Pork Tenderloin

Let me tell you about pork tenderloin, and why it rewards a gentle hand.

This is a long, narrow cut from the loin, and anyone who has trimmed one knows it by feel before they know it by name: smooth, soft under the fingers, almost no resistance. One piece weighs about 450 grams, and you will see hardly any fat on it at all: around 3.5 grams of fat and over 20 grams of protein per 100 grams, raw.

Choose it by look and touch, not by guessing. It should be an even pink, moist but not wet, firm and springy when you press it, with a faint clean smell. There is a thin, shiny silvery membrane on the surface, and almost no marbling in the flesh itself. If it smells sharp or sour, walk away.

Some people say tenderloin is forgiving: you can cook it like a roast and it will stay tender anyway. No! Put your hand on it and you will feel why that is wrong — there is nothing in this meat to carry it through a long slow cook. That misconception leads straight to the common mistake: people roast it too long, the way they would a shoulder, and get a dry, stringy disappointment. Cook it quickly, over high heat, and pull it off while the center still blushes pink.