Savory Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Today we’ve got another easy recipe made difficult (for me) because of my inability to actually measure and write things down.  I think I’ve got it together, but you will likely want to put your own spin on this one.  Thankfully, I usually end up developing or tweaking recipes that don’t require precision, so they are pretty hard to screw up.

With a family of growing boys who are most certainly meat eaters, this has been a crowd pleaser and, while it takes a while to cook, it’s simple to put together.  I usually use a 1.5-2 pound tenderloin, but was fooled by packaging and ended up with 2 little 1-pounders, so that’s what I’m working with today.  As usual, see the notes for other ways to play with this one.

Savory Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

2, 1 lb pork tenderloins

3 TBSP butter

1 box dry sage or herb stuffing mix

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning, divided

2 tsp garlic salt, divided

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 TBSP olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Slice your tenderloin(s) lengthwise, but do not cut all the way through.  Spread the halves open and cover with plastic wrap.  Use a meat mallet to flatten until you have an even thickness of about 1/2 inch and all the days frustrations have dissipated.  Brush the tenderloin(s) with about half of the olive oil and sprinkle with half of the garlic salt and poultry seasoning, rubbing into the meat.  

Melt the butter, then add the stuffing mix, broth and salt and pepper to taste.   Spread the stuffing mix over the flattened tenderloins(s) to within about 1/2 inch of the edges.

Starting at the shortest end, roll the tenderloin(s), tucking in the sides and secure in 3 places with white kitchen string (I remember the string about 20% of the time, so it’s okay if you don’t have any.  Just handle with care).

Transfer to a baking dish large enough to prevent the meat from touching, if you are making 2, or an appropriately sized dish for 1.  Brush the outside of the rolled tenderloin(s) with the remaining olive oil and rub with the remaining garlic salt and poultry seasoning.

Bake, uncovered for 45 minutes.  Cover loosely with foil and return to oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

Remove from oven and allow to stand (tented with the foil) for about 15 minutes before slicing for the best flavor and to avoid searing off all of your taste buds.

Notes

As you’ve likely figured out by now, my super power seems to be flying by the seat of my pants.  This recipe is easy to play with.  Try Tony’s, a little extra salt, sage, poultry seasoning and garlic.  You can also add raisins and substitute apple juice for the chicken broth if you prefer a sweet pork.  Like I said, it’s almost impossible to screw this one up.