A Tender Loin

Whenever I mention that I like to cook, people always ask "What do you like to cook?"

This is a difficult question to answer accurately, because it's not like I cook the same things over and over. In fact, I try to NOT cook the same thing twice. What if my answer was like, mac and cheese?

"Oh, I just make mac and cheese. I just really like making mac and cheese. Yup. That's it."

That would be odd.

But, if you ask me, "What do you make well?"

My answer would be this:

Mustard and Beer Pork Tenderloin with Sweet and Savory Apples
for four


Pork tenderloin (sized to fit your appetite desires - 3 oz per person is a good serving)
4 tbsp mustard - Dijon preferred or deli, grainy, or spicy brown (not yellow, not honey mustard)
1 tbsp EVOO
1 shallot, thinly sliced
10 sage leaves
1 tbsp fresh ginger
1 bottle wheat beer
8 small fuji apples
1-2 tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400F

Massage 3 tbsp of mustard into pork loin. Try not to giggle.

While the mustard soaks into the pork loin (~10 minutes), do your prep work

Chop the apples as you like them. I like big slices, so I use this method, then slice the big pieces into thirds for eight total chunks. But you could do thinner slices or cubes, whatever you like

Finely chop half of the sage

And slice your shallot

Keep your other ingredients handy

Okay, we are ready to cook some pork!

Heat EVOO in a nonstick pan over med-high heat

Sear pork on all sides. You want a golden crispy exterior on every surface. 

When your pork has been crusted on every side, add the shallots to the pan and soften

Once shallots are softened, remove pan from heat (especially if you have a gas burner!) and add 1/2 the bottle of beer. Put the bottle down, away from the stove, and return to heat.

Let beer juices reduce and once they stop foaming, add in fresh ginger and chopped sage

Cover with lid for 5 minutes. Don't lift that lid!

When 5 minutes are up, move pork to a baking dish lined with foil, wrap pork in said foil, and place in oven for 6-10 minutes, depending on size of pork loin. You can monitor the internal temp of the pork - you want it at 140F and no more!

Once you remove pork from pan, add in apples, remaining mustard, and another 1/4 bottle of the beer. That last 1/4 is for you, you cooking all-star, you! 

Let the apples simmer over medium heat. The beer juices will reduce, the apples with soften, and the flavors will get so damn tasty. Make sure to scrape up any pork bits from the pan. We call that flavor.

Add 1-2 tbsp of brown sugar to the mix. If you're apples are super sweet and your heff is also on the sweet side, you will only need about 1 tbsp.

Let the apples reduce for another minute and caramelize with the sugar. Add in the full sage leaves and move to a serving dish.

Meanwhile, when pork reaches 140F, remove from oven and let it rest uncovered for 5-10 minutes.

Slice the perfectly cooked pork and pour over the juices that were released in the oven.

Perfectly cooked pork. And the most flavorful, delicious apples you will ever encounter.

Say goodbye to pork chops and bottled applesauce!