PORK TENDERLOIN—ONE OF
America’s favorite cuts of pork—is
supremely tender and fast-cooking.
While I appreciate those attributes,
this cut isn’t exactly a flavor power-
house. The test kitchen has addressed
this lack of flavor by creating some
great recipes that dress up pork tender-
loin with potent crumb crusts, intense
spice rubs, or fancy sauces or glazes.
But, tasty as they may be, all those
solutions are superficial. For maximum
impact, I decided to pack the inside of
the meat with a bold stuffing.
But before I did, I had two big ques-
tions to answer: How, exactly, would I
stuff the meat? And what would I stuff
it with? For inspiration, I dug up six
wildly diverse recipes for stuffed pork
tenderloin and prepared them in the
test kitchen. The techniques for stuff-
ing entailed everything from tying two
tenderloins together with filling be-
tween them to cutting a pocket in the
meat to using the handle of a wooden
spoon to bore a hole down the length
of the tenderloin.
I found that butterflying held the
stuffing in place most reliably. “But-
terflying” means slicing the tenderloin
almost in half down its length so you
can open it up like a book. By doing
this, I could lay stuffing on the pork and
roll it up like a jelly roll. I found that
pounding the butterflied meat to an
even thickness made for tidier rolling
and more even cooking; it also created
a larger surface area that held more
stuffing. Trussing the stuffed tenderloins
with kitchen twine ensured that the
stuffing stayed secure inside the pork.
Now it was time to nail down the
stuffing itself. In my initial test reci-
pes, stuffing that used bread or bread
crumbs absorbed pork juices and turned
gummy. Those based on herb pastes
(basically riffs on pesto) tasted good but
didn’t feel substantial enough to warrant
the work. I wanted a knockout stuffing.
Our favorite tenderloin from the
initial recipes was stuffed with a simple
mix of apple and bacon. For having only
two ingredients, it offered a big payoff,
hitting both salty and sweet notes. But
it lacked depth and cohesion. Soften-
ing the chopped apple in bacon fat (left
behind after crisping the bacon) added
dimension, and sautéing a minced
shallot and some fresh thyme added a
steady hum of background flavor. As for
a binder, grated Gruyère cheese proved
perfect; the nutty cheese melted in the
oven and united the bacon and apple
into a cohesive filling.
For a final test, I butterflied and
pounded two tenderloins, loaded on the
tasty stuffing, rolled them up and tied
them, and then seared the tenderloins in
a hot skillet before finishing them in a
350-degree oven. Slicing through their
gorgeously browned crusts revealed
the soft, cheesy, extremely flavorful
stuffing. It smelled amazing—and tasted
even better. Finally, pork tenderloin
that packed a wallop of intense meaty,
savory flavor.Our butterflying and stuffing
method keeps the filling where
you want it: inside the pork.6WXĮHG3RUN
7HQGHUORLQ
To bump up the mild flavor of pork tenderloin,
we worked from the inside out. by Morgan Bolling
- Slice the tenderloins almost in half
lengthwise, open the flaps like a book, and
then pound them flat.
2. Sprinkle half the stuffing over half the
tenderloin, roll the meat into a tight log,
and then secure it with twine.
Key Steps to Stuffing Pork Tenderloin
PORK TENDERLOIN ROULADE WITH
BACON, APPLE, AND GRUYÈRE
Serves 4 to 6
You will need an ovensafe nonstick
skillet for this recipe.STUFFING
3 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored,
and chopped
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
3 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded
(¾ cup)PORK
2 (1- to 1¼-pound) pork tenderloins,
trimmed
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil- FOR THE STUFFING: Cook
bacon in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick
skillet over medium heat until crispy,
5 to 7 minutes. Add apple, shallot,
and thyme and cook until apple is
softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to
bowl and let cool for 10 minutes. Stir
in Gruyère. Wipe skillet clean with
paper towels. - FOR THE PORK: Adjust oven
rack to middle position and heat oven
to 350 degrees. Cut tenderloins in half
horizontally, stopping ½ inch from
edge so halves remain attached. Open
up tenderloins, cover with plastic wrap,
and pound to even ¼-inch thickness.- Working with 1 tenderloin at a time,
trim and discard any ragged edges to
create neat rectangle. With long side of
tenderloin facing you, sprinkle half of
stuffing (scant 1 cup) over bottom half
of tenderloin, leaving 1-inch border
around edges. Roll tenderloin away
from you into tight log. - Position tenderloins seam side down
and tie crosswise with kitchen twine
at 1-inch intervals to secure. (Stuffed
tenderloins can be wrapped individu-
ally in plastic wrap and refrigerated for
up to 24 hours.) - Sprinkle each tenderloin with
¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon
pepper. Heat oil in now-empty skillet
over medium-high heat until shimmer-
ing. Add tenderloins and brown on all
sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer skillet
to oven and roast until center of
stuffing registers 140 degrees, 16 to
20 minutes. Transfer tenderloins to
carving board, tent with aluminum foil,
and let rest for 10 minutes. Remove
twine, slice into 1-inch-thick medal-
lions, and serve.
Our recipe for Pork Tenderloin Roulade
with Pancetta, Pear, and Cheddar is
available for free for four months at
CooksCountry.com/mar19.18 COOK’S COUNTRY • FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019