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Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

Cooking Light
Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Rose Nguyen
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My Notes

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Outstanding

Allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon—a combination often found in cold-weather baked goods—accent the savory rub mixture. Turn the pork frequently in the pan so the spices don't burn and grow bitter. The rub also works well with heritage pork such as Duroc or Berkshire. If you don't have whole allspice berries, preground allspice will work.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork)

Ingredients

  • 1  teaspoon  sugar
  • 1  teaspoon  garlic powder
  • 3/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground allspice
  • 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
  • 1/4  teaspoon  dried thyme
  • 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1/4  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
  • 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
  • 1  (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
  • 2  teaspoons  olive oil

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine first 9 ingredients; rub over pork. Let stand 20 minutes. Heat oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 4 minutes, browning on all sides.

3. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155° (slightly pink), turning after 7 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut pork crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Nutritional Information

Calories:
166
Fat:
6.3g (sat 1.7g,mono 3.4g,poly 0.7g)
Protein:
24g
Carbohydrate:
2.1g
Fiber:
0.5g
Cholesterol:
74mg
Iron:
1.7mg
Sodium:
500mg
Calcium:
13mg
David Bonom, Cooking Light, MARCH 2009

Member Ratings and Reviews

5 stars
Lindsey
Tried because the spice mixture was interesting and I tend to love their warm flavors in other things. I was blown away by how delicious the pork was!! After I finished it for my dinner (eaten with a peppery arugula salad with a simple oil and vinegar dressing as well as some brown rice), I saved some for my roommate to try and when we tasted it together cold from the fridge I was blown away again by the new flavor developments! Would have made a yummy sandwich, but the meat didn't last that long---we couldn't stop ourselves from nibbling! We even jovially argued over who got to eat the last bite! Boy were we stuffed that night, but it was worth it!! Sandwich bread would have muffled its amazing flavors anyway. Beautiful!11/01/09

5 stars
Christine
This rub was delicious! I happened to find the recipe when I was looking for something to do with a pork loin, and I ended up using the rub on steaks cut from the loin. I will definitely be using this again!10/11/09