Pork steak (or pork tenderloin to some) is a tricky enough cut of meat. If you want it moist, you risk serving it raw. If you err on the side of caution your meal could be as dry as my late grandmother’s sherry. This is one cut of meat where sous vide can really shine.
The sous vide method is not all about long cooking. You know the type who’s recipes involve throwing a leg of venison into the sous vide before spending an extended weekend with their in-laws in Vermont. This pork is fast food by comparison. The ingredients list is mercifully short too. Don’t be fooled by the brevity, it’s packed with layers of flavour.
Ingredients
- 1 free range pork fillet.
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of whole grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 3cm / 1” piece of fresh ginger root
Peel and chop the ginger nice and small. Slice the pork steak in half for convenience. Add all the ingredients to a sous vide bag and seal.
Pop it in the water bath at 58°C/135°F. The Vermonters will have to see you another time as this takes only an hour and a half.
Take the tenderloin from the bag and brown it on a medium hot pan. Remove to a chopping board. Add the bag marinade to the pan and reduce until it achieves a nice consistency.
Slice the pork and serve it with rice and a generous dollop of the sauce. For (relatively) fast food, this is a tender delight.
If you are thinking that sous vide is all about long cooking, think again. This takes little time and packs a real punch of flavour. The meat melts in the mouth and will please almost anyone, even those in-laws in Vermont.
Martina Roy | 26th April 2019
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This is very really unique helpful information. keep it up. Thank you so much!
katechiconi | 26th April 2019
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That is a very juicy-looking hunk of pig. Perhaps the Vermonters could use maple syrup instead of honey?
Conor Bofin | Author | 20th May 2019
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Of course they could Kate. It is really easy to do and very tasty.
Bekah V | 26th April 2019
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That’s not a pork steak. Pork steaks are a St Louis thing and they are cut from the shoulder…
Conor Bofin | Author | 26th April 2019
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Thanks for the insight Bekah. My next sentence should start with “However, here in Ireland…”. Trust me, we call pork tenderloin “pork steak”. It tastes just as good whatever you choose to call it. Give it a go.
Best,
Conor
cookinginsens | 26th April 2019
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Rich sauce!
Conor Bofin | Author | 20th May 2019
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Hi Rosemary,
Yes. It certainly is that. All the better for it in my humble opinion. I hope all goes well with you.
C
sallybr | 26th April 2019
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Tomatoes, tomahtoes… just pass this beautiful piece of pork and no one gets hurt!
I often do pork steak sous-vide, although due to my beloved husband’s taste for more cooked meat, I increase the temperature quite a bit. You would probably be too mad at me, so I won’t confess how high I go… 😉
but anything to please the partner, right?
I love the marinade-sauce, will do that on my next sous-vide aventure
Conor Bofin | Author | 20th May 2019
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I was reading a thread in a Facebook group on the topic of cooking for risk averse loved ones. One poster suggested getting a new spouse. A more forgiving comment suggested doing the sear for longer for the spouse. This seems like a great compromise and should keep all diners happy.
Peter Sharples | 26th April 2019
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What a coincidence. My sous-vide bath with pork fillet inside had just reached temperature (I was using 141°F) when I went to the laptop, opened Outlook and lo and behold the next message to arrive was your pork fillet sous-vide recipe! Even though my fillet has nothing on it except a scattering of salt, I know it will be succulent and flavoursome in 3hr time. I was tempted to interrupt the process, and re-seal in a new bag with your sauce ingredients, but have opted instead to make the sauce at the end with the bag juices. Not quite the same but I know it will be good. Such is the magic and flexibility of sous-vide.
Conor Bofin | Author | 20th May 2019
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Excellent to read this Peter (albeit a couple of weeks later). I am getting a lot of fun from the sous vide at present. I am finding it really flexible and an enjoyable way to cook. Having said that, I am under pressure to smoke some more salmon. That can’t be done SV!
Our Growing Paynes | 26th April 2019
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The light in the pouring shot is excellent! And this dish certainly doesn’t give my neighbours in VT time to get into trouble. Well, nearly anyway. 😉
Conor Bofin | Author | 20th May 2019
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Thanks Virginia, often when writing this stuff, I forget about the global nature of the audience. I mean no offence to anybody, not even the Vermonters!
Hope all is all with you,
Conor
Our Growing Paynes | 20th May 2019
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There was nothing offensive in this post! Though I do wonder at times how my posts translate in various countries. But then again life is too short to worry about it.
Eha | 27th April 2019
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Honey, soy, mustard and ginger: sounds just like me . . . and, Conor Bofin Esq. I can make it faster ‘my’ way 🙂 ! So glad Easter turned out OK for you, in spite of some weather . . . .am watching cycling in the Swiss Alps until all hours of the morning and can’t wait until the beauty of the Giro !!!! Sorry it won’t be ‘Sky’ any longer . . .
Conor Bofin | Author | 20th May 2019
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I am off to cycle the Stelvio Pass in a couple of weeks time. We were training for it yesterday. I suspect we are overdoing it in that we did some “local hills” and managed to do 2,000 metres in 60k. The legs are burning today.
That pork would be lovely cooked your way too. It was so easy in the SV that I thought I had to share it.
Linda Duffin | 27th April 2019
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Delicious, Conor. As always. Lx
Conor Bofin | Author | 20th May 2019
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Thanks Linda,
I hope all goes well with you. Looking at Twitter, you seem to be busy enough.
Best,
C
Linda Duffin | 22nd May 2019
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Thank you, yes, a bit busy at the moment! Which is good. Lx
Jim | 27th April 2019
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We don’t have a sous vide – yet- but plan on having one in our new house in Dublin, that is when our battle with the planners is over. I’m curious about the pink/red look of the carved meat as we certainly would not consider red/pink pork to be properly cooked, at least not when cooked in the traditional manner. But perhaps its different when cooked in a sous vide???
Conor Bofin | Author | 20th May 2019
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Hi Jim,
Apologies for the long delay in responding to what is a great question. The meat is perfectly cooked and safe to eat. The lack of a more normal tan colour is only because the SV cooks to a temperature and no further. This gives a lovely texture and makes for a delicious bit of food. Great to hear you are going to jump into SV.
Best,
Conor
Michelle | 28th April 2019
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That really does look like the best pork tenderloin, er, pork steak, ever.
Conor Bofin | Author | 20th May 2019
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OK, It’s a tenderloin. Call it what you will, it was really tasty. Hope all goes great in Gourmandistan.
Karen (Back Road Journal) | 29th April 2019
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Lovely looking piece of pork, whatever anyone wants to call it. I’ve not done pork tenderloin sous vide, I usually do it on the grill. This sounds like a very good first try for me.
Conor Bofin | Author | 20th May 2019
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I have to encourage you to try it in the SV. It really works very well. It is also delicious served cold, sliced thin. Delicious!
StefanGourmet | 1st May 2019
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Interesting flavors! The sauce looks great, I should try it. You are right — sous vide is great to cook pork tenderloin because it is so easy to overcook. I would probably sear it shorter over higher heat. Did you use a serrated knife to carve the pork?
Conor Bofin | Author | 20th May 2019
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The knife was not serrated but was in need of sharpening. I have since had an offer of sharpening all my knives from my butcher James Lawlor. You met him on your last trip over. We must rearrange.
StefanGourmet | 1st May 2019
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P.S. Congratulations on getting a chamber vacuum sealer! It is great to be able to vacuum seal with a marinade (or even stocks to go into the freezer).
kathryninthekitchen | 5th May 2019
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Another stunning dish Conor…. I have a duck recipe which also uses honey and soy…no mustard or ginger though. These flavours are made for each other and as coincidence would have it, I have a piece of Pork tenderloin in the freezer …..this will be on the table soon. Thank you!
Hungry Breton (Franck) | 5th May 2019
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I used to do mine in a papillotte!
Conor Bofin | Author | 20th May 2019
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That would work really well too. As you can see now, given my late reply, I like to cook that way too. That cod was a delight.