Pork tenders are something that I always have on hand in my freezer. I usually buy them when I see them on sale. I love them because they are so versatile, easy to cook, and are fancy enough to serve for company. I can take it out of the freezer in the morning and it's ready to go for dinner. Today I had some bacon on hand as well as mushrooms and apples. Hmmm.....
I decided if I added a little onion, white wine and maple syrup I would have a winning combination. I was right! Here's what you'll need:
- Pork tender (I used both tenders in the package so I could give one to a friend)
- 1 onion
- 1 apple
- whole mushrooms
- 1 C white wine (I used pinot grigio)
- 1/4 C maple syrup (the real stuff, please!)
- fresh rosemary
Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees.
Remove the pork from the package and trim any excess silver skin and fat.
Make horizontal cuts across the tender about 3/4 of the way through, down the length stopping a couple of inches from the end.. Be careful not to cut all the way through.
Core and cut the apple into wedges.
Cut the onions in half moon slices.
Place an apple wedge and an pinion slice into each cut in the tender.
Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the rosemary from the stems and sprinkle over the top.
Remove the bacon from the package and wrap the strips around the meat. You don't need to overlap any. I don't like using toothpicks because I'm always afraid I'll forget to take them out. I wrap the bacon by centering a piece over the top, then wrapping it under and bringing the ends back to the top and tucking them in.
The most important step of this recipe comes next. Heat a dutch oven or large skillet until it's smoking hot. Add a few tablespoons of canola oil then place one of the tenders in the pan and sear it on all sides. You want the bacon to start to brown and start to crisp a little. It doesn't need to be cooked because it will finish cooking in the oven, but browning it first gives it SO MUCH MORE flavor. Don't skip this step. If it starts to fall apart a little, don't worry, you can put it back together before it goes into the oven. Repeat with the second tender if you're doing two.
Transfer the seared meat to a baking pan.
If the apples and onions have fallen out, you can tuck them back in now, but don't worry about it too much. You can see that I just laid some of mine on top. Drizzle the maple syrup over the meat.
Pour the white wine into the pan, add the mushrooms, and place a few extra sprigs of rosemary on top,
Place in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 20-40 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 145. I start checking mine at the 20 minute mark. The two I cooked today took about 35 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the meat.
While the meat is cooking, you can begin to make the sauce from the pan drippings. Put any left over bacon and onion in the skillet that you seared the meat and cook it. I also added the fat that I trimmed off. Only do that if you are willing to pick through and take it out when it's cooked because you don't want it to be in the sauce. I do it because fat = flavor.
Once the meat is cooked, remove it from the oven and place it on a platter and tent it with foil. Pour all the juices and mushrooms, onions, and apples that are left in the pan into the sauce in the skillet. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce it by about half.
Once the sauce has reduced to the desired consistence, add about 1 tablespoon of butter and stir in until combined. The butter give it a smooth finish.
When it's ready, remove the foil from the meat and spoon the sauce over the top. Be sure to use everything in the pot!
Enjoy!
Lynn
Maple Bacon Pork Tender
- Pork tender (I used both tenders in the package so I could give one to a friend)
- 1 onion
- 1 apple
- whole mushrooms
- 1 C white wine (I used pinot grigio)
- 1/4 C maple syrup (the real stuff, please!)
- fresh rosemary
Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees.
Remove the pork from the package and trim any excess silver skin and fat.
Make horizontal cuts across the tender about 3/4 of the way through, down the length stopping a couple of inches from the end.. Be careful not to cut all the way through.
Core and cut the apple into wedges.
Cut the onions in half moon slices.
Place an apple wedge and an pinion slice into each cut in the tender.
Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the rosemary from the stems and sprinkle over the top.
Remove the bacon from the package and wrap the strips around the meat. You don't need to overlap any. I don't like using toothpicks because I'm always afraid I'll forget to take them out. I wrap the bacon by centering a piece over the top, then wrapping it under and bringing the ends back to the top and tucking them in.
The most important step of this recipe comes next. Heat a dutch oven or large skillet until it's smoking hot. Add a few tablespoons of canola oil then place one of the tenders in the pan and sear it on all sides. You want the bacon to start to brown and start to crisp a little. It doesn't need to be cooked because it will finish cooking in the oven, but browning it first gives it SO MUCH MORE flavor. Don't skip this step. If it starts to fall apart a little, don't worry, you can put it back together before it goes into the oven.
Transfer the seared meat to a baking pan.
Drizzle the maple syrup over the meat.
If the apples and onions have fallen out, you can tuck them back in now, but don't worry about it too much. You can see that I just laud some of mine on top.
Place in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 20-40 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 145. I start checking mine at the 20 minute mark. The 2 I cooked today took about 35 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the meat.
While the meat is cooking, you can begin to make the sauce from the pan drippings. Put any left over bacon and onion in the skillet that you seared the meat and cook it. I also added the fat that I trimmed off. Only do that if you are willing to pick through and take it out when it's cooked because you don't want it to be in the sauce. I do it because fat = flavor.
Once the meat is cooked, remove it from the oven and place it on a platter and tent it with foil. Pour all the juices and mushrooms, onions, and apples that are left in the pan into the sauce. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce it by about half.
Once the sauce has reduced to the desired consistence, add about 1 tablespoon of butter and stir in until combined. The butter give it a smooth finish.
When it's ready, remove the foil from the meat and spoon the sauce over the top. Be sure to use everything in the pot!
