If there’s one thing people have requested I make, it’s more pork (I did make a Moo Shu Pork but that’s a totally different cut of the meat). And it’s about time I did already because I. LOVE. PORK. (don’t tell my rabbi). And who doesn’t love a pork tenderloin? It’s such a magnificent and affordable cut of meat that has many similarities to a brisket…except it’s pork.
It’s one of those things you can do a million different things with but seeing as how much I absolutely love Chinese food (as evidenced by the Moo Shu Pork, Lo Mein and Soup Dumpling recipes), it was all too obvious I was going to make this pork tenderloin with a serious Chinese flavor!
And I’m not kidding, kids. This sauce is literally one of the best I’ve ever come up with and once you taste it poured over that mega-tender and fall-apart pork that also cooked in it, it may usher the Chinese New Year in earlier than expected.
So, pork lovers, get ready to add another to the rotation! It’s not just pork tenderloin, it’s Chinese Pork Tenderloin!
Here’s How I Made It!:
We will begin with some pork tenderloin (NOT to be confused with pork loins – that’s a totally different cut of meat). Two usually come in the package.
We’re going to pre-slice our meat right out of the package, so get a good knife…
…and slice the meat into 1/2″ medallions/discs.
Transfer the pork medallions to a gallon freezer bag and set aside.
Now we’ll make the magical marinade by adding beef broth…
…light brown sugar…
…kosher salt (oh, the irony)…
…Chinese Five Spice…
…paprika…
…soy sauce…
…cooking sherry…
…hoisin sauce…
…crush garlic…
…squeeze or minced ginger…
…and white miso paste (if you can get your hands on it. Otherwise, don’t worry about it).
Mix it up together nice and good…
…and then pour it in the bag over the pork…
Get all the air out of the bag, seal it…
…and then shake it around a bit so the marinade is evenly distributed.
Put the bag in the fridge for 24 hours. (If you skip this step, shame on you because this is what’s going to give it that maximum flavor!)
And turn the bag over halfway through at 12 hours for equal marinating gravity.
When it’s time to cook, reward yourself by dumping the bag and all the marinade into the Instant Pot.
Add in some more beef broth…
…more hoisin…
…some honey…
…and more Chinese Five Spice.
Mix it all together and let the pork get submerged in the marinade (it’s okay if it icebergs through). Secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
While your pot is making the best pork tenderloin ever, take some cornstarch…
…add some water…
…and create a cornstarch slurry.
When the pork’s done cooking, use a slotted spoon…
…and transfer all the pork to a serving dish and set aside.
Meanwhile, take the sauce and pour through a strainer with a bowl under it to catch the sauce.
See all of those particles the strainer caught? Discard them.
Then take this incredible strained sauce…
…and pour it back into the Instant Pot. Heat it up on “Sauté”…
…and add in the cornstarch slurry.
Bring the sauce to a bubble for a little and then turn the heat off…
…so that the sauce thickens up when it sets (give it a few good stirs too).
Take a serving spoon and pour that beautiful, glistening sauce all over that beautiful, tender pork.
Put some on a plate…
…feed some to your hungry companion…
…and your companion will be so wowed and so happy, they’ll do the dishes after.
THE BEST PORK TENDERLOIN EVER, FOLKS, CHINESE-STYLE!
Instant Pot Chinese Pork Tenderloin
Chinese roast pork is one of my favorite things on earth. And so I decided to create a pork tenderloin remiscient of those flavors while still being super easy to make. Chinese Five Spice is a key player here and it can be found in many markets or online.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of pork tenderloin (not to be confused with pork loins – that’s a totally different cut of meat!)
- 1 cup of beef broth, divided in half (I used 1 tsp of Beef Better Than Bouillon + 1 cup of water)
- 1/4 cup of light brown sugar
- 2 tsp of kosher salt (oh, the irony)
- 1.5 tsp of Chinese Five Spice, divided into 1 tsp and 1/2 tsp
- 1/2 tsp of paprika
- 2 tbsp of soy sauce (I used low sodium)
- 1 tbsp of cooking sherry
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp of hoisin sauce, divided into 1/4 cup and 1 tbsp
- 1 tbsp of crushed garlic
- 1/2 tbsp of crushed ginger (they have this at Costco and it comes in very handy for many other recipes!)
- 1 tsp of white miso paste (this is totally optional but just adds a little extra flavor to the dish. You can find it online or at many international or asian markets – just ask them!)
- 1/3 cup of honey
- 2 tbsp of cornstarch + 2 tbsp of water to form a cornstarch slurry
Instructions
- Take the pork tenderloin (usually two come in the pack) and slice it into medallions/discs about 1/2-inch thick. Place the pork medallions into a gallon freezer bag and set aside
- In a mixing bowl, make the marinade by combining 1/2 cup of the beef broth, the brown sugar, kosher salt, 1 tsp of the Chinese Five Spice, paprika, soy sauce, cooking sherry, 1 tbsp of hoisin sauce, crushed garlic, crushed ginger and miso paste (if using). Mix together very well and then pour over the pork in the bag. Press the air out of the bag, seal tightly and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours, flipping once mid-way through (Do NOT skip this step. Trust me – you want that magical sauce seeping into every crevice of that pork).
- 24 hours later, dump the bag with the pork and all of its marinade into the Instant Pot. Add in the additional 1/2 cup of beef broth, 1/4 cup of hoisin sauce, 1/2 tsp of Chinese Five Spice and 1/3 cup of honey. Mix well and make sure the pork is nice and submerged into the marinade (it is fine if some of the pork protrudes above it)
- Secure the lid and cook on “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 8 minutes. Allow a 10 minute natural release and follow with a quick release.
- When done cooking, use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to a serving dish. Then, take the sauce from the pot and carefully pour it through a strainer and into a bowl. Allow the strainer to catch all the excess fat from the pork, discard and return the strained sauce back to the Instant Pot
- Hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” on the Instant Pot and then “Sauté” and adjust to the “High” or “More” setting. Add in the cornstarch slurry and stir well. Allow the sauce to bubble for a minute as this is what causes it to thicken up. After a minute of bubbling, turn the pot off and allow it to simmer down so it’s only slightly bubbling. Give it a good stir. The sauce will begin to thicken to that perfect consistency now
- Using a serving spoon, cascade the sauce over all of the pork and serve! This is the PERFECT companion to my mega-popular Hibachi Fried Rice so if you have a second Instant Pot, make that with it! Or you can just use any regular rice on the stove as well ?
- Enjoy!
Jeffrey's Tips
As my recipe states, I strongly suggest pre-slicing the pork tenderloin pre-marinating/cooking and straight out of the package for two reasons:
1: It will be easier to slice this way because, once cooked, the pork will be SUPER tender and you likely won’t get clean, sliced medallions
2: The marinade will make the pork even MORE flavorful since each piece will be soaking it in as opposed to just being a long tenderloin marinating
Don’t eat pork? No problem! Use this amazing marinade over chicken or veggies instead!
Want some veggies in there? Add them in right before you secure the lid and cook (especially some chopped scallions which would compliment this best!)
This is the PERFECT companion to my mega-popular Hibachi Fried Rice so if you have a second Instant PInstant Pott, make that with it! Or you can just use any regular rice on the stove as well ?
Judy
If you cook only one tenderloin do you cook it for less time?
Jessica
No, it doesn’t matter if you use half the recipe or double it. The cook time is the same.
Joe
I f I use a pork loin instead, what would be the cook time?
Ellyn
Made this and followed directions exactly. I would give it a 7 or 8. Really different flavors I wasn’t jumping up and down
Amy
What if your partner hates Chinese 5 spice? Any acceptable substitutes?
Jeffrey
Hoisin sauce
Maggs
I rarely eat pork so, used chicken thigh chunks instead and it was so good, thanks Jeffrey
Bonny
I added sesame oil just before cooking as I think sesame oil makes it chinese food served it with pineapple chunks and sesame seeds over a bed of white rice it was good
Dani
I’ve had this on my list for a while to make because I love Jeffreys recipes, and this did NOT disappoint!! My husband and I love it! Well done as always, Jeffrey – thank you!
Lorrie Dirksen
Hi. Newbie here. I have a 8 quart Instantpot Duo Crisp. Can I make this recipe with only one cup of liquid or do I need to increase it to two?
M
Jeffrey, this is perfection from an Instant Pot! I’m still learning how to use it but this is my favorite recipe now. Your instructions are clear and easy to follow — thank you!!
Agreed, the meat is fall apart tender and the 24-hr marinade allowed the flavors to penetrate the meat perfectly.
And the sauce is clear, toffee colored perfection. Made the Chinese Fried Rice too and it was a feast from the Instant Pot. I substituted 1/8 tsp each of ground black pepper + cinnamon + allspice for the Chinese Five Spice.
Jeffrey
So glad you enjoyed it!
Mikki
Made the Chinese pork and served it with your sesame peanut noodles (I used rice noodles) and it was better than any Asian restaurant. All your recipes are super good. Thank you
Cynthia
We LOVED this. So many new flavors and the meat was cooked perfectly. Keep it up, Jeffrey. I never liked to cook, now I think it’s so fun! My hubs wonders who kidnapped his wife and replaced her with an imposter.
Danielli
Sorry Jeff, but this was way tough. Flavors were good but pork was dry. Still love your recipes, just not this one.
Jeffrey
Make sure it was tenderloin and not loin!
CindyLouWho
Yes, I’ve seen so many recipes on YouTube where they’re saying pork tenderloin and the cut is clearly a pork loin.
I just put mine in the IP. Hope it equals yours. I followed directions exactly as given. Fingers crossed.
Karen
I thought I posted a comment so ifs a double please excuse.
This recipe specifically says pork tenderloin but I only had a pork loin. I Sliced the meat according to directions but omitted the paprika and used 1 teaspoon of 5 spice .
Let it marinate 2 days and honestly pork “ loin “ does not absorb flavors well but it did with this recipe. I sautéed the meat on the stovetop not in a cooker. It came out semi tender and the flavor was absolutely delicious. Then added the slurry for a glossy silky gravy that was outstanding.
This Recipe is a keeper and so delicious I will be sharing it with all my cooking friends and I’m going to follow Pressure Luck Cooking.
BTW next time I will use the tenderloin piece of pork and sauté onions and broccoli making it a one pot meal.