RECIPE: REC: Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Medallions (from America's Test Kitchen) - fabulous!!

RECIPE:

deb-in-mi

Well-known member
Made this two nights ago - it was so good. Also - not that it needed it - but I made the glaze from another pork recipe and used it for this. See next post!

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Medallions

from the Episode: Two Ways with Pork

Serve with a pan sauce, (see related recipes). We prefer natural to enhanced pork (pork that has been injected with a salt solution to increase moistness and flavor), though both will work in this recipe. Begin checking the doneness of smaller medallions 1 or 2 minutes early; they may need to be taken out of the pan a little sooner.

Serves 4 to 6 12-14 slices bacon (1 slice for each pork medallion)

2 pork tenderloins (1 to 1 1/4 pounds each), trimmed of fat and silver skin, cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch pieces; thinner end pieces scored and folded (see steps 1 and 2 below)

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

See Illustrations Below: Turning the End Piece Into a Medallion

1. Place bacon slices, slightly overlapping, in microwave-safe pie plate and cover with plastic wrap. Cook in microwave on high power until slices shrink and release about 1/2 cup fat but are neither browned nor crisp, 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels until cool, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Wrap each piece of pork with 1 slice bacon and secure with 2 toothpicks where ends of bacon strip overlap, inserting toothpicks on angle and gently pushing them through to other side, (see illustration of Bacon 'Twine' below).

3. Season pork with pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add pork cut side down and cook, without moving pieces, until well-browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn pork and brown on second side, 3 to 5 minutes more. Reduce heat to medium. Using tongs, stand each piece on its side and cook, turning pieces as necessary, until sides are well browned and internal temperature registers 145 to 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 8 to 14 minutes. Transfer pork to platter and tent lightly with foil; let rest while making pan sauce, then serve.

 
And I used this Glaze (recipe inside) on the medallions (from same epsiode - different pork dish:)

This glaze was so darn good I could have eaten it with a spoon!

Glazed Pork Chops
from the Episode: Two Ways with Pork

If your chops are on the thinner side, check their internal temperature after the initial sear. If they are already at the 140-degree mark, remove them from the skillet and allow them to rest, tented with foil, for 5 minutes, then add the platter juices and glaze ingredients to the skillet and proceed with step 3. If your chops are closer to 1 inch thick, you may need to increase the simmering time in step 2.

Serves 4
Glaze

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar or cider vinegar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider or apple juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Pinch cayenne pepper

Chops

4 boneless, center-cut pork loin chops , 5 to 7 ounces each, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil


See Illustrations Below: Prepping Boneless Pork Chops

1. Combine all glaze ingredients in medium bowl; mix thoroughly and set aside. Following illustrations below, trim chops and slash through fat and silver skin with sharp knife, making 2 cuts about 2 inches apart in each chop (do not cut into meat of chops). Pat chops dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Add pork to skillet and cook until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn chops and cook 1 minute longer; transfer chops to plate and pour off any oil in skillet. (Check internal temperature of thinner chops; see note above.) Return chops to skillet, browned side up, and add glaze mixture; cook over medium heat until center of chops registers 140 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; transfer chops to clean platter, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes.

3. When chops have rested, add any accumulated juices to skillet and set over medium heat. Simmer, whisking constantly, until glaze is thick and color of dark caramel (heatproof spatula should leave wide trail when dragged through glaze), 2 to 6 minutes. Return chops to skillet; turn to coat both sides with glaze. Transfer chops back to platter, browned side up, and spread remaining glaze over chops. Serve immediately.

 
Don't you love it? Do you subscribe to Cook's Illustrated? Recipes are almost always

wonderful, but sometimes they take extra steps I find frustratingly (is that a word?) time consuming. Dinner is usually late when I'm using one of their recipes.

 
I made this 2 weekends ago after watching the show - nothing beats pork wrapped in bacon!!!!

And I also used the same sauce - it was soooo good.

Tess

 
Yep - I subscribe. And I must admit...if the recipes are agonizingly long...

I may just cheat a bit here and there to simplify things:)

Deb

 
CI & ATK have never let me down....

their recipes are always good and the articles tell me enough that if I want a little different twist on it to be my 'perfect recipe' then I know what to do. Christopher Kimball has also written several cookbooks that are among my most used - The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook and Cook's Bible (now combined with the baking book but I don't remember what they call it). Pam Anderson used to work for them if my memory serves me right and her stuff is pretty much the same.

If you like them, be sure to sign up for all the newsletters and such. They send out special menus and you can sign up to help test recipes for them and be part of the research.

OH - Cooks Country is also one of their publications and it's okay but not nearly as good as Cooks Illustrated.

 
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