The Cooking Method To Use For Perfect Pork Tenderloins And Chops

Pork is a favorite on many tables, especially when you and your fellow diners can sit down to tasty chops or tenderloin. However, cooking pork isn't as simple as it is with some other proteins. If you're not careful, it's easy to end up with a tough, dry, flavorless piece of meat. Recently, we spoke with an expert about the ideal way to cook pork chops and tenderloin for juicy, delicious results.

That method is sous vide cooking, a process that gently cooks the pork by vacuum sealing it in plastic and then submerging it in hot, gently circulating water. It's a go-to method for professionals like John Warr, executive chef at Radisson Blu Mall of America and FireLake Cocktail Bar and Grill. (To see the chef's handiwork, check out FireLake's Instagram.) He recommends sous viding pork chops at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for one to two hours. "Cooking at this temperature ensures the chops are tender and juicy, avoiding any toughness that can come from overcooking," says Warr.

This process is tweaked a bit for pork tenderloin. Warr says to set your sous vide bath to 135 degrees Fahrenheit for between an hour and a half and two hours. "Cooking pork tenderloin sous vide prevents it from drying out, which can happen easily with other methods due to its leanness," he explains.

John Warr suggests using flavorful marinades in the sous vide bag, ensuring your pork is delicately but thoroughly infused with delicious flavor. For pork chops, he recommends a combination of olive oil, rosemary, and garlic, while pork tenderloin benefits from a mixture of soy sauce, honey, and herbs. More experienced cooks can experiment with their own creations or opt for our choice for a perfect marinade for pork, which includes apple cider, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, thyme, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Newbies trying the technique for the first time should also be aware of and avoid the sous vide mistake that leaves your food tasting unfinished. That's failing to sear your meat at the end of the cooking process. A quick sear in a hot pan develops a tasty crust that also adds a crucial bit of texture. This step takes only a minute or two on each side, meaning there's no excuse for skipping it.

So give this method a try — even if you opt for the sous vide hack that uses nothing but a cooler. Once you've tried sous vide pork chops or tenderloin, you may never go back to your old ways of cooking.