Pork tenderloin is a very lean and tender piece of meat that is located along the back of the pig. It is readily available in stores and is not nearly as expensive as beef tenderloin.
However, pork tenderloin is a very delicate piece of meat that can easily become dry if overcooked, which is why we use the sous vide method to ensure the final temperature is neither too low nor too high.
This method can be used to prepare a pork tenderloin just before serving, or you can cool/freeze the finished pork tenderloin in the vacuum bag until it is to be eaten.
Method
The pork tenderloin is quickly seared on the surface in a very hot pan with plenty of butter and your preferred dried spices. Since pork tenderloin doesn’t have much marbling, it will also be less flavorful than other cuts and therefore requires some seasoning.
Afterwards, it is vacuum-packed and cooked at 58 degrees Celsius for 3 hours. I usually make 2-3 pieces at a time and store them in the freezer until needed.
After the three hours, it should be slightly cooled so that the core temperature does not rise too much during the searing of the individual steaks.
Then cut it into suitable slices, which should preferably not be thinner than 3 cm. I cut it diagonally to provide more searing surface.
If you do not need the entire portion, the rest can be stored in the refrigerator and sliced for cold cuts as needed. There’s nothing like having this kind of juicy and prepared leftovers in the fridge.
If you’re hosting a barbecue, you can keep the warm pork tenderloin by the grill and cut steaks to order, quickly searing them on the hot grill. Guests can then choose how long they want them cooked.
These steaks are seared just like you did with the whole piece until they have a nice surface. Be careful not to give them too much time – better a high temperature. Here, the goal is to achieve the browning Maillard reaction, which provides a very flavorful surface on the meat, not to cook the meat further.
If the tenderloin comes from the freezer, it should thaw for about 30 minutes, for example, in sous vide or a pot of warm water.
Afterwards, the steaks are ready for serving.