In about 30 minutes, you can be enjoying this delicious dish, thanks to quick-cooking pork tenderloin and an amazing 3-ingredient sauce!
Pork tenderloin is truly one of my favorite meals, especially on weeknights. Because of its small size, it cooks in a jiffy.
And this recipe is one of my favorite pork tenderloin meals. Because it has tons of flavor but it’s still quick and easy to make. Let’s dig into Asian Pork Tenderloin.
Preparing The Pork Tenderloin
A couple of things are important before cooking any pork tenderloin. One is to remove the silver skin, which can be tough to eat, and the other is to tuck the thin end under so it’ll cook evenly. Neither is difficult, but if you haven’t done them before, check out my step-by-step tutorial that explains everything.
Often, I also recommend brining or dry brining pork before cooking. But I don’t recommend it here because the Asian sauce is already pretty salty.
Making The Sauce
The secret to my flavorful 3-ingredient Asian sauce is that each ingredient—hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and honey—is pretty flavorful on its own. Just mix them together and it’s ready.
In case you’re unfamiliar with it, hoisin is a sweet and spicy Chinese sauce made of soybeans, garlic, chili peppers, and spices. It sounds exotic but it’s easy to find in the Asian or International section of most major supermarkets.
And if you like things spicy, include the optional red pepper flakes. They don’t add a ton of heat as much as a nice warmth.
Cooking Asian Pork Tenderloin
To get a little bit of caramelization around the pork, I cook it at a relatively high temperature for a relatively short period of time—about 20 minutes at 450°F.
Because of that high temperature, though, and the fact that there’s honey in the sauce, make sure to line your baking pan with foil. It’ll make clean up a lot easier.
As with any lean meat, the best way to keep this pork juicy and flavorful—especially since it’s not brined—is to avoid overcooking. So make sure to use a good meat thermometer and take the tenderloin out of the oven when it’s 145°F.
On the side, try rice, steamed vegetables, or a simple salad with sesame dressing.
More Pork Tenderloin Recipes
Asian Pork Tenderloin Recipe
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Asian
DESCRIPTION
In about 30 minutes, you can be enjoying this delicious dish, thanks to quick-cooking pork tenderloin and an amazing 3-ingredient sauce!
Optionally, garnish with 2 scallions, thinly sliced.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 and 1/2 tsp. honey
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 (1-to 1 and 1/4-lb.) pork tenderloin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Meanwhile, combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey, and red pepper flakes, if using.
- Remove the silver skin from the tenderloin. Tuck the skinny side in and secure it with metal skewers or butcher’s twine. (See this post step-by-step instructions.)
- Line a rimmed baking sheet or a baking pan with foil. Add the pork and spread about half the hoisin mixture all over the meat. Pour the remaining mixture on top.
- Bake until the internal temperature on an instant read thermometer is 145°F, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Let the tenderloin rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
Yum! Really liked the hoisin sauce mixture on this.
Was very good, I add garlic, and more chilli flakes as I didnt find it gave it any heat. Made last week, and making again tonight!
Glad to hear you loved it enough to make it again, Alisha! Thanks for the feedback.