Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin with Ginger, Honey and Rosemary

Temperature for Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin

Because the pork basically cooks in its own juices (along with the marinade) in a sealed bag, there is nowhere for the moisture to disappear to, no way for it to evaporate. Sous vide takes all the guess work out of cooking. You don’t even need an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature because by setting the temperature of the water you are cooking in, and leaving the pork there for at least 1½ hours, you already know the pork is cooked to that temperature. So, what is that temperature? I like to cook pork to 145ºF when cooking in a sous vide water bath. That will give you pork with a touch of pink and lots of moisture. You can safely lower that temperature to 135ºF if you really prefer the pork medium-rare. The duration of time that the pork is held at that temperature is long enough to keep it safe. (You can read more about sous vide safety here.) 

Sauce for Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin

Finally, being able to put all the flavors you want into the marinade and cook the pork in those juices, ensures that all the flavor you crave will infuse into the pork. Plus, the juices left in the bag make the basis for a sauce for the final dish. Once you are ready, sear the cooked pork in a hot skillet for just a minute or two. The honey content in the marinade browns very quickly, giving the pork a beautifully brown seared appearance without over-cooking the inside. Then, pour the juices from the bag into the pan after you’ve seared the pork. Let them reduce while you slice the pork tenderloin into ½-inch slices. By the time you have the pork on the plate, the sauce is ready to go.

Make-Ahead Frozen Pork Tenderloin

Another huge advantage of sous vide cooking is that it’s so easy to prep meals ahead of time. You can freeze the pork and its marinade ahead of time and then drop the frozen pork tenderloin into the sous vide water bath, cooking it from frozen. You just need to add 45 to 60 minutes to the cooking time (cook it for a minimum of 2½).

Whichever way you choose to cook it, you’re left with a beautiful meal with tender, moist pork, perfectly cooked and a sauce to pour over the top. Dinner rarely gets easier than that!