Chinese Glazed Pork Tenderloin

By dunn1412

Notes
Why this recipe works:
To develop flavor in our Chinese Glazed Pork Tenderloin recipe, we seared the tenderloins, simmered them in a bold sauce, then reduced the sauce to a thick glaze while the pork rested. We needed very little five-spice powder to season the pork before searing. Adding the spice at this point infused the meat and highlighted its flavor, which would disappear if the five-spice powder were simply added to the bold sauce. The combination of sherry and light brown sugar allowed the glaze in our pork tenderloin recipe to reduce and stick to the tenderloins so we didn't need to constantly mop up the sauce. Ketchup complemented the sweet, salty, pungent, and spicy elements of hoisin sauce, a condiment used in many classic Chinese recipes. Freshly grated ginger added a welcome bite to the glaze; powdered ginger lost its flavor over time and became bitter.

Chinese five-spice powder is a combination of cinnamon, clove, fennel, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• Ingredients
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 pork tenderloins, (1 1/2 to 2 lb total)
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder, (see note)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation

Step 1

Directions
1. Whisk water, ketchup, sherry, hoisin, sugar, and ginger in medium bowl. Pat pork dry with paper towels and season with five-spice powder, salt, and pepper. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high until just smoking. Cook tenderloins until well-browned all over, 5 to 7 minutes.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add sauce mixture and cook covered, rolling tenderloins occasionally, until meat registers 145°F, about 10 minutes. Transfer pork to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes.

3. Simmer sauce and any accumulated pork juices until thickened, about 3 minutes. Slice pork and transfer to platter. Pour sauce over pork. Serve.

Serves 4 to 6