Pork loin always dry and tough

downshifted

I’ve picked up another reduced pork loin, the boneless kind that looks like a middle cut from a snake. It’s against my better judgment really as every time I’ve cooked one (usually sliced and fried) it’s been dry and tough. 

I’ve searched threads on here but get confused as some suggestions seem to refer to pork loin joints that are really loin chops still joined together. This definitely isn’t that.

Does anyone else buy and enjoy these. I’m usually a good cook but this cut defeats me.

Effician

One of our fovourite pieces of meat, always buy a 2kg pork loin when on offer & portion into 1" thick pork loin steaks.

For us we fry them & like em only just cooked through , too long & they become dry ( some joints can be very lean), it's a fine line for us but having said that some loins do seem slightly fattier & will stand a bit longer cooking.

Phantom151

I bake mine. It doesn't need a lot of cooking.

Penguin_

Could you marinade it in something before cooking?

downshifted

Effician said:

One of our fovourite pieces of meat, always buy a 2kg pork loin when on offer & portion into 1" thick pork loin steaks.

For us we fry them & like em only just cooked through , too long & they become dry ( some joints can be very lean), it's a fine line for us but having said that some loins do seem slightly fattier & will stand a bit longer cooking.

There’s no fat whatsoever on these long thin lumps of pork, I think it is just the eye of the loin

PipneyJane

downshifted said:

Effician said:

One of our fovourite pieces of meat, always buy a 2kg pork loin when on offer & portion into 1" thick pork loin steaks.

For us we fry them & like em only just cooked through , too long & they become dry ( some joints can be very lean), it's a fine line for us but having said that some loins do seem slightly fattier & will stand a bit longer cooking.

There’s no fat whatsoever on these long thin lumps of pork, I think it is just the eye of the loin

Rather than roast the joint, how about cutting it up and using it in a stew?  Pork is a very dry meat anyway, since there is no marbling of fat through the meat (unlike beef); the fat is all on the outside.

Another alternative would be to marinade it in oil together with some spices and then to roast it wrapped in foil.

HTH

- Pip

Effician

downshifted said:

Effician said:

One of our fovourite pieces of meat, always buy a 2kg pork loin when on offer & portion into 1" thick pork loin steaks.

For us we fry them & like em only just cooked through , too long & they become dry ( some joints can be very lean), it's a fine line for us but having said that some loins do seem slightly fattier & will stand a bit longer cooking.

There’s no fat whatsoever on these long thin lumps of pork, I think it is just the eye of the loin

It's not so much the fat around the joint as what's contained within the flesh that allows them to dry out so quickly when cooking.

If it was beef you'd want it slightly underdone , not an option with pork so only just cooked through but cooked through

Brambling

This is what I call pork fillet or pork tenderloin and is very lean so the trick is not to over cook it.  I also grew up with no pink pork but these days on TV you do see chefs cook it slightly pink so it is moist, but not rare like beef

You can roast it, bring to room temperature and then allow about 20 mins to roast (depending on size) and then approx 10 mins to rest.  You can stuff it and wrap in pancetta or bacon which will keep it moist but it will take longer to cook.

Look at the BBC good food site they have a selection of recipes or Mary Berry, The Hairy Bikers or Delia Smith

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/pork-tenderloin-recipes

More often or not I slice it thin and stir fry it very quicky 2 or 3 mins at most depending on how much is in the pan, remove from the pan to stir fry veg and sauce before adding it back to stir through but no further cooking

Wraithlady

I agree with the stew recommendation - it really isn't a cut suited to roasting.

What we used to do with it is cut it into slices about an inch thick, and pan-fry for a minute or two a side, then serve with a sauce - the original recipe was lemon, honey and parsley but pretty much anything would be fine - I wouldn't serve a white sauce, but that's just personal preference. A tomato sauce with onions, garlic and olives was a favourite - may have to buy a tenderloin now!

JIL

I cook mine in a can of cider. Keeps it moist.

I have seen a recipe where it was cooked in milk!!

C_J

I had come on here to say that I cook it in cider ….. but JIL beat me to it!  

I like it cut into chunks, and slow cooked in cider with sliced onions and mushrooms. I thicken the sauce at the end and stir through a little cream and lots of coarse ground black pepper.