Pan-Sautéed Pork Tenderloin - Cooks Illustrated

Published September 1, 1997.

Instead of roasting, we found that it was faster and more flavorful to slice, sauté, and then finish with a quick pan sauce.

The Problem

While pork tenderloin's lack of marbling--the ribbons of intramuscular fat that run through meat--may be a virtue in terms of fat intake, it also makes this cut vulnerable to overcooking, which can lead to dry meat. Its lack of fat also leaves it in need of a flavor boost.

The Goal

Meat that would be seared on the outside for best appearance and flavor and both tender and juicy on the inside.

The Solution

We cut the meat into medallions about 1 inch thick, pounded them some to increase the surface area for searing, and sautéed them. This worked beautifully, with every piece both juicy and tender and seared on both sides. In addition, a generous amount of drippings were left behind in the pan, and we could use these to make a variety of pan sauces, thereby giving the meat its needed flavor boost. (Before cutting the medallions, trim the pearlescent membrane, called the sliver skin, from the tenderloin. If left on, the silver skin shrinks in the heat of the pan, pulling the meat up and out of the hot fat, thereby inhibiting browning.)

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