree serving temperature, take them out of the oven when they hit 125 degrees.

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