Easy Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Apple Skillet

This Easy Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Apple Skillet is glazed in maple and whole mustard with thyme and a splash of cider vinegar. There are peeled and quartered shallots in it too! It is fancy enough for company but easy enough for a weeknight!

Made this tonight! Even though it was simple and quick and great for a weeknight meal, it was beautiful enough to serve for company! It was excellent. The flavors of the mustard, vinegar and maple syrup along with a hint of thyme were wonderful. A keeper for sure!

~Sue B.

Key Ingredients For This Recipe

Pork Tenderloin

Look for a pork tenderloin that is about 1 1/4 pound. I like to purchase natural or Organic pork tenderloin that is not treated with sodium solution because it will sear better. However, it is fine to choose whichever fits your budget.

Apples

For this recipe you can choose from a wide variety of apples. My favorite for this recipe is Mutsu, Ginger Gold, Gala or Cortland. They have the perfect texture to hold their shape but will soften as they roast.

Note that it’s best not to use Macintosh apples. Or if you do want to use them, blend them with other firm apples varieties because they break down into sauce. (Save them for applesauce or to blend into cranberry apple pie or apple crisp.)

You can read more about apple varieties in my Apple Guide.

Shallots

Shallots are an allium bulb related to onions. They commonly have two lobes in papery onion like skin connected by their roots. Some will look more like a small mis-sshapen red onion and not have two distinct exterior lobes.

For this recipe you’ll need four whole shallots (up to 8 lobes.) Peel them and cut the root down to remove the core. Cut each lobe in half (ie quarter the shallot.)

Maple Syrup

For cooking, I always recommend looking for Grade A Dark Robust pure maple syrup. This will give you the best strong maple flavor. If you cannot find Dark Robust, you can substitute Amber Rich instead.

As a Vermont Sugarmaker myself, I urge you not use imitation maple syrup or pancake syrup like Log Cabin, Mrs Butterworth’s or Vermont Maid. These products are corn syrup that is artificially flavored with maple-like flavors and pale in comparison.

Mustard

I like to use whole-grain mustard for the sauce. If you cannot find a whole-grain mustard sub in coarse grain or brown mustard. Dijon would be too spicy and overpowering for the rest of the ingredients.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Preheat Oven and Prep Ingredients

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel and cut your apples and peel the shallots. If there is any excess fat on the outside of your pork tenderloin, remove it with a sharp boning knife.

Step 2: Make Sauce

Stir maple syrup, mustard and cider vinegar in a small bowl.

Step 3: Sear Pork

For a great sear, make sure your skillet is blazing hot and make sure your pork is totally dry. That will give the tenderloin the best browned exterior color. The hot pan will ensure that the meat will not stick to the skillet.

Add the oil and swirl to cover the pan. Add in the pork and let it cook for several minutes. Then every minute or two for 6 to 8 minutes to sear all over.

Add the peeled whole shallots and apples sliced and sprinkle everything with salt and dry thyme.

Step 4: Roast and Glaze with Maple Mustard Sauce

Transfer the skillet to the oven, and let roast until the apples are browning on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven, stir shallot and apple mixture and drizzle the maple mixture all over the pork and apple mixture. Return the skillet to the oven and roast, stirring the apple mixture and turning the pork occasionally, until the pork registers 136 to 145 degrees F when tested with an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the tenderloin, 12 to 15 minutes.

Step 5: Rest and Slice Pork To Serve

Remove the pork to a carving board or heavy platter and tent with foil. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice on a slight bias into ½-inch thick medallions. Serve the pork with the apples and shallots and any juices from the skillet.

Expert Tips and FAQs

What Internal Temperature to Cook Roasted Pork Tenderloin?

• Here’s the problem: Pork tenderloin is not symmetrical. It is skinny on one end and fat on the other end. So poor little skinny end will be cooked through sooner. The National Pork Board recommends that you cook pork to 145 degreed F, then rest it for 3 minutes. But if you were to do that, the skinny end would be total sawdust.
• When I was testing this recipe, I had better luck pulling the pork out earlier than that, and letting it rest on a platter tented with foil for 10 minutes. That gave me a nice slightly rosy interior on the thicker end, and more well done pieces on the tail end. Keep in mind a couple of things, I temped it at a couple different spots. At narrower spots it was indeed at 145. At the tip it was even hotter. But at the very thickest part it was 136. I pulled it, put it on a heavy platter to hold in the heat and tented it with foil. I let it rest for a full 10 minutes.
• Note: Make sure you know where the sensor is in your thermometer. Some of them are deceptive and the sensor is actually an inch up from the tip! This is the instant-read thermometer I recommend.
• My advice is this: If you are concerned, feel free to go by the guidelines set out by the FSIS, and cook it to 145. Consuming undercooked meat puts you at risk for food-born illness. 

What Goes with Pork and Apples?

The flavors in this easy roasted pork tenderloin and apple skillet are sweet and savory with a splash of acidity from apple cider vinegar- so it pairs well with simple earthy flavors like Cabbage and Potatoes.

• I served it with my Simple Steamed Potatoes with Herbs which are made with yogurt. The flavor of the potatoes, herbs, butter and yogurt taste awesome with the roasted shallots and thyme in the roasted pork recipe.
• I also made simple steamed brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper. If you were serving this at a dinner party for the holidays, I would make my roasted brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar and thyme or my simple skillet green beans. These Roasted Rainbow Carrots are pretty! 
• Other ideas are to serve it with Wild Rice Pilaf or my Vegetarian Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pilaf and a spinach salad with Apple Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing. 
• For dessert, try my Gingerbread Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting or if you want something more simple these Vegan Hermit Cookies are so good. I just made some last weekend and they won me lots of brownie points!

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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