Pork Tenderloin with Mushrooms

November 2023. Fall in Memphis, and I am 64, walking the neighborhood in my light jacket, watching the leaves turn on the oaks and maples that line Deadrick Avenue. The smoker is happy in fall — the cooler air holds the smoke lower, keeps it closer to the meat, and the results are always a shade better in October than in July, as if the season itself is a seasoning.

Marcus and Angela in Whitehaven, building their family, their house full of the sounds I remember from our own early years — a baby's laugh, a spouse's voice, the daily music of people learning to live together. Naomi growing with the speed of childhood, each visit revealing a new word, a new capability, a new expression that catches my breath because it echoes someone I lost.

Baked beans on the smoker — navy beans soaked overnight, simmered with onion, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, and my BBQ sauce, then smoked uncovered at 250 for two hours. The hickory settles into the sauce and transforms ordinary beans into something that belongs at any table, any gathering, any moment when people need to be fed and comforted and reminded that simple food, made with patience, is the best food there is.

Another week in the book. Another seven days of tending fires — the one in the smoker, the one in the marriage, the one in the family, the one in the church. Each fire needs something different: wood, attention, food, faith. But the tending is the same for all of them: show up, add what's needed, wait patiently, trust the process. Low and slow. Always. Low and slow.

The smoker teaches you something that the kitchen eventually confirms: good food asks for the same thing good living does — attention, patience, and trust in the process. When the weather turns and the hickory smoke is doing its slow, faithful work outside, I want something inside that carries that same spirit to the table. This pork tenderloin with mushrooms is that dish for me — earthy, unhurried, deeply savory — the kind of thing you set on the fire and let alone, because tending too much is just as bad as not tending enough.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 lb cremini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Season the pork. Pat the pork tenderloin dry with paper towels. Season generously on all sides with salt and black pepper.
Sear the tenderloin. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and sear on all sides until golden brown, about 2—3 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Sauté the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to the same skillet. Cook the onion until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Cook the mushrooms. Add the sliced mushrooms to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they release their liquid and turn golden brown, about 6—8 minutes.
Build the sauce. Pour in the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the thyme and let simmer for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in the heavy cream.
Finish the pork. Return the tenderloin to the skillet, nestling it into the mushroom sauce. Cover and cook over low heat for 12—15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Rest 5 minutes before slicing.
Serve. Slice the tenderloin into medallions, spoon the mushroom sauce generously over the top, and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve alongside mashed potatoes, rice, or crusty bread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pork Tenderloin with Mushrooms — Low and Slow, the Way It Was Always Meant to Be