Name: Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2-inch thick pork tenderloin, 1-1 1/2 pounds; 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary; 1/2 apple (your choice), seeds removed and chopped; 1-2 whole garlic cloves; 2 tablespoons butter; salt and pepper to tase

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Sous vide pork tenderloin is a phenomenal way to prepare pork tenderloin. That’s right—steak is not the only sous vide candidate. Easily prepare pork for 3-4 people with this hassle-free and hands-off method of preparing pork.

Pork tenderloin is my favorite cut of pork (BESIDES bacon). Perfectly cooked pork is juicy, tender, and really flavorful. The sous vide method allows you to dial in your desired internal temp with ease, without the risk of overcooking or drying out the tenderloin. Overcooked pork dries out and can get a little chewy. Like red meat, it’s important to get the doneness right for absolute best results.

Seasoning the Pork

This part is entirely up to you. For this recipe, I season liberally with salt and pepper and seal in a ZipLock or sous vide bag with chopped apples and fresh rosemary. The chopped apples will cook as you sous vide and render fresh apple juices in the bag. You can also use garlic cloves, fresh herbs like thyme or tarragon, or your favorite dried herbs and spices.

Sealing the Bag With the Water Displacement Method

For those of you who don’t have a vacuum sealer and special sealing bags, you can use any resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and the water displacement method to push out excess air. Name brand freezer bags are usually BPA free and work best. A standard gallon-sized bag will work for most 1-1 1/2 pound pork tenderloins.

Sous Vide Pork Temperature and Cooking Time

A 2-2 1/2 inch thick pork tenderloin will take about 1 1/2 hours to reach the final internal temp. Smaller cuts, under 2 inches thick and roughly 1 pound, will cook in 1 hour. I like to shoot for an internal temp of 145°. This yields a juicy tender and slightly pinkish inside, which is the most crowd-pleasing temperature without being too rare.

Doneness	Pork/Sous Vide Temperature Range	Cooking Duration
Medium rare	140° F to 145° F	1 1/2-4 hours
Medium	150° F to 155° F	1 1/2-4 hours
Medium well	155° F to 160° F	1 1/2-4 hours
Well done	160° F and above	1 1/2-4 hours

Finishing the Pork in a Skillet or Grill

This is known as the reverse sear method. It’s the final finishing touch for that much desired charred exterior.

For the skillet: Place butter or oil in a cast iron skillet or metal pan and heat until pan is very hot. Sear tenderloin for about 45 seconds per side, rotating to hit all sides. You can add additional fresh herbs, garlic cloves, and sliced apples to the skillet and then spoon the pan drippings over the pork to flavorize.

Note: Cooking butter in a skillet at high temps tend to get smokey. Turn on the vent fan and open a kitchen window.

For the grill: Alternatively, you can finish tenderloin right on the grill if too large for a skillet. Turn the grill up high and let get very hot with the lid closed for about 10 minutes. Clean the grates, lightly oil the grates, and sear for about 45 seconds per side, rotating to ensure you sear the full exterior. It’s important that the grill is very hot. You are looking for a flash sear that will sear the edge quickly without cooking the inside any more.

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