Pork Three Ways: Pork Tenderloin with Bacon & Pulled Pork

We like pork here, so Pork Three Ways sounded like a pretty genius idea. I have to credit our 10 year old sous chef for this one. Somehow I was talking to B about different types of pork, and Pork Three Ways came up in the conversation. B latched onto the idea with great enthusiasm, and I promised to come up with this  meal.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin seemed like a good centerpiece for this project. The pork tenderloin recipe below is my go to way to prepare pork tenderloin, marinated with garlic and cilantro and roasted to juicy perfection.

Bacon naturally had to be featured here; the inclusion of bacon was certainly no small part of why B was very eager for me to make this. For the bacon portion of the meal, I came up with a delicious Sautéed Leek Greens with Bacon, which drew rave reviews from all who tried it. You’ll want to save those leek tops next time you have leeks so that you can make this recipe!

The third piece of this meal is a savory Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, full of flavor. Everything on the plate was so good but the pulled pork might have been my favorite. That might be because it was the first time I made my own pulled pork and really liked the way it came out. The pork tenderloin was tender and juicy, but I have made this a lot and expected it to be good.

But of course, this pork recipe is about the way all this pork goodness comes together. Juicy pork pork tenderloin, served with savory pulled pork and a side of tasty and salty bacon and leek tops.

Game Plan

This recipe does take a bit of planning. As the name implies, the Slow Cooker Pulled Pork takes the longest of the three elements of the meal to prepare. If you want to serve Pork Three Ways for supper on Sunday, for instance, get the Slow Cooker Pulled Pork marinade going Saturday evening. Marinate overnight, then get the pork going in the slow cooker Sunday morning, and then it cooks as you go about your day.

In the mid to late afternoon, make the marinade for the pork tenderloin, following the recipe below. Then in the early evening, finish the pulled pork, and keep it warm in the slow cooker as you do the other steps.

Start crisping up the bacon for the Sautéed Leek Greens with Bacon when you finish with the pulled pork. This is a good time to preheat the oven for the pork tenderloin, and take the tenderloin out of the fridge.

Get the leek greens sautéing next…strictly speaking, it is a braising method to cook those leek tops, takes a good 20 minutes or so. So when the leeks are well underway is a good time to put the pork tenderloin in the oven.

To serve this dish, first plate some Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, then place a couple slices of the pork tenderloin on top of the pulled pork. Next, plate the Sautéed Leek Greens with Bacon alongside the pulled pork and tenderloin. You are ready for a Pork Three Ways Feast! We rounded out our plate with one of my favorite side dishes, Sweet Potatoes with Cumin Sage Butter. Yum!

Recipe card

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

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Pork tenderloin marinated with cilantro and garlic gets roasted to tender perfection. This pork tenderloin recipe can be served as part of a Pork Three Ways dinner, or enjoyed on its own.

• Author: Cooking Chat
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 3 servings 1x
• Category: Main
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

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• 1 pork tenderloin, about 1 lb
• SPICE BLEND
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp paprika
• PORK MARINADE
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp spice blend (from above)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup olive oil

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Instructions

1. Make the spiced blend: combine the spice blend ingredients, from the cumin through the paprika, in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl, from the lime juice through the olive oil. Note you only use a bit of the spice blend for this pork tenderloin recipe. Save the rest for Slow Cooker Pulled Pork or other uses.
3. Rinse and pat dry the pork tenderloin. Add it to a sealable plastic bag, then pour in the marinade. Seal the bag, and toss gently to get the pork well coated with the marinade. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least an hour; two to three hours marinating time is preferable.
4. When you are getting ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees on the convection setting. If not available, heat to 425 conventional.
5. Take the pork out of the refrigerator while the oven preheats. When the oven is ready, place the pork tenderloin in a roasting pan, and place in the oven.
6. The pork tenderloin will likely take about 20 minutes to roast, but check it after 15 minutes to avoid over cooking. When ready, pork tenderloin should still have a little pink showing, registering between 140 and 145 degrees when you remove it from the oven.
7. When the pork has done roasting, remove it from the oven. Place the pork on a platter to rest for a few minutes, then slice to serve.
8. For Pork Three Ways, first plate some Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, then place a couple slices of the pork tenderloin on top of the pulled pork. Then plate the Sautéed Leek Greens with Bacon alongside the pulled pork and tenderloin.

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