Recipe for pork tenderloin sous vide with herb breadcrumbs
The juiciest and most tender pork tenderloin, perfectly prepared using sous vide.
In this version, the pork tenderloin is rolled in herb breadcrumbs made of fresh thyme and broad-leaf parsley from the garden. It gives the delicate meat a kick with lots of flavor!
I also served it with a delicious pea purée and potatoes tossed in browned butter.
Where is the tenderloin located?
The tenderloin is cut from the inside of the pig’s spine. This muscle is used very little compared to the other muscles in the animal, and therefore it is the most tender muscle of all. The more a muscle is used, the more connective tissue it contains, and it’s the connective tissue that makes a muscle tough.
In English, the tenderloin is known as ‘tenderloin.’ Because it is so tender and lean, it needs to be cooked gently and not for too long, and this can be done in various ways.
Cooking pork tenderloin
Pork tenderloin is usually cooked whole, but it can also be cut up and, for example, fried as fillets. If you do the latter, it is done at high heat and for a very short time.
If cooked whole, it usually goes in the pan first followed by a turn in the oven. However, it can also be cooked in the pan alone. It takes about 20 minutes, and the result is, well, okay, at least compared to sous vide!
The challenge with pork tenderloin, and lean meat in general, is that it must not be overcooked. Meat is often a main element of a meal, and there is almost nothing worse (at least not in the gastronomic world) than meat that is dry and overcooked. Then it’s almost as if the entire meal is ruined.
Pork tenderloin sous vide
By cooking the pork tenderloin sous vide, you make it as easy for yourself as possible. Fantastic food is not typically associated with “easy” or “relaxing,” but that’s exactly what sous vide cooking is.
With sous vide, it’s as easy as pie to control the temperature, while the pork tenderloin becomes extra juicy, flavorful, and tender. It almost sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?
It is practically impossible to give the pork tenderloin too much time in the water bath. Because the cooking takes place over such a long time, it doesn’t matter so much if it goes 20 minutes longer. So, you don’t need to worry about falling into a slightly too long talk with Uncle Jørgen about his new golf clubs.
Pork tenderloin sous vide temperatures and times
If you hear someone say that pork must not be pink, you should know one thing: Pork can be pink. In fact, it should be, if you ask me! It’s only with ground meat that it always needs to be thoroughly cooked.
I cook my pork tenderloin so that it is slightly pink because it is incredibly juicy and delicious that way. I can only recommend using the same temperature that I have used.
How long you should cook your pork tenderloin depends, among other things, on the quality of the meat. I always go to my local butcher, with whom I have a very good relationship, and I know that the meat I take home is of high quality. But I also know that most people likely buy their pork tenderloin from the supermarket’s refrigerated section, and it is rare to find quality meat there. If you have any doubts about the quality of the pork tenderloin, give it another 45 minutes.
Pork tenderloin sous vide searing and resting time
When the pork tenderloin comes up from its water bath, it is technically edible. Note that I say ‘edible’ and not ‘ready to serve.’ There is still a little but very important thing missing: Searing! Searing brings out the meat flavor and gives that ‘extra something’ to the juicy meat.
You decide whether to use a regular frying pan/grill pan, a torch, or a grill. The most important thing is just that the temperature is on full blast! And here it is important to remember that the meat is already cooked, so it just needs a quick browning.
If I use the frying pan, I cook with plenty of butter and use the remaining butter to, for example, toss the potatoes.
Side dishes for pork tenderloin sous vide
Serve your perfect, juicy pork tenderloin with a crispy pointed cabbage salad and creamy potatoes, bearnaise potatoes, or homemade crispy fries.
You can also do as I did, and make a pea purée and boiled potatoes tossed in browned butter.
Pork Tenderloin Sous Vide with Herb Breadcrumbs
Equipment
- Sous Vide
- Deciliter Measure
- Oven
- Blender (option 1)
- Immersion Hand Blender (option 2)
- Chef'S Knife
- Cutting Board
- Frying Pan
- Hob
- Pot
Ingredients
Herb Asp
- 1 bunch Parsley Fresh
- 1 bunch Thyme Fresh
- 50 gram Grate
- 3 gram Salt Good Flaky Salt (preferably Maldon)
Pork tenderloin sous vide
- 1 pcs. Pork Tenderloin
- 10 gram Butter
- Salt and Pepper freshly ground
Pea Puree
- 200 gram Peas
- 1 pcs. Onion
- 1 clove Garlic
- 100 gram White Wine
- 50 gram Cream
- 5 gram Lemon Juice
- 2.5 gram Apple Cider Vinegar
- Salt and Pepper freshly ground
Potato
- 300 gram Potato
- Salt
Instructions
Herb Breadcrumbs
- First scald the herbs (e.g., under a boiling water tap) and then lay them to dry on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in the oven at 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes.
- Then blend the dried herbs together with bread crumbs and salt in a blender or with an immersion blender.
- The mixture is now ready to use and can only be used on meat that is already cooked - You cannot use it for breading.
Pork Tenderloin Sous Vide
- Start by trimming the meat by removing the side muscle, silver skin, and end pieces. The tenderloin should be uniform in size. The trimmed meat can be cut into cubes and used in a stew, such as in a tenderloin stew.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper and vacuum seal it.
- Cook it for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 58 degrees Celsius (136 degrees Fahrenheit) in your water bath. If you are unsure about the quality of your pork tenderloin, give it 2 hours instead, still at 58 degrees Celsius (136 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Remove the meat from the bag and pat it dry, either with a clean dish towel or paper towels.
- Give the meat a crust by searing it over very high heat in plenty of butter for 15-20 seconds on each side.
- Remove the meat from the pan and roll it in the herb breadcrumbs. Remember to save the remaining butter for the potatoes and possibly the pea purée.
- Cut the meat into slices 2-3 centimeters thick and sprinkle with a good flaky salt.
- Serve immediately.
Pea Purée
- Roughly chop the onions and garlic.
- Sauté them until soft and golden over medium-high heat in a pan. This takes 4-5 minutes.
- Add the frozen peas and white wine to the pan. Let it all simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add cream, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper.
- Blend the purée in a blender or with an immersion blender. Make sure not to add all the liquid at once when blending, but add it gradually until the purée is smooth. Also, feel free to add a bit of the brown butter from the searing of the tenderloin.
Potatoes
- Scrub/peel the potatoes and halve those that are too large so they are all as uniform in size as possible.
- Boil them for 10-20 minutes in a pot with a little salt in the water. The potatoes are ready when a sharp knife inserted into them releases easily.
- When they are ready, briefly toss them in the remaining browned butter in the pan.