Spiced Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

Because the pork tenderloins I bought at Costco come in packs of two, I needed another tenderloin recipe pretty quick after making the first one. This one calls for things I generally have on-hand anyway so there was no special purchases at the store; that's a win for me especially if it turns out to be tasty.

Spiced Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
from Cooking Club, Fall 2012
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2 tsp packed light brown sugar
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 1-lb pork tenderloin
2 tsp canola oil
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/4 c water
1 1/2 tsp hot sauce, such as Frank's

Heat oven to 350°F.

Combine brown sugar, sage, thyme, pepper and salt in a small bowl.


Rub over pork, pressing to adhere.


Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot.


Cook pork 4 minutes or until browned on all sides; place on foil-lined small rimmed baking sheet. Reserve skillet with drippings.


Bake 15-20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145-150°F. Cover loosely with foil.

My tenderloin went from 66.2°F to 146.1°F in 18 minutes.

Let stand 10 minutes; thinly slice.


Meanwhile, heat reserved skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add vinegar, water and hot sauce; bring to a boil.


Boil 3 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Serve over pork.


Well, well! This tenderloin turned out marvelously! But with a simple dry rub and balsamic vinegar, that isn't really all that surprising, is it? Plus it reminds me of this tenderloin, but with a little more pizzazz and a little less velvet. Done in just about 45 minutes, I'll be sure to keep this one in mind the next time I'm in a tenderloin mood. And I bet it's fairly inexpensive. Let's see.

Cost:

• light brown sugar: $0.01
• pork tenderloin: $3.96
• canola oil: $0.19
• balsamic vinegar: $0.67

Total: $4.83 and rounding up to $5 to consider dry spices, that makes each of three servings about $1.67.