Roast Pork Tenderloin with Asian Glaze

Fourth of July. The Holloway-Weber Independence Day Extravaganza, which is not what anyone calls it but should be, because when fifteen people descend on a three-bedroom house and the host has been cooking since dawn and there are pork tenderloin sandwiches the size of Frisbees and two pies cooling on the counter and corn on the cob from a farmstand and American flags stuck in the lawn, you need a name big enough for the occasion.

Craig and his wife Debbie drove from Omaha with their kids. Kevin's parents came from Newton. Mom and Dad came from Grinnell. The house was full. The kitchen was hotter than the weather, which was ninety-one degrees, which is nothing compared to the heat of a cast iron skillet frying eight pork tenderloins in sequence while simultaneously boiling twenty ears of corn and trying to keep the baked beans from burning.

Mom ran the corn station. She has a system: rolling boil, ears in, seven minutes exactly, ears out, butter and salt immediately. She runs it like an assembly line. She's been boiling corn for fifty years and the corn knows better than to be anything less than perfect under her supervision. Twelve people ate corn on the cob. I ate three ears. Jack ate four. Dad ate two, which is a victory.

The fireworks were in the driveway again. Kevin and Craig handling the explosives, Dad in his lawn chair, the kids running with sparklers, Phyllis sitting next to Dale on the porch watching with her good-day face — the alert, present Phyllis who remembers names and laughs at jokes. Not every day is a good day for Phyllis. Today was. I noticed. Kevin noticed. Nobody said it. You don't name the good days. You just hold them.

Jack's corn is taller than the fence now. Craig looked at it over the fence and said, "Is that corn in your yard?" I said yes. He said, "Like, actual corn?" Jack said, "Bodacious. Seventy-five day maturity. Should be ready mid-August." Craig looked at Kevin. Kevin said, "He's six." Craig said, "That's terrifying." Craig is not wrong. But terrifying and wonderful are the same word when you're talking about a Weber child and a corn patch.

When you’ve got fifteen people in the house and the kitchen is already pushing ninety degrees on its own, you need a pork tenderloin recipe that doesn’t chain you to the stove the entire afternoon. This roast version — with its sticky, sweet-savory glaze — is how I’ve learned to get that same golden, caramelized crust without standing over a cast iron skillet frying eight tenderloins in sequence. You slice it thin, pile it on a soft bun, and it disappears just as fast as the corn Mom is running through her assembly line. It’s the recipe that makes the Extravaganza possible.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 pork tenderloins (about 1 to 1-1/4 pounds each), trimmed
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon sriracha or chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, for garnish
2 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Instructions

Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and sriracha until combined. Set aside.
Preheat oven. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack on top, or use a roasting pan.
Sear the pork. Pat the tenderloins dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the tenderloins on all sides until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
Glaze and roast. Brush the tenderloins generously with about half of the glaze. Transfer the skillet to the oven (or move the pork to the prepared baking sheet). Roast for 18 to 22 minutes, brushing with more glaze halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 145°F.
Rest the meat. Remove from the oven and tent loosely with foil. Let rest for 8 to 10 minutes before slicing. The internal temperature will rise another 5 degrees as it rests.
Finish the glaze. While the pork rests, pour the remaining glaze into a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stir in the cornstarch slurry, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until thickened.
Slice and serve. Slice the tenderloins into 1/2-inch medallions. Drizzle with the thickened glaze and top with sesame seeds and sliced green onions. Serve on soft buns for sandwiches or alongside your favorite summer sides.

Nutrition (per serving)

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Asian Glaze — The Frisbee-Sized Sandwich That Feeds Fifteen