Lemon and Garlic Pork Tenderloin

Hello, everyone!  Happy Thursday!  I love making pork tenderloin, for two main reasons:  they are excellent at taking on flavors, so they can be adapted to almost any recipe, and they are so affordable!  I know, I know, it may not seem like it,on the face of it, but about once per month, one of my local grocery stores will sell pork tenderloins Buy one, Get one free.  I get very giddy when this happens!
Because pork tenderloins come two to a pack, I split them up into their own zip top bag, and pop them into the freezer (sometimes I'll go on and put some kind of a rub, or marinade on them before they go into the freezer, to save myself a step later!).

When they're BOGF, I will usually grab two packages for about $16-$18, which, normally, is more than I would pay for something like this, but when you break it down, it really is a good deal.  I got my pork loins this time around for $17.80, which we'll go on and round up to $18.  Each pack has 2 loins in it, so that's 4 loins total, which breaks down to being $4.50 each.  And my family is able to eat a full meal with one loin, with some leftover for lunches the next day.  That's actually really affordable for a protein for your meal!
Added to the fact that they freeze really well, will take on any flavor, and thaw pretty quickly, well, it's hard to beat that!

This is one of our favorite marinades to put on a pork tenderloin, packs a lot of flavor, and is very easy to throw together.  Every time I make this for supper, my husband comments on how much he loves this!

Here's your grocery list for this one:

1 pork tenderloin

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

Zest of 1 lemon

2 Tbs olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tsp Kosher salt

1 Tbs garlic powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 garlic cloves, grated 

This is another post that's going to go quickly, because it really is so easy, there isn't much to it!  To start with, put everything into a zip top bag, and squeeze all of the air out, so that the entire loin is covered in the marinade, and put in the fridge to do its thing for at least 2 hours, up to 12 hours.  You don't want to let this go beyond 12 hours, because the lemon juice will start to break the meat down, and that will affect the texture of the meat.

I like to put all of the marinade ingredients into the bag first, and mix it all up (just squish the bag up until it is all mixed up).  Once it is well mixed, put your tenderloins in the bags (I made up an extra one, for the freezer), squeeze all of the extra air out, and pop it in the fridge.

Once you're ready to make supper, preheat your oven to 400* and pull the tenderloin out of the fridge, to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.  
Like I mentioned in my chicken gyros, lemon, garlic shrimp, and brined, bone-in chicken breasts posts, whenever I have to brown a meat, I always pat it dry.  I lay out paper towels, pat it dry (then go back and sanitize my counter top), and put it into a cast iron skillet, that has been preheating over medium high heat, searing all sides of this tenderloin, for about 4 minutes, each side.  

Once you have flipped your tenderloin to brown on its last side, slide the pan into the oven, to finish cooking for another 25-30 minutes, uncovered.  If you have a meat thermometer, you'll want the temperature to reach 160*.  Once it is finished cooking, remove the tenderloin to a cutting board, and let it rest for at least 10 minutes, before slicing.  I love to serve this with my potato gratin, lemon, garlic green beans, and fluffy yeast rolls!  To me, that's a perfect Sunday supper!