What’s happening: Pork tenderloin in the oven can cause a certain kind of panic: you smell it roasting; you’re watching the clock; it seems done, so out comes the roast, but slices look gray and dry. It’s difficult to chew. Why? Because far too many cook think they should cook pork until it’s cooked to ash. Because far too many cooks thinks they should cook pork until it’s blackened.
But pork tenderloin is an extremely lean cut that has almost no intramuscular fat. It have no buffer of connective tissue to hold moisture against its muscle fibers. If it gets overdone, the protein immediately tightens up. Fortunately, the chart (above) give us accurate information to prevent such a mistake.
How to Cook Perfect Pork Tenderloin
As you can see, the moment to take the meat off the heat corresponds to an internal temperature of about 140 to 142 degrees Fahrenheit. If you were taught, as I was, that pork needs to cook to 160 degrees to be safe, you might question that directive. But that is no longer true. According to the USDA, we are supposed to aim at 145 degrees; but only if allowed to “rest” afterward for a minimum of three minutes.
Take the roast out of the oven before it hits 145 degrees. Because there’s carryover cooking, you pull the meat out early. When the roast comes out of the oven, the outer layers of the meat will be hot. As it rests outside the oven, the heat transfers inward. Depending on how high your oven temperature was, this residual heat can increase the interior temperature another five to eight degrees (according to the infographic). If you’re waiting for thermometer to register 145 degrees in the middle of the roast, the meat has already been overcooked. Remember: Thermal inertia happens and you should of compensate for it before removing it from the pan.
How does that work? It’s pretty basic science: Heating up muscle tissue causes its protein structures to break down (unfold) and give off water. Between 145 and 160 degrees, the squeeze gets extreme. Look no further than visual doneness chart for a demonstration of the moisture loss. At 145 degrees, you’ll have approximately 88 percent of initial juices intact. Cook up your dinner to 160 degrees, and you’ve lost more than half. It’s the margin between tender and disappointing. It is small but important.
To do this correctly, you’ll need a good instant-read thermometer. Meat doesn’t cook by the clock; shapes differ, and oven thermostats tend to be off too. A two-pound pack will take longer then a one-pound tenderloin, but that assumes uniform density. Push the probe horizontally into the center of thickest section of your roast. Don’t touch bone, or get too close to the sides since those areas is hottest. Pull the roast when the internal temp reads the desired “pull” temp on the thermometer.
Loosely tent with foil and let rest for five minutes. So, this is rest time. That’s what this is for. Instead of collecting on your cutting board, it will move its juices back into the muscle fibers. It also cools off (and then gets back up) to a final safe temp of 145 degrees.
When serving time comes, slice against the grain. Think of it like this: cut across the muscle fiber. In other words, cut across the lengthwise direction of the roast. By doing so, you shorten the strands you’re required to chew making the meat more tenderly. Trust the tool and respect the science. Now go enjoy your luxurios meal.