My husband calls me a marketer’s dream.  Whenever we watch TV I just can’t help but answer yes to all those “questions” out there.  Oh you know the ones…Do you want a pizza for $10 tonight?  YES!  Do you hate the dog hair that gets all over your beautiful sofa?  YES!  Are you tired of slaving away at your job and want a life of travel and leisure?  YES, YES, YES!!  Okay, so you get the idea.  I want, no I need, a lot of things.  But recently I was watching America’s Test Kitchen and found myself answering yes once again, but this time it wasn’t to a marketing scheme.  It was to a cooking technique that has proven to be a life-changer.  The question was “Does your glaze slide off your pork tenderloin while roasting in the oven?  I answered YES once again and was immediately hooked on the show. 

The technique involves rolling the pork tenderloin in cornstarch and then browning it before applying the glaze, thus giving the glaze a better surface to stick to. 

 Now maybe this is a well-known technique and I’ve just been living under a rock, but just in case I’m not alone, read on for a truly great recipe.  And while my husband may call me a marketer’s dream, he was calling me a great cook after this meal!!  So…do you need a new pork tenderloin recipe?

Molasses Glazed Pork Tenderloin

1/4 cup Karo dark corn syrup
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.  To make the sweet molasses glaze, combine the corn syrup, ketchup, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat.  Reduce the liquid until it becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Remove from heat.

Whisk cornstarch, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until combined.  Transfer cornstarch mixture to a rimmed baking sheet.  Pat tenderloin dry with paper towels, then roll in cornstarch mixture until evenly coated on all sides.  Thoroughly pat off excess cornstarch mixture.

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke.  Reduce heat to medium and place pork tenderloin in skillet.  Cook until well browned on all sides, 8-12 minutes.  Transfer tenderloin to wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.  Brush about 2 tablespoons of the molasses glaze over tenderloin.  Roast tenderloin in the oven until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees, about 15-20 minutes.  Brush tenderloin with another two tablespoons of molasses glaze and continue to roast another 10 minutes.  Apply a third coat of glaze and roast until pork tenderloin is fully-cooked, the internal temperature reading 160 degrees.  The total cook time is around 45 minutes.  Remove tenderloin from the oven, brush with the glaze once again and let pork rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.  Once rested, slice and serve.

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