Sinfully Good Hoisin Marinated Pork Tenderloin

This recipe is really not so much born out of inspiration as it was out of leftoverization.  I had this really nice pork tenderloin and no particular plan for its glorification on the dinner plate.  The grocery store was having a sale, so I actually bought several of these and froze them for future  use.  Scrounging through the fridge, and looking that kimchi eye to eye, I realized I had the makings of something tasty possible. 

Hoisin sauce is made from soy and wheat.  It is a rather thick sauce, almost like a paste.  It is sort of sweet, and for a long time, I assumed that there was fruit in it.  But that was before I read ingredient labels.  Now that I do read the labels, my life is so much more marinated with information. 

I got so enthused with making this that I forgot to take pictures, and there were no leftovers except for sauce.  Number 1 son said I should not include a picture of the sauce because it looked like what his friend Luke puked up on our livingroom carpet once.  Ha, I scoff at puke. And since I am the one who has to clean it up most of the time, I declare that this looks nothing like what Luke left on the carpet.  (Hey! this blog is for fun, not profit!)

Here's the picture (of the marinade):


The marinade!

  RECIPE

1 pork tenderloin

Kimchi to serve on the side
   (see previous blog post:What's Going On? Kimchi)

1 C  beer (whatever you like)

Marinade (below)
2 T olive oil to brown the meat

               

Marinade
3 T hoisin sauce
1 T fish sauce
1 t soy sauce
1 T rice wine or apple cider vinegar
1 T sesame oil
1 T minced fresh garlic
1 t fresh ginger (use the tube!)
1 t sesame seeds
2 t Chinese Five Spice Powder
¼ t red pepper flakes

Mix the marinade ingredients and pour over tenderloin.  Let marinate for 1-4 hours.  Remove pork from marinade (reserve the marinade).  Brown the tenderloin on all sides in the olive oil, about 3 minutes per side. Put into a baking dish/casserole dish/ or cast iron frying pan (all the better if you browned your meat in this!).  Add 1 C beer and the rest of the marinade.  Cover with lid or foil.

 

Bake in a 350 oven for 15 minutes.

Remove and let rest for 10 minutes.
While it is resting, you can reduce the marinade if you want it thicker by boiling it on the stovetop.

Serve over white sticky rice (Japanese style)—prepare according to package directions.  Drizzle hot marinade over it all.  Put kimchi on the side or mound it on the top.  Serve with a crispy salad for more veggie action.  Yum.