P90 Pork

When my sister recommended a recipe from the P90X recipe book, I snootily scoffed - P90X? Seriously? Aside from the ridiculousness of those infomercials, I've received plenty of recipe inserts in products - smoothie and soup recommendations with blenders, how to bake a whole chicken in my toaster oven - I'm all set. Right after college I purchased my first food processor (mammoth of a thing) and with it came a recipe for potato and leek soup. I was young, and I was in need of guidance with my new, massive kitchen tool. So I made the soup and boy was it nasty. Some may say it was my cooking, but I blame the recipe. And based on my first experience, I never made another recipe that came with a product again - of course, until this one. The tenderness of the pork and the sweet saucy glaze was all it took to win me back. The snobbery is still there slightly, but with more delicious meals like this, I could be won over.

Island Pork Tenderloin
- recipe courtesy of the P90X cookbook

    •    16 ounces pork tenderloin. Lean.
    •    1/2 teaspoon salt
    •    1/4 teaspoon pepper
    •    1/2 teaspoon chile powder
    •    1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
    •    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    •    2 teaspoon olive oil
    •    1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
    •    1/2 tablespoon fresh garlic, finely chopped
    •    1/2 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

Preheat 350 degrees.


Stir together:  salt, pepper, cumin, chile powder, and cinnamon, then coat pork with the spice rub.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a 12-inch skillet over moderately high heat and brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes.


Stir together: brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco sauce and pat onto top of tenderloin.  Place pork in a roasting pan and cook in oven for 20 minutes.
 Allow to rest a few minutes before carving.

Cook's Note: This took me longer than the recommended 20 minutes to cook, and my oven runs hot. Just be sure to cook it until your tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees. I served this with a side of Browned Rice and some roasted garlicky green beans. The rice is perfect for the sticky sauce. And though I've yet to try it, I bet this would be delicious with some roasted apples or pears and a little extra sauce.