Instant Pot Chinese Pork Tenderloin
Instant Pot Chinese Pork Tenderloin
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!
-
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
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 Pot, make that with it! Or you can just use any regular rice on the stove as well 🍚
- 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!
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