A simple marinade is they key to juicy pork tenderloin. This ginger-orange pork tenderloin has a marinade with Asian inspired flavors that will spice up your weeknight dinner!

Growing up, the only time we ate pork tenderloin was in a dish my mom called ‘pork tenderloin surprise’. I don’t really know how I feel about that name now, but the dish itself was fabulous – the pork was topped with slices of onion, green pepper, and tomatoes, then wrapped in bacon, grilled, and topped with slices of cheese.

It was heaven.

And also a lot of work, so this was a pretty special meal for our family. We usually had it at the cabin, where dinners were slower and more relaxed and most definitely eaten outside.

The labor of that meal is something that I always associated with pork tenderloin. Maybe because that was the only way I ever ate pork tenderloin as a kid. So today, we’re going to change that.

Enter: Ginger-Orange Pork Tenderloin.

Making juicy and tender pork tenderloin is quite simple and achievable on a weeknight. This marinade had only 4 ingredients and can be done a day in advance. In fact, I recommend it!

Here’s what you need:

1. Orange juice: Make sure you look for one with no added sugar.
2. Coconut aminos: You can easily swap in soy sauce or tamari if you don’t have coconut aminos on hand. I use the aminos because it does not contain any wheat.
3. Garlic cloves: Pressed or finely minced.
4. Ground ginger: This adds a ton of flavor!

At a minimum, you should let the pork marinade for 1 hour, but I prefer overnight. That really gives the marinade time to do its work!

The second most important aspect of this tenderloin is the pan in which you cook it. I use my Lodge 12 inch cast iron skillet anytime I cook meat… So I pretty much use it every single day.

Using a cast iron is wonderful for meat because the pan gets hots fast and evenly heats. The ability to conduct high heat gives the meat a nice crust, which you definitely want in your pork tenderloin.

Plus, cast iron skillets improve as you use them. I never clean mine the day I use it. I leave the leftover fat, grease, flavor, GOODNESS in the pan until the next time I need it. And sometimes I will use the fat from the day before to cook my eggs the next morning. Note: eggs cooked in bacon fat > eggs cooked in olive oil.

That is exactly what I did with this ginger-orange pork tenderloin, and I highly suggest you do the same!

Tell me: What is your go-to marinade?

If you make this ginger-orange pork tenderloin or any of my recipes, post a picture on social media and use the hashtag #imhungrybynature for a chance to be featured!

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Ginger-Orange Pork Tenderloin

• Author: Ellie
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Yield: 4 large servings 1x
• Category: Main
• Method: Oven

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Description

A simple marinade is they key to juicy pork tenderloin. This ginger-orange pork tenderloin has a marinade with Asian inspired flavors that will spice up your weeknight dinner!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the marinade:

• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos*
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger

For the pork tenderloin:

• 2 teaspoons avocado oil
• 2 one-pound tenderloin

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Instructions

1. Trim the surface fat from the pork tenderloin and place pork in a large plastic bag.
2. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl, stir to combine. Add marinade to bag. Place in the fridge overnight if possible, but for at least one hour.
3. Place a large oven safe skillet (I use my 12 inch Lodge cast iron) in the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
4. While the pan is heating, remove the tenderloin from the marinade and pat dry. Season the pork with salt and pepper.
5. Using oven mitts, remove the pan from the oven and add the oil. Add the pork to the skillet and return it to the oven roast for 10 minutes.
6. Flip the pork, reduce the heat to 400 degrees, and roast for an additional 15 minutes. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the tenderloin; the internal temperature should read 145 degrees. Continue roasting if the temperature has not reached 145 degrees.
7. Remove from the oven and transfer meat to a cutting board to rest. Let meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

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Notes

Coconut aminos can easily be swapped for soy sauce or tamari. I use coconut aminos because of my gluten intolerance, but feel free to switch if you are not avoiding gluten.

Keywords: pork, pork tenderloin, easy dinner

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