Greek Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

By chance do y’all like pork? We happen to live in pork country guys. NC is synonymous with pork. I grew up with pork chops making an appearance on the table quite often. Personally I like pork tenderloin. There are so many different ways that you can be creative with it and still have dinner on the table in about 30 minutes.  Rub it, grill it, stuff it, you name it.

During the week it seems like the guys and I are forever in a rush. Most of our evenings are meals are thrown together on the fly. I’m notorious for making Last Minute Meals, but for some reason I haven’t really shared them with y’all. Maybe I thought that their simplicity would make you guys wonder what in the world I was thinking. Who knows, I’m quirky like that sometimes. Well get ready to ponder my sanity guys. Last Minute Meals will be showing up more often. It is how we eat Monday-Friday after all. The weekends are for playing with our food.

This tenderloin takes five minutes to prep and approx. 35 minutes to cook. Which is the perfect meal when you need to spend some time at the kitchen table helping your kiddos with their homework.

First there was pork, slathered in olive oil.

Then there was spice. The same spice that was posted not to long ago. I couldn’t, in all honesty, tease you guys with this tenderloin recipe without having the spice combination ready for you first.

Then there was heat. And resting. Meat likes to rest for a bit y’all, same as me. If you were wondering about the proper way to cook pork check out the following from the National Pork Board…

New USDA Guidelines Lower Pork Cooking Temperature 

” May 24, 2011-New cooking guidelines from the nation’s food-safety agency confirm Pork Checkoff research that shows pork can be consumed safely when cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by a three-minute rest time. The guidelines were announced today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS).

The revised recommendation applies to pork whole-muscle cuts, such as loin, chops and roasts. Ground pork, like all ground meat, should be cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Regardless of cut or cooking method, both the USDA and National Pork Board recommend using a digital cooking thermometer to ensure an accurate final temperature.

The new recommendation reflects advances in both food safety and nutritional content of pork in recent years. On average, most common cuts of pork are 16 percent leaner than 20 years ago, and saturated fat has dropped 27 percent. In fact, pork tenderloin is now as lean as the leanest type of chicken – a skinless chicken breast.

In addition to the new recommendation to cook pork to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by a three-minute rest time, the USDA food preparation guidelines advise the following:

• Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often
• Separate: Don’t cross-contaminate
• Cook: To proper cooking temperatures
• Chill: Refrigerate promptly

Additional information about cooking pork, including recipes, is available at PorkBeInspired.com, or Facebook.com/PorkBeInspired.

When I was showing Blaine how to make Tuscan Baked Beans we had these lovely tenderloins roasting in the oven. The pork and the baked beans together were so good that I was lucky to get any photos at all. Seriously! Between 2 adults, 3 college students, 1 teenager and the 2 sea monkeys I’m surprised I didn’t pull back a nub getting the four slices of pork that I used for the photos. Even the picky eaters in our family loved this Greek Rubbed Pork Tenderloin. I hope that you guys enjoy it :D

How do you like to make your favorite cut of pork? Have fun playing around with our recipe and making it your own.

Hugs & Kisses,

Shari

“Just so you know this is not a sponsored post. No one at the National Pork Board knows about this quirky surfer chic”

Tagged as: Greek Seasoning Mix, Last Minute Meals, National Pork Board, pork, tenderloin